To start with, let us acknowledge the fact that we all are from different schools of thought (religious and cultural), backgrounds, and upbringings.
Our personality styles are diverse; we have varying inclinations, sentiments, and affinities – and all these (admit it or not) have a bearing on our interpretations of scripture and where we find ourselves (our church/group affiliation) in the first place.
And these coagulate in our subconscious to form our paradigms, mindsets, worldview, filters and define our belief system. Unfortunately, the older we get, the more implacable we become; we just – in all sincerity – are unable to change.
We even hold rigidly onto these affectionately, for they’ve become our identity, our values. Without them, we become very vulnerable. So, whenever we hear something new which seems to contradict those beliefs that have formed our worldview, we instantly put up a defence by attacking the seeming intruder.
What we should long for is that teachable, bendable, malleable spirit. That’s where it starts. No matter how far we have advanced in the things of the Spirit, there must be that openness in us to step out of our own worldview, our own familiar terrain, and look at things from a different position. We must be willing to be vulnerable for the sake of truth.
Actually, my dear friends, this is a definite sign of spiritual maturity; that admittance that no matter how much persuaded you are, that your opinion is direct from the throne of God, none of us has a monopoly of divine revelation.
We don’t know it all; the best of us still knows in parts; and until we see the Lord’s face, we will continue to learn. The very nature of learning requires a readiness to unlearn in order to learn. Inability to do this is an indication of stagnation in growth and a characteristic of the religious spirit.
So my prayer for each and every one of us is to develop afresh the spirit of a little child, that meekness of spirit to receive the engrafted word which is able to save our souls. We silence every reasoning, argument, and speculation rooted in the human soul.
We demolish warped philosophies and all barriers erected against the truth of God and we pray the light of God’s revelation will flood our hearts and bring us into new vistas of spiritual truth, aligning us to what God is saying and where He is in the now, amen!
Common to us all, no matter our background — and this is where we must all come back to — is our love for the Lord, who shed His blood and admitted us into His Kingdom.
Please, be aware that that love is one of the most delicate things there is; it is so easy to let it slip and divert our love and commitment to our church affiliations.
That is why we are constantly urged to RETURN to our first love. No group died for you, nor were you redeemed in the name of any worldview.
So, do not see yourself as rising and falling with any group (the way some people like to say, for example: “I was born a Baptist and I will die a Baptist”. Each of us should develop a mentality of migrating. Let me illustrate: some of us started with orthodox, evangelical group mindsets that refused to validate the reality of the Pentecostal experience.
However, as the Lord’s dealing in us progressed, we migrated; we journeyed on with the Lord into a new position in our understandings and experiences. Our beliefs became adjusted, and so did our relationships.
The Lord may be calling us into a new spiritual journey. Do not allow the glories of the yesteryears to hinder you from stepping out in faith as you did many years back.
Do not see the things that you hold onto today as the ultimate of God. In most cases, our social networks and relational bonding in our groups is what actually stops many people from a further adventure into God. But do not be bound to or limited by any group or belief system.
That is why we live in tents, like our spiritual ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Heb. 11:9). We are poured from vessel to vessel (Jer. 48:11). We are essentially pilgrims; journeying is part of our spiritual DNA. We are of they who follow the Lamb wherever He goes (Rev. 14:4).
True, you may have received so much help from your present group; all your friends and vital relationships in life are from this group. You may have even risen through the ranks and are now a “rich young ruler” within that setting. Yet, have you heard the Lord ask you this question frontally: “Lovest thou me more than these?”
So, my beloved brethren, should any one of us have left our first love for our Lord and allowed other things, especially our commitment to church activities, to take His place, I equally want to pray that the Lord will provide grace to RETURN, amen! God bless you.
Foundation Scriptures For Our Study (NASV)
Matt 6:10: “Your kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Matt 24:27: “For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
Luke 17:20-21: “Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, ‘The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
Acts 14:22: “…strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘Through many tribulations, we must enter the kingdom of God.”
This forms part of Brother Adeyemo’s teaching on a Whatsapp platform, which has now been published as a book titled: “Understanding The Kingdom Message”. He is based in Ile Ife, Osun State, Nigeria, from where he runs an itinerary teaching ministry and leads a number of Kingdom initiatives.