PASTOR (MRS) ADEBOLA OSANYINBI
[biblegateway passage=”HEBREWS 6:1″ display=”HEBREWS 6:1″];[biblegateway passage=” GENESIS 17:1″ display=” GENESIS 17:1″]
Man can lie but God is ever faithful because He is the Author of Life. There is neither shadow of turning nor variableness in Him. God is not a man that should lie. God is ever faithful to his word. He is the Author of light. If He says perfection is possible, you have got to believe it. God told Abraham to walk before Him and be perfect because it was not impossible.
Our call to perfection starts with walking before God. When we are still given to our own ways, we are not ready for perfection yet. There is always a vacuum in everyones life that needs to be filled and if that gap is not filled then we cannot come into perfection.
Abraham was a true servant of the Lord, he reflected a true relationship between himself and God. Perfection is talking about the strength and grace we get to go deeper in the Lord. He will not force us to do His will but He beckons always, He patiently waits for us to decide to answer.
Perfection is about growing until we come into stature. When a child’s growth is retarded, it is a source of great pain to the parents and people around. In the same way, when we refuse to mature we make God sad. Can we come into a level where we are persuaded that God is the Ultimate Lord of our lives? God is telling us all to walk before him perfectly but most people are walking independently. We will always need the guidance of the Lord to be perfect.
We cannot come to perfection by merely believing God, we have to obey those instructions we believe. Perfection requires the action of obedience.
[biblegateway passage=”1 CORINTHIANS 3:10-13″ display=”1 CORINTHIANS 3:10-13″]; [biblegateway passage=”EPHESIANS 4:3-12″ display=”EPHESIANS 4:3-12″]; [biblegateway passage=”2 TIMOTHY 2:4″ display=”2 TIMOTHY 2:4″]
As people pursuing perfection, we have to think like a builder, a soldier and an athlete. Perfection requires the exceptional wisdom of a wise master builder. There is a pattern according to which we must build. That is the only way we can build correctly. Anything that is done outside the purpose of God is bound to fail.
Our journey towards perfection will be hampered by ‘civilian affairs’ which are weights and besetting sins that are capable of slowing us down or shutting us down altogether. A soldier endures hardship.
In coming to Christ you will face hardship but you must make up your mind that as a good soldier of Christ you will endure it. To endure hardship, you won’t mind the distraction or challenges but you just move on. You don’t come into perfection without warring, you will have to contend; contending is part of the mix.
As an Athlete you need to follow the rules so that you wont be kicked out. As believers also, we have to follow the pattern of Christ. Perfection can only be gotten by following Christ Himself. Before we can aspire unto perfection, we have to ensure that our foundation is in proper shape. The foundation is Christ Himself, any other foundation is not worth it.
We need the mind of Christ before perfection can be possible. He showed us an example of total surrender to God. His sacrifice made it possible for us to see the possibility of perfection.
Perfection will be totally elusive without the five ministry gifts: Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers. Missing any of the gifts is missing perfection. The proper mix of these gifts is what guarantees our balanced diet and by extension, perfection.
If Abraham could be circumcised when he was 99 years old, it means it is never too late for us to lay aside everything that will prevent us from getting perfected. Perfection is attainable!