SCHOOL OF DIORTHORSIS
13TH SEPTEMBER 2022
Minister: Pastor Olusola Ogidan
Text: Isaiah 60:1,2
Glory is visible. We can’t talk about glory if it can’t be seen; it is not abstract. The glory of the Lord can be seen as revealed in Isaiah 60:2. On Mount Sinai, the children of Isreal constantly saw the visible glory of God. This glory can be related with.
Isaiah 40:3-5
Most of the prophecies of Isaiah and other prophets are about our days today. In this Scripture, we again see that the glory of God is such as can be seen.
John 2:11
Jesus manifested forth His glory when he did His first miracle in Cana of Galilee.
John 1:14
John accounted that the glory of God was visible as the word of God became flesh. We don’t have a pattern for abstract, intangible glory. Glory is always substantial.
If the Church has a glory, it should be visible. Many people pray for their glories to break forth because they know that if that happens, people will see it and they will be respected as people see God’s glory upon them.
Ephesians 5:25-27
The Church, as Jesus’ bride, has been ordained to be glorious. As such, there should be visible demonstrations and manifestations attached to us. A glorious Church is not obscure; it is not a hiding Church.
Jesus is coming back but He has a specification. His coming is not just time bound; it will be determined by the state of the Church. As the Scripture says, He is coming for a glorious and exalted Church. If the Church continues to exist in obscurity, we may delay His coming or He may have to come for the Glorious Church within the Universal Church.
The Church is not just supposed to be holy and without blemish; it is also expected to be glorious. The question to ponder is ‘What is the glory of the Church?’
John 17:1-5,20-22
Jesus had and shared a glory with God before the world was established. This was a glory to come and so Jesus had to pray for the coming of the glory.
God said he had given the glory God gave Him to His disciples and those who would believe in him through their words. The glory is different from the glory He said he had before the foundation of the earth. That glory belongs to us as much as it belonged to the disciples. There was a glory waiting for us even before we became born again. We were literally born into it.
Hebrews 2:6-9
When Jesus was on the earth, He had the glory of Adam. In that state, He was crowned with glory and honour which He gave to us. The glory of Adam is not a glory to be given; it is a glory that has been given us. If we are not walking in that glory, it is our fault.
2 Thessalonians 2:13,14; Romans 8:18
We have been called to obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is a future glory that we have to lay hold of. There is a glory that shall be revealed in us after much suffering. This is not the glory Jesus gave us before He left the earth. It is the glory that will be revealed.
We already have the glory of Adam; the glory we are waiting for is in the order of resurrection. That glory has to be revealed to us.
1 Peter 4:13; 5:1
Though we suffer now, we will have abundance of joy by the time the glory is revealed. We need patient endurance in order to receive the resurrection-order glory.
John 2:11; 11:1-4
We have been given the glory of the First Adam but we await the glory of Jesus, the Last Adam. Jesus’ glory was manifested when he turned water to wine and when He raised Lazarus from the dead.
Matthew 9:1-8
Forgiveness is a tangible spiritual experience but it is invisible. However, to raise a man from the sick bed is more appreciated by men because it is visible. As such, men give glory to God. As the Son is glorified, the Father is also glorified.
The Glory of Christ is the manifestation of authority and power that God invested in Christ to do the great works that He did. Glory is a display, a manifestation and a demonstration of the greatness of the power that God has invested in us. The fact that Jesus gave us his glory means that we should also work the miracles He did and even better.
There is no glory if there are no great works; glory is followed by great and wowing deeds. Every time God steps in to work, it cannot be normal because His glory is great.
John 17:20-22; Mark 16:15-20
The Glory of Christ is made up of both the Given and Revealed Glories. As a church, we need to operate in both glories. The preacher and the one who believes in him have portions in the given glory.
When preachers preach, those who believe them are promised signs that will follow them. As signs, miracles and wonders are following those who go out to preach, they will also follow those who will believe Jesus through their words. The preacher and believer are both carriers of Jesus’ glory.
We don’t have to be apostles or evangelists to have signs following us. All we need is to believe and to go out. The glory of the Church is to walk in miracles, signs and wonders. They are supposed to be normal signs for our daily lives not for special ministries.
Acts 19:1,2
Signs are for those who believe but they are activated by the infilling of the Holy Spirit and it is not about doing ministry. It is expected that people receive the Holy Spirit as soon as they get born again. The faith required for salvation is not different from the one required for the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
It is not necessary to have a waiting period between Salvation and Holy Spirit Baptism. The lag in the case of Jesus’ disciples was because Jesus had to ascend first before the Holy Spirit would come.
The Glory of the Church lies in supernatural manifestations. No deadly thing hurts us, no poison harms us, no enchantment has impact on us. This dimension of glory has been expressly declared: Safety, deliverance, escape from death, healing, shielding from evil. When we live the supernatural life, we are walking in glory.