The Way Of Suffering For Christ: The Christian Way, #9

By Zacharias Tanee Fomum

This book presents suffering for the Lord as an inevitable thing. It posits suffering as one of the great promises of the Lord Jesus Christ to all who are determined to serve Him faithfully, as He deserves to be served.

Prof Z.T.  Fomum demonstrates, through the teachings of Jesus Christ, that it is impossible to escape persecution while remaining true to the Lord.

The apostle Paul certifies it, saying, "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted"(2 Timothy 3:12).

Therefore, the church must be prepared solidly in order to stand firm and steadfast whenever she is visited by waves of persecution.

In this book, you will find strategies and methods to deploy in order to thwart Satan's tricks and frustrate his and the persecutor's designs.

This is a work whose message must never be forgotten.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Books4revival
• Release date: Jul 24, 2018
• ISBN: 9781310201493

Zacharias Tanee Fomum

For FREE books from Zacharias Tanee Fomum: https://books.bookfunnel.com/ztf-free-ebooks. Professor Zacharias Tanee FOMUM was a man of uncommon spirituality, a leading voice for revival, a workaholic, a prophet-teacher, and a world-shaping spiritual genius. He was a bestselling Christian author (with over 350 books, over 10 million copies in circulation in over 100 languages) and a professor of Organic Chemistry (with over 160 published scientific works of high distinction (earning him the award of a Doctor of Science degree from the University of Durham, Great Britain). His books and the millions of people he influenced in more than 40 years of Christian ministry continue to impact the world with the Gospel today. He founded Christian Missionary Fellowship International (CMFI), a missionary movement that has planted churches in more than 120 nations on all continents. He believed in a life of simplicity and with the support and dedication of his wife and their seven children, his all—time, money, heart, and soul— was dedicated to spreading the Gospel. He carried out exploits for God through the making of disciples for Christ, planting of churches, building spiritual leaders according to the model of the Bible, and serving the body of Christ, especially as a teacher on prayer. Learn more and read exclusive excerpts at: https://ztfomum.org

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1

THE CHURCH THAT CANNOT BE DISTROYED

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do men say that the Son of man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death (the gates of hell) shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven’ (Matthew 16:13-19).

WHAT IS THE CHURCH?

The church is the dwelling-place of God in the Spirit (Ephesians 2:22). The Lord Jesus said,

If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him (John 14:23).

The church is the dwelling-place of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16). The Bible says,

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If any one destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and that temple you are (1 Corinthians 3: 16-17).

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own (1 Corinthians 6:19).

The church is the Body of Christ. The Bible says,

He has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fulness of him who fills all in all (Ephesians 1:22-23).

The church is the family of God. The Bible says,

But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:12-13).

THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH

All who belong to the Lord Jesus all over the world belong to the church. The church in that sense includes all believers in every nation of the world. The church is the property of God and His Christ. The Bible calls it:

The Assembly of the first-born (Hebrews 12:23).

The fold of Christ (John 10:16).

God’s field, God’s building (1 Corinthians 3:9).

The universal church is not the Catholic church.

The universal church is not the Protestant churches.

The universal church is not the Pentecostal churches.

The universal church is not the Presbyterian, Baptist, Apostolic, Assemblies of God, Full Gospel, etc, churches.

These names have nothing to do with the church of God. None of these names has any place in the eternal plan of God. God never gave birth to any of the systems bearing these names. All these denominations are a work of the Enemy. They are the product of spiritual derailment. They talk of the loss of God’s eternal purpose, of the attempt of man to incorporate something earthly into that which is totally heavenly in origin. God will ultimately put away all denominations, just as He will put away everything that He did not bring into existence. He has said,

Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up (Matthew 15:13).

We repeat that God has the church and not a denomination. We further insist that the church of God is not:-

A denominational one.

An independent one.

A national one.

A tribal one.

A racial one.

An inter-denominational one.

Rather, His church is:

The adopted sons of God (Galatians 4:5).

The children of the kingdom (Matthew 13:38).

The city of God (Hebrews 12:22).

The followers of God (Ephesians 5:1).

Heirs of God (Romans 8:17).

Co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17)

The peculiar people of God.

Sons of God (Romans 8:14).

Although denominations are not of God, He still uses some today to accomplish His purposes.

THE LOCAL CHURCH

All who belong to the one universal church of God in one locality constitute the church in that locality.

The apostle Paul ordained elders in every church (Acts 14:23). The Bible says,

And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting, they committed them to the Lord in whom they believed (Acts 14:23).

The Bible talks of the church in Smyrna (Revelation 2:6).

Pergamos (Revelation 2:12).

Thyatira (Revelation 2:18).

Etc.

The Bible sees only one church in one locality, although it gives no dimension to the locality.

THE CHURCHES

The one universal church of God exists in different places as local churches. All the local churches are referred to as the churches. The Bible also uses the word ‘churches’ to describe the churches in different localities in an area. The Bible says,

And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches (Acts 15:41).

... who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I but also all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks (Romans 16:4). Paul an apostle.... to the churches of Galatia (Galatians 1:2).

Even where there were many churches in an area, it was obvious to God and to the churches that they belonged to the church.

The churches were not separated on the basis of doctrine. They were not separated on the basis of tribe, class or colour. They were not separated on the basis of sex or age. They were separated on the basis of locality and locality alone.

The universal church cannot be destroyed. Why can it not be destroyed? It cannot be destroyed because of:-

Its Origin

Its Builder

Its Protector

Its Destiny.

THE ORIGIN OF THE CHURCH

The church originated in the mind of God. God is the Author of the church. It is properly called

The church of God (1Corinthians 1:2).

Christ is also the Author and the Builder of the church. He said,

I will build my church (Matthew 16:18).

So, the church is heavenly in origin, just as Christ is heavenly in nature. The church was purchased by Christ with His blood (Acts 20:28). Because the church originated in God, it cannot fail. It must achieve and accomplish its eternal purpose.

THE BUILDER OF THE CHURCH

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Supreme Builder of the church. He said, "l will build my church." Anything that He does not build is not His church.

How does the Lord Jesus build His church? There are two fundamental processes:-

The procurement of members.

The establishment of the members so that they function in such a way as to accomplish the purpose of Christ.

1. THE PROCUREMENT OF MEMBERS

Because the Lord is the Builder of the church, no one can, on his own, make himself a member of that church. To become a member, the Father must reveal Jesus to you as your sin-Bearer, and Jesus must reveal the Father to you as the King of glory. The Lord Jesus said,

I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the son chooses to reveal him (Matthew 11:25-27).

So members are those to whom the Son chooses to reveal the Father. These ones are also those to whom the Father has chosen to reveal the Son.

Those to whom this revelation knowledge of the Father and the Son is given become members. They have eternal life, even as Jesus said,

And this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent (John 17:3).

Peter confessed:

You are the Christ, the Son of the living God, and the confession set him apart as a member. This confession did not originate in himself, for the Lord Jesus immediately said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven (Matthew 16:17).

Yes, to be a member, the Father must reveal Jesus to you as the Christ, the Son of the living God." Without this revelation, there can be a lot of activities in the flesh and of human origin, but these cannot make one into a member.

All to whom the revelation is given will confess, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Many without the revelation will imitate others, or just recite what they have read and also say, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God, but because the origin of the words is flesh and blood, the words are of no avail and those who utter them remain outside the church. True enough, they can sincerely belong to one religious system or the other; they can carry out all the demands of man, but all these activities of the flesh and blood will never put anyone into Christ and, therefore, will never put anyone into His church.

Talking about the same truth, the Lord Jesus said,

All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out (John 6:37).

And Jesus answered them.

Do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day (John 6:43-44).

Membership in the church of God is then something done by God. The Lord Jesus, in talking to Nicodemus, said,

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew (again or from above), he cannot see the Kingdom of God (John 3:3).

Yes, members of the church of God are born from above. It is the triune God who carries out the operation. No man can impart the life of God to himself, regardless of his sincerity or determination. The Bible says,

And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved (Acts 2:47).

And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of God; and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed (Acts 13:48).

So the Lord adds to the church, but before they are added to the church, they must be added by the Father to Jesus. The Father gives each member of the church to Christ and Christ then adds those whom the Father thus gives Him to His Body - the church. Conversion is first the adding by God of regenerated people to Christ. The Bible says,

And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women (Acts 5:14).

And a large company was added to the Lord (Acts 11:24).

And a great number that believed turned to the Lord (Acts 11:21).

Conversion is this turning to the Lord. It is this being added to the Lord. It is not the turning to some doctrine, even if it is true doctrine. It is not the turning to a philosophy or an individual (apart from the Lord Jesus). It is not the turning to Catholicism or Protestantism or Pentecostalism. It is not the turning to the Full Gospel Mission or Voice of the Gospel or anything else that you