SHEEP AMONGST THE WOLVES
Dr. D. K. Olukoya
Sheep amongst the wolves is the title of our message for this week. Matthew 10: 16 says, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” ln this passage, Jesus is warning us about the danger surrounding us in the world. The wolf is a very dangerous animal. Physically, if a contest were declared between the sheep and the wolf, the sheep would stand no chance at all because the wolf is stronger than it. The wolf would destroy the sheep utterly.
The environment in which we find ourselves is a very hostile one. The Bible does not use kind words to describe it. The Bible talks about the environment being filled with serpents, scorpions, lions, foxes and all kinds of terrible creatures. And in the passage we read, the Bible is talking about wolves. Truly, the wolf can destroy the sheep but there is something that can enter the sheep and give it the ability to confront and defeat the wolf. That thing is the Spirit of the living God. The Holy Spirit can enter the sheep because of certain qualities that can be found in the sheep.
Readers of the Bible recognise that Samson was a man that did exploits. There was a time he met a lion on the way and the lion did not know that Samson was not just an ordinary human being it could devour. It smiled at Samson and wanted to pounce on him but then something was in the life of Samson, which the lion did not know about. The Spirit of the Lord was mightily upon Samson. Judges 14: 5 – 6: “Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother to Timnath: and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and behold, a young lion roared against him. And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.” The Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson.
When the Spirit of the Lord comes upon men, new things begin to happen. When it comes upon you, new ideas would begin to come up in your mind, a new power would enter into your spirit, you would begin to resist the devil and he would certainly flee from you. Perhaps as you are reading this message, you are the timid and fearful type. When that Spirit comes upon you, it will make you to become bold. Samson did not flee from the lion, instead he pounced on it. Meaning that he did to the lion what the lion planned to do to him.
The Spirit of God has always been doing wonders in people’s lives and I am sure He would do wonders in yours too, in the name of Jesus. Every serious man of God in the Bible passed through this kind of experience that we are talking about. The seventy elders had a difficult task to do. Ordinarily, they would not have been able to cope, but God had to do something to them before pushing them into the midst of wolves. We too need this Spirit to give us wisdom. We need Him to disgrace all the lions harassing us. Gideon, too, was a man that was called by God for a task he could not cope with until the same Spirit came upon him. The same thing happened to king David, Simon in the New Testament, and to all the apostles. The Spirit of the living God came upon them and that made all the difference.
The whole of the Bible can be divided into three clear sections:
Section 1. The time of Tabernacles and temples: The people of Israel built tabernacles in the wilderness. Anytime they were moving, they carried their tabernacle. When they finished with tabernacles, they started building temples. That time God was in a place and not in their lives. This is the reason the devil was able to mess people up thoroughly in the Old Testament. God was inside the tabernacles and inside the temples but was not inside their lives. The high priest used to go to the Holy of holies once a year and he did that with very great precautions because anything could happen to him there. That is what we see in the Old Testament.
Section 2. The time of Jesus Christ: Jesus came, and men looked upon Him and decided that He was not worthy to remain alive so they got rid of Him. But before then, He moved around preaching the gospel and healing the sick. God anointed Him with power and He did great exploits. He laid the foundation of the apostolic ministry. When He was going away, He said, “I am going away but I will not leave you comfortless. I will send to you another Comforter,” and that ushered us into the realm of the Holy Spirit, where we are now.
Section 3. The ministry of the Holy Spirit: The ministry of the Holy Spirit is the last ministry. It is the Spirit that allows us to live in the supernatural. What I am talking about surpasses just speaking in tongues. There are many people who speak in tongues but there is no power in the tongues. What I am talking about is moving in the supernatural. Sometime ago, a certain woman attended a service where somebody prayed on anointing oil and she drank it. Shortly after, she began to feel pressed to go to the toilet. By the time she got to the toilet, she excreted three snakes, not worms. That is what you call moving in the supernatural. There are some sisters in our fellowship who have never been to any school in their lives but they can read the Bible very well. That is what you call moving in the supernatural. This is the only thing that can confront and defeat the wolf.
Our country used to be in terrible darkness and many evil things were happening. Clergy men used to go to evil people to collect power. People were even afraid to call the names of witches and all kinds of horrible things were happening until some men who had the Spirit of the living God came and confronted the wolves. You cannot confront the wolves when you are chewing gum in the church or when you cannot concentrate during service.
THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Baptism of the Holy Spirit in the right sense of it, is an experience that revolutionises people’s lives. Many years ago, I was passing by a university campus around I.00 a.m. and I saw three girls wearing tight trousers standing in front of the place. As I was wondering what they were doing there, they waved me down, so, I stopped and I asked what they were doing there. They said they were looking for transport to take them home. So, I offered to help them. As I was driving, I asked them again what they were doing there at that hour and they said they were coming from a party that had just ended. I went on further to tell them that it was dangerous for them to be there at that time and they said, “Sir, Jesus will protect us.” When I heard that, I asked, “Are you people born again.” They said, “Yes.” So, I asked again, “If you are born again, then, what are you doing in a night party and dressed the way you are?” They said, “We are not only born again but also filled with the Holy Spirit.” I said, “Supposing Jesus comes and meets you in that party dancing with unbelievers, what do you think would happen?” One of them said, “No. He cannot come now because I am not yet married and I have not done anything. He would have to wait for me to finish everything then He can come.” It is really a pity. A lot of people who claim to have the baptism of the Holy Spirit are not serious yet. If you received the genuine baptism of the Holy Spirit, it would revolutionise your life. It would turn your life upside down for good. It would reverse your situation.
For us to disgrace the present-day wolves, we need the power of the Holy Spirit. One man of God said that the sign of Christianity is not a cross but a tongue of fire. When the fire comes upon your life things begin to happen. The greatest reason we need fresh fire from above is for us to be a great burnt offering for God. Once you become that kind of burnt offering, the first thing that would disappear from your life is the fear of death. And immediately the devil sees that you are no longer afraid of death, he would flee from you because there is no other greater thing with which he can threaten you. Supposing the Holy Spirit wakes you up at 2. 00 a.m. and says, “Son or daughter, today I have a message for you to deliver at the front gate of Atan Cemetery.” What would you do? Somebody who is on fire for God will not think of the danger but would go there. That is what we mean by being a great burnt offering for the Lord. People who have got to that level are above fear. When such people are threatened with charms, they ask the person issuing the threat to bring his most powerful one.
When we become a great burnt offering for God, it is then we can disgrace the wolves and when God is looking for someone to rely upon, He can depend on us. The question now is, “Do you have that fire of God burning in you?” The Bible says that our God is a consuming fire and when that fire comes on you, you will have liberty in the spirit. When some people speak in tongues, it would appear as if somebody was squeezing their throat and quenching the power. I pray that we may have the fire that John spoke about. Then, the devil, sin, sicknesses cannot live in our lives because it would be too hot. This is why we need the fresh fire of the Holy Spirit. Many have quenched that fire by their words, unbelief, and the unwillingness to change. So, it is time to check your baptism again. Does it have fire in it? Or have you lost it?
The second reason we need fresh fire is so that we may be perfected in love. You must love all sinners, not wishing that any should perish. Paul said, “Though I preach the gospel I have nothing to glory of, but necessity is laid upon me. Woe is me if I preach not the gospel.” He was able to say that because something had happened to him.
The third reason we need fresh fire is for holy zeal to fall upon us. The apostles had fire and they got result. A friend of mine in England was invited to Russia to preach. He did not understand their language. He preached in English while another person interpreted in Russian language. His message was on why we have redundant people in the house of God. He said that those who are redundant in the house of God should be rendered more redundant. The message touched his interpreter so much that the man broke down and could not interpret any more. Then suddenly the Spirit of the living God fell upon my friend and for half an hour, he preached in Russian language and there was not a single sinner at that meeting who did not give his life to Jesus. Immediately the half an hour was over, he did not know what he was saying again. He just saw that sinners were coming out to give their lives to Christ. That is what the Holy Spirit could do in one’s life.
Beloved, we need to pray that the fire of the Holy Spirit should fall upon us by praying the following prayer points aggressively.
PRAYER POINTS
1. Anything hindering the move of the Holy Spirit in my life, release me now, in the name of Jesus.
2. Holy Ghost fire, move freely in my life, in the name of Jesus.
3. Let the Holy Ghost fire purge my life, in the name of Jesus.
4. Anything quenching the fire of God in my life, die by fire, in the name of Jesus.
5. Let the fire of the Lord consume every darkness in my life, in Jesus' name.
6. O Lord, make my life invisible to demonic observers, in the name of Jesus.
7. I cancel every evil vow that is affecting my life negatively, in the name of Jesus.
