(From a sermon of Bro. Julius Adewumi 9/1/95)
"Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it." (Heb.4:1).
What I want to talk about today is very important for the days ahead. It is what I will call
" Danger: Don't voice out your doubt!" Keep your doubts to yourself. There was a prophecy from somebody which I read recently. The Lord talked in that prophecy that God is coming to do something new in the next step of the renewal or revival which is taking place in many churches. The prophecy said what God is coming to do, even churches will think it is occultic. When I read the prophecy, I know that if the Lord begins to use even we that have been waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God, in the anointing already resident in us, many believers will think it is occultic. I was speaking in tongues in the congregation many years ago while we were praying and the tongue-language took a turn into some rythms that even sound to me like "incantations": the type we have heard from certain idol worshippers. Just the rythm, not knowing what the spirit was saying, yet some brethren were amazed. God indeed will do strange things in this last revival which many theologians will classify as "from the other side".
The prophecy said that even churches will say it's occultic; but it will still be the Lord doing it. The prophecy is in line with what I want to talk about today. That is, Keep any doubt you may have to yourself in the days ahead. Any negative opinion from you about what God will do in revivals from many ministries in the days and years ahead, keep those opinions to yourselves. Why? Because of the examples we are going to discuss here in second Kings chapter 6.
These two cases should caution us that if you have any doubt concerning any topic, any doctrine, any instruction or any movement of the spirit in the days ahead, if you doubt it, keep that doubt to yourself. The book of proverbs spoke a lot about keeping our mouth, keeping our peace, keeping our tongue and not uttering all that is in our heart. There could be serious judgement to follow any bad mouthing from anyone. Even churches will come forward to boldly declare that somethings are occultic which God will be doing soon; yet it takes some anointing that look like occultic to take us away from here in the rapture. It will look like occultic because people have already attributed such powers to men who had been digging deep into the realms of charms and spiritism. Whereas all powers in heaven and on earth is in the hand of Jesus.
Men have attributed some supernatural manifestations to only men in the occultic realms. That is why churches will have problem with what God will do in this last revival. Simply because it is not in the traditional "A-m-a-z-i-n-g- g-r-a-c-e .." type of tempo, many believers will take offence in it. The time for those simplistic rythm is changing. God is coming with a wave of spirituality to usher us into the realm of the spirits; for, in the rapture, we are going to live among the spirits.
When we read this chapter in second Kings, you will see why I said keep any doubt about anything you don't understand to yourself. Don't voice it out! If you think one manifestation is from the devil, you will still be safe if you don't utter it out. Let's read the story of this man who uttered his doubt before Elisha the prophet.
I want you to feel the weight of what we are saying here, as you consider that God did not respect this highly placed man in the kingdom of Israel. The judgement utterance came against him. Elishah did not respect him either. He was second-in-command to the king of Samaria.
"And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria. And there was a great famine in Samaria: and behold, they besieged it until an ass's head was sold for four score pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver." (2Kgs.6:24-25).
It was so bad. The army surrounded the city for so long: nobody went in, nobody went out.
Till no more food in the city. The women had begun to eat their children for meat! That was how bad it was.
"And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O king. And he said, If the Lord do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress? (sarcastically, meaning, she ought to know there wasn't any barnfloor left). "And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow. So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son." (2Kgs.6:26-29). What in the world is going on here? The king would have liked to scream. "It came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh." (v.30). That is, he himself had been fasting and mourning. "Then the king said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day."(v.31). In effect he was saying Elishah the prophet was not praying enough for us, let's go get rid of this prophet. It must be God himself that is doing this to us. "But Elishah sat in his house, and the elders sat with him; and the king sent a man from before him: but ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, See ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head? look, when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door: is not the sound of his master's feet behind him? And while he yet talked with them, behold the messenger came down unto him. And he said, Behold, this evil is of the Lord; what should I wait for the Lord any longer?" (v.32-33).
I read all of these to set the stage as a background of what really happened. There was famine due to war, and they were praying for a miracle.
"Then Elishah said, Hear ye the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord, Tomorrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria." (2Kgs.7:1). Now that is the beginning of the miracle. God was about to turn things around, but somebody was not going to believe. "Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And Elishah said, Behold thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shall not eat thereof." (2Kgs.7:2). That was a very highly placed man in their kingdom. But he doubted what God said openly. He said in effect "unless God opened windows in heaven and rained down food it could not be possible- a measure of fine flour for a shekel?" Elishah put a curse on him immediately that he would see it with his eyes but would not eat thereof. You know the whole story and what happened. When the Syrians fled and their food was gathered for the people, (in verses 17-20), the king told the doubting lord, his second-in-command, to take charge. "And the king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him." (v.17). When the crowd heard there was food at the gate, in the pandemonium which followed, that lord was trampled upon trying to keep peace. But it was the curse upon him. He saw it with his eyes but ate not thereof. God allowed that story to be told to give us a warning: DON'T VOICE OUT YOUR DOUBT! I will not say Don't doubt, because many times thoughts of doubt come to the mind of men from the devils. It is natural for men to doubt. But don't voice out your doubt. Amen? It's very dangerous, because that was what that man did and he was cursed. If he had doubted and laughed inside himself, he would have been forgiven, and he would see it and would have eaten of it. But being so bold, too forward, perhaps his position as the king's counsellor put him at a position to reply to the prophet, he voiced out his unbelief, and died for it. He destroyed himself, and God didn't even respect him that he was second-in-command or the king's counsellor. God allowed Elishah to utter the curse which brought destruction on the man. "Life and death are in the power of the tongue; and he that loveth it shall eat the fruit thereof."
In the days ahead, when God shall begin to do what he has planned to do to usher the believers into the translative faith, there is danger: don't voice out your doubt.
Let's look at another example of somebody who voiced out his doubt. In the gospel of Luke chapter one verse eighteen, (Lk.1:18) let's remind ourself of the fate of Zacharias the father of John the Baptist. It is good to remind ourselves of the fear of the Lord, because sometimes we become so bold in our knowledge of things of the Spirit, and then we begin to place judgement on what we see or hear that is going on in the churches or in some ministries. For instance, I remember when we were in Nigeria in the 70's, an evangelist rose up and was performing miracles and he drew a crowd. But because he was affiliated to a denominational church which many born-again believers knew so well as lukewarm and "not-born-again" group, many born-again believers were antagonistic of the evangelist. Some were even voicing it out. A Christian lady was commenting on the evangelist before me that the man couldn't be right, etc. I told her: sister, leave him alone! If you doubt what he is doing, keep it to yourself; don't share it with others, because the real motive behind sharing your negative opinion about another minister is so that people may separate themselves from such minister. If you are wrong, then you have directly fought the work of the living God. It is a dangerous thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
But someone may say "we ought to expose the false ministers!" Remember, God said He will do things in the next revival with so much supernaturalism and spiritualism even some churches will say it is occultic. Be careful! Another man may say "but God told me the minister is false!" Well then, that declaration is gone beyond apology. Just be very sure it is "the Lord" who told you the minister is false! This sermon is simply saying, if God had not told you that the minister is false, then just keep your peace. There are scriptural verses which teaches us how to order our conversations, how to hold our peace, and how to keep our tongue from trouble. Those verses will be assets to many believers in the days ahead if they will put them to use. (Prov.10:31-32; Psa.50:23).
Prov.17:28 - "Even a fool when he holdeth his peace is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding."
Think about that!
In Luke chapter 1:18-20, Angel Gabriel came to Zacharias when God was about to send forth John the Baptist. "And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years." You may say what Zacharias said here was not really great unbelief. What is the doubt here? Was he simply enquiring further? When God is dealing with a man, someone like this priest is expected to know better perhaps. The angel told Zacharias that he was going to have a baby and his name would be called John. "Fear not Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John."(v.13) "For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." (Lk.1:13-17).
The angel narrated all the above. Yet Zacharias, even a priest, doubted this thing. "And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years." We may say what he said was not much to be called doubt. But who are we to judge God? "And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. And behold thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season." (v.19-20).
Now that is really serious. Zacharias was dumb for almost nine months, until the baby was born. And on the day of the naming ceremony, Zacharias was restored. So, let's be careful in the days ahead. That is what I am saying. The scripture said "Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands? For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God." (Eccl.5:6-7).
Don't voice out your doubt. Keep it to yourself. You may say you doubt whether that minister is of God. Just keep that opinion to yourself. Leave it alone, and let God be the judge.
Prov.18:6-7 - "A fool's lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes. A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul."
From all these bible verses, God is telling us to be careful of what we say. Let's not put ourselves as the judge of what God will be doing in the next few years. Another reason why I am saying this is that, when I first began to receive the internet news about the revival meetings and the renewal meetings, of believers falling down or shaking or laughing, I first commented and said, "well, the shaking is not the Holy Ghost ...". Some brethren lashed out at me on the computer forum. But the Lord just told me that "leave that alone!" Don't even comment; just leave it alone. That is why I say it is wise for us to leave many things alone. Those things that we know that "this is not the Holy Ghost doing that?" People falling down and screaming or barking! God says "leave it alone!" Why? Because sometimes God needs those crowds also to gather. For if there are no crowds to gather how will he demonstrate his power? (By your foolish words, if you run them off, who will carry the news to the world when God performs wonders?) Not uttering forth your doubt is the most important thing. It is only when you utter forth your doubt that it becomes an offence. If thoughts are generating in your mind about the move of the Spirit, and you doubt it, leave it alone. The prophecy I mentioned above said even some churches will take offence in what God will do in the days ahead. We also have to be careful how we react to things we hear or see in the work of the Lord.
The Lord has revealed some things to me which makes me to know that as the end of the world comes, and the final revival we are all awaiting arrives, there will be a lot of "forsaking". People will say some manifestations, from these "sons of God", are not of God. Because of what God will be doing through some ministers, or through some individuals, many theologians will blaspheme. We who are called into this wisdom of God ought to pray and ask the Lord to help our mouth and our lips, to be able to keep our cool. The psalmist said "keep a watch over my lips" so that I do not sin against God.
(A brother wrote to me few years ago. I thought I had made myself clear enough when I preached in their fellowship and also when I wrote my testimony about the rod the Lord gave to me. [ Read Revealed Truth part 1]. Yet this brother, who was dear to me, wrote and said I ought to repent and that the rod is unbiblical. I have prayed for the brother that he be pardoned. That is the kind of things I am saying: we better be careful how we voice out our doubt about things of the spirit in the years ahead.)
Hitherto God has restricted the angels from manifesting too often to the saints, because the angels don't turn the other cheek as we christians are expected to. Remember the few words of doubt from Zacharias to angel Gabriel caused Zacharias to be dumb for almost ten months. No wonder they don't manifest to us too often for our own good. But as we move closer to the rapture, the angels are heavily involved in getting the saints ready and for the transportation. The angels are expected to minister for the saints for the home-going translation. They have got to move closer to us and manifest more often. Beware that you utter not opposing words to the angels; neither voice ye your doubt against a ministry of the Sons of God: because angels are involved in every ministry. When you go against such ministry, you have gone against the angel who was given charge for that ministry. As I said, the angels don't turn the other cheek like us. Yet they have got to move closer to us and manifest more often because, the time is up! It is harvest time! Amen!
When the Lord Jesus himself was preaching, the pharisees came against him heavily for their own reasons and said it was Belzebub doing those miracles and not God. Christ said every blasphemy against the son of man will be forgiven men; but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven: not in this life neither in the world to come. He was putting all the punishment to the future. We are in that future when the Holy Ghost is the One behind all the work of God. Any foolish utterance is dangerous to the speaker.
I pray that the Lord help us to order our conversation aright and not offend by our tongue. There had been ministers judging and preaching against other ministers for years. Many of those may receive instant punishment in the days ahead if they continue to tear down what God is building. We don't want to be in such punishment. We don't want to be in offence. Lord, I pray that you put a bridle over our tongues, in the body of Christ, that we may not sin against thee. You know your sheep and your sheep hear your voice. May we as sheep take heed to this warning from the Lord, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!
Bro. Julius Adewumi.
Gospel Distribution Ministry.