So after that outpouring, (it gave birth to 2 major institutions) . It was one church, but somewhere along the line, there was a disagreement that caused it to break into 2. So we had the Western Church and the Eastern Church. The Western Church is what is known today as the Roman Catholic Church. There was a disagreement between the Bishop of Rome and the Bishop of Constantinople.
The Eastern Church still exists. I am talking about the early church. There are many, they are usually like the Greek Orthodox Church, the Armenian Orthodox Church, the Russian Orthodox Church. You have them in Egypt. You still have them in most of the Middle East and all those places.
Some of you don’t know that there are other Popes on Earth. For example, the Egyptian Orthodox Church have their own Pope and He is a Pope. But because the Catholic Church has more number, it is more influential, more money.
So, we went through what is called the dark ages, when Christianity lost its edge and it is when those dark ages started, just about 600 something. It started 500 something AD. About 600 something cause there is no vacuum in nature. If the people given responsibility are not doing it, satan will do something.
Anyway, 1500, one thousand years after God started restoration and I want to show you the 7 restorations.
Here Are The Seven Restorations of The Church
1. Protestant Reformation
It started with a Catholic monk by the name of Martin Luther and they just gave us back one thing. Salvation by faith. So when you see people preaching grace, they are only preaching the foundational message of the 7 levels of restoration. They have to learn the other things. Some churches, it is only grace, grace, grace, morning, afternoon and night. Grace is important. We are saved by grace, but that is not the only thing. Grace is the milk.
So, Martin Luther restored that. We have institutions today that are living witness of the work that that reformation did. Like the Anglican Church and other Protestant Churches.
READ MORE: Why I left the Episcopal Church – Fr. Don Helmandollar
Now everybody that wants to be part of the move of God must start from salvation. That is the starting point. But remember that the last days move of God is the former and the latter rain in the first month. God is bringing everything he has done in history, combining it with the last days and pouring all of them out. So, you don’t drop anything.
2. Sanctification (Methodist Church)
Then John Wesley came in 1700 and restored another pillar of Christianity called Sanctification. That after you are saved, your life will start producing the works to match. Don’t just have grace. I have given my life to Christ while you live like the devil.
Sanctification is now that your life is transformed and what produces that is discipleship. So, you don’t just become a baby. You have to grow. This is holy living, this is godly living. Being an upright man, being a Christian. People can see your life that you are a Christian
So, don’t just stay here and be talking only grace. Make sure you back up your claim of grace with life that shows it, fruit that shows it. You bear the fruits of the Spirits. The fruit of transformed life.
That’s John Wesley and the church they left behind is the Methodist Church and other churches that took up that. Whatever principles that are being taught is for all Christians.
There is nothing like because you think you are in Dominion City or in another whatever, you think that holiness is something you ignore. The Bible says without holiness, no eye shall see God. Can I hear an Amen. So, that has been restored and we are making progress .
3. Baptist
So the Baptist came and found out that all the people here, when they want to baptize, they sprinkle water on children. Some of you, they did it to you when you were small. That is not how baptism is done. Jesus was baptized in the river and every other person baptized so. If you read your whole Bible, baptism is immersion because that is where you bury the old man. It is actually your burial. You identify with Christ in His burial and you identify with Him in His resurrection when you come up.
The easiest way to illustrate that the old nature has died. Because we can’t put you in a coffin, put you in the ground. If we cover you with sand, you will die physically and then there will be problem because what this thing means is you have died to your old life, died to sin, died to the world and you are alive to newness of life.
So another Baptist came in 1800 and restored that. Then after people have given their life to Christ, they must be baptized in water by immersion and it is not just demonstration of their death but also demonstration that they will go with the rapture and there will be resurrection too when he comes.
When the devil knocks on the door today and says I am looking for David. I say the one you are looking for was buried in that place. I can take you to his burial ground. This one, you have no claim over this one. He can’t win.
Baptism is powerful. It is at Baptism that God destroyed the armies of Pharaoh and separated the children of Israel. Baptism is one of the most powerful tools from deliverance. Remember that Pharaoh was pursuing them until they got to the Red Sea. That thing that happened at the Red Sea, going into the water and coming out at the other side is what baptism is. It is immersion, it is burial and resurrection.
So like me too, they sprinkled water on my head when I was a baby. I didn’t even know what it was. Baptism comes after you have believed, given your life to Christ. Everything they have done before that is nonsense. If you have not been baptized in water, get baptized.
4. Pentecostal Reformation
1900 is the pentecostal reformation. Resurrection or baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. A different baptism from baptism in water. That God now wants to come and live in human beings, fill you with His power and begin to use you and this is the one that marks the beginning of a powerful Christian life because now you can touch lives and the power of the Holy Spirit can flow through you.
All these people are believers and if they die, they will go to heaven. What would be lacking is power. You shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon you and it was in Azusa Street, a black man God used and a couple of others like Charles Parham, who is a white man, used them to bring this resurrection early 1900 and the thing has spread around the world. Now, Baptists are getting filled with the Holy Spirit.
Anglicans who brought salvation are getting baptized with the Holy Spirit and now Methodist are getting filled with the Holy Spirit. It is for everybody and Catholics are getting filled with the Holy Spirit.
Have you heard of Catholic Charismatic Renewal. Everything God provides is not for some sects or denomination. It is for all His children, as many as want. So now, you’ve given your life to Christ, you have moved on, make sure you are baptized in the Holy Spirit and you speak in other tongues. There are at least 70 benefits of speaking in tongues. Maybe next time I come, let me teach some of it. Maybe 24. I have done some, it is one tapes, you can google it on YouTube. At least 70 benefits.
Speaking in tongues. You download mysteries. You break down complex things and make it easy for the brain to assimilate if you want to unlock the gifts of the Spirit. Anyway, that is another time.
So 1950, the 50s, they now brought in revelation of what is called the fullness of the Spirit. That even when people are filled with the Holy Spirit, they have to move to where they get the fullness of the Spirit and how you know is that the gifts of the Spirit, miracles, healings is operating in their life, not just talks.
An example of an institution that represents Pentecostal movement is Assemblies of God, Foursquare. These are all Pentecostal Institutions. There are a number of others. But with the restoration of ministry, what happened in the fullness of the Spirit became what is called the restoration of ministry gifts.
This is Holy Spirit as a gift to the believer but this is ministry gifts. I don’t have time to deal with that. Ephesians 4 said, he gave some to be Apostles, some to be pastors, that is when God’s Generals started emerging. Oral Roberts, A.A. Allen, Reinhard Bonke, Billy Graham. All these men, what made them unique is that they got the fullness of the Spirit and their ministry exploded and became world wide events.
And the gap between here and here is fasting and prayer. Here, you can get it. Somebody will lay hands on you, you get filled with the Holy Spirit and you start speaking in tongues. But if you want to move to here, fasting, self denial, concentration, then you get tangible anointing on your life and miracles. So, when you hear about fake pastors going to native doctors, what is the issue? Laziness to fast. Too much food, too much leisure.
Nobody is saying you should be fasting everyday. Jesus did that, when John finished baptizing him in water, he kept praying, he was filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit led him into the wilderness to fast because he needed the full capacity. What is called anointing without measure to shake the nation of Israel. I have been through the journey, so I can tell you. That’s what some of you need now.
You know January this year, another January is coming, we are going to be back on that and you don’t have to wait for January, who told you have to wait for any January. And then mighty men, you see gifts of revelation, people who can see the future with accuracy. People who can see. All kinds of gifts. And this era of tongues and this era gave the church in 100 years more victory than what was accomplished in 2000 years.
The restoration of the Holy Spirit. I was speaking in Anglican Church and I was telling them. I said the whole Anglican worldwide, 83 million people and look at how long it has taken them. 500 and something years since the reformation started and the whole world, all over the world 83 million people. The Pentecostal movement that came is just about 100 years old, plus this charismatic movement that joined it has reached over 800 million people. Actually, they said it has hit its 1 billion target.
It is going for the second billion because that is why Jesus said to them, tarry/wait in Jerusalem till you have been endued with power from on high. You can go, use ordinary mouth to try to win people. But when the miraculous backs you, it is man and God working. The 2 moves to geometrical expression. There is church growth by addition, there is church growth by multiplication. There is evangelism by addition, there is by evangelism by multiplication and that is when the supernatural accompanies it.
That is why Dominion City everywhere in the world, U.S. You know, there is a city where we have a Dominion City in Canada. Everybody is 99.9% white and the first time I came, they said, “Ah Oyinbo people o, it is 1 hour service o, 15 minutes. They have to go because they don’t have time to waste in church.” Not when the power of God comes.
You see this, snake in the Spirit. I don’t know, one day I came, they carried the woman on stretcher that had not walked for years. Paralyzed and I was still preaching. The power of God raised her and she started running everywhere.
That service that was about to end started again because some other people rushed and more people started bringing people from everywhere. Whites. Don’t be impressed with skin color. They are bound by demons, bound by drugs, bound by all kinds or it looks like most of the demons we are casting out here is now moving to people over there. Because, they go everywhere and some body is ready to accept them.
I made Altar Call, people that can’t sleep, they hear voices, that see things in the night. Creatures tormenting them. If you see the multitude. We did deliverance till almost 12 midnight. I said, people that something is telling you, kill another person, kill a child and some have killed. Take gun and go and shoot people. All these things that you see going on there.
The world is in dire need and God needs the whole church to reach the whole world. That is why he said, I will pour out my spirit upon all. Not some. It is not for Pastor Adeboye, Pastor David or Bishop Oyedepo. It is for you. Do you have hunger to be part of God’s end time army
That is the 5th, that is what brought all this powerful ministry from Idahosa to where we are now.
But, there is the move of God reserved for 2000 and beyond, that is the one ministries like this and a few other ministries are championing to see move the body of Christ to this level. This one is not about God using some God’s General ministry gifts. Pastors Bonke and all of them. This is body ministry, God wants to use the whole body of Christ. Every believer. It is market place movement.
Anointing coming up on doctors, coming upon business men, coming upon career people, coming upon market women, coming upon okada riders, coming upon ordinary people, coming upon presidents, coming upon governors. So each one reaches his sector. That is how the kingdom of this world can become the Kingdom of our God and of His Christ.
