By John Abiola
2 Tim. 2:20-21 – But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
If a man, therefore, purges himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.
Before a man can be positioned on the pinnacle of fulfilling his divine destiny in Christ Jesus, before anyone can access the realities of his purpose on Earth, before a man can become a unique tool in the hands of his maker, certain structures must be broken.
The relevance of uprooting such structures in that man is so that such vessel is thoroughly emptied for the Holy Spirit to fill and enveloped. It is so that the person can be transformed into a walking temple and carrier of God’s presence, a weapon formidable to plunder hell for Calvary’s sake. It is so that the person can be an instrument that can be used to save souls for Christ, a vessel useful enough to transform lives, bring revival to his family, community, and nation, and ultimately not be a castaway.
The scripture we read in 2 Timothy 2: 20-21 unveils the criterion that one must fulfill for one to be used in the courtyard of Heaven. It explains the basis and price that one must fulfill in other to be credited the seal of “AVAILABLE”.
What does scripture say?
First, the Great House symbolizes the “Church” in its entirety. It is a symbolic abstraction of the whole components of the Church. Inside this great house are available vessels These are certain elements that bring about the fulfillment of purpose or actual action, these things are specifically captured in this great house. Vessels according to the scripture are categorized into two parts, which are the GOLD and SLIVER, AND THE WOOD and THE EARTH. Irrespective of their specifications or differences they are all vessels( tools) for usage in that great house.
Under this category, the scripture unveils a significant aspect of distinction “some to honour and some to dishonour”.
This implies that the vessels credited for honour should be of gold and silver, while those to dishonor include wood and earth.
In the household of God, there are vessels that are credited with the seal of honor and some with the seal of dishonour. However, one might ask, why are there such differences in the household of God? What could make God categorize a certain set of people in honour and another in dishonour?
Another version of the scripture says honourable and ignoble( disgraceful).
In verse 21, a high-profile truth is unveiled, and certain criteria must be met so as to become a vessel of honour.
Remember, to be a vessel of honour is to be accredited with a seal that speaks of “Availability”. To be a vessel of honour is to be handpicked for a unique purpose, to be used mightily by God. To be a vessel of honour also connotes that such a person is truly known by God, his works truly recognized and credible. A vessel of honour is a bondservant of God, one who is walking with God and also working for God.
This verse brings about the fulfillment of Mathew 22:14, “For many are called, but few are chosen”.
“If a man, therefore, purges himself from these “this transcends into another tone entirely, posing awareness to the Church, to those crying for God to make them walk in the power of old, to those desiring and panting to be used to cause a revival, to reform the church, win souls for Christ, to take territories for God’s Kingdom to be established on Earth and be set on fire for God in their generation, those praying for a quick quickening of power in a bid to be catapulted into the reality of them fulfilling purpose, to those desiring to walk like the patriarchs of old, the likes of Peter, James, John the Baptist, Paul, and the early church militant soldiers.”
At this stage, God changes His tone with a bid to pass a timely message to the Church, those crying desperately to be used. An instruction and a solution to the strange differences that exist in the household of God.
What’s the instruction?
“If a man, therefore, purges himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work” ( 2 Tim 2:21).
That’s the man who wants to be credited with a seal of honour. He should be ready to purge himself from certain things.
The word purge is from the Greek word “katharizo” which means to cleanse , to purify .
From here we can tell the direction God is pointing at which suggests a solution to the difference that exists in the household of God. This direction God is pointing at suggests that what makes a vessel dishonourable unto God, and as such hinders the Holy Spirit from flowing freely and willingly in such vessel are all forms of impurities.
What could make God so mightily make a weapon out of a person for the plundering of hell for Cavalry’s sake, in the strange and unique manifestation of his personality and power which revolves around 2 Tim 2: 21- ‘if a man purges himself’. T
o graduate from the class of CALLED to being CHOSEN, lies in the place of purification, consecration, revival of the heart, total selflessness, and pure sanctity (Jesus said in John 15:16- Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain” )
Remember 2 Tim 2:20 did not say those vessels were not useful, rather, that they were only useful for dishonourable use, that’s shameful and reproachable. Is God trying to say that in the kingdom of God, men are weighed on a scale? Is God trying to say that you can be working for God, thinking you are being used by God but then Heaven does not recognize you as a worker in God’s vineyard? Is that not dangerous?
Is Mathew 7:19-23 not fulfilling itself again?
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
The use of word ‘purge’ points at certain things which have actuated vessels in the great house to become highly disdained and so positioned on a pinnacle of dishonour, shame, and unknown in Heaven. Because the word ‘dishonour’ is a weighty word that speaks of a vessel that bears shame and reproach unto God. God is saying here that certain impurities can make a man, (though a potential weapon in the hands of God) become displaced in the agenda of God.
This is why He continued by saying that a man who is knowledgeable enough to perform a purification would be translocated into the realm of honour, sanctified, certified, and meet for the Master’s use. In other words, it confirms the statement “Many are called ( in that great house, ) but few are chosen ( those who have purged themselves from every impurity).”
Those who have purged themselves from what defiles the temple of God are empty for God to fill and use mightily and powerfully.
A man who is hungry to access God’s power should be ready to pay the price of purification.
Part of the reason why some believers have not been catapulted into the reality of their purpose on this Earth is because they have refused to perform a surgery of purging in their lives so as to shoot them into fulfilling destiny. One of the reasons why many works are still not recognized in Heaven is tied to the fact that the worker’s self(flesh) is still dominating.
Permit me to say, God Has discovered that a man can make rubbish of his Name and glory in the mud of impurities, distort his grace and giftings if such man is not thoroughly PURGED if such man has not become a slave and bondservant to unrighteousness.
Let the people who are hungry for God’s power pay the price of purification to access transformation.
What purging was God talking about?
Having pointed out the price that must be paid to access legality, accreditation, and certification to become a mighty tool in the household of God, it’s pertinent to unveil those things that such a person must purge himself from.
God uses the word purge has already revealed to us the awareness of sin.
Nevertheless, we need to know that sin can only be brought forth when Self is in place. Yes, the greatest enemy of a man is not the devil, or his human enemies but his self. Satan might have tried to bring a man down through several different tactics and failed, he would come and pitch his tent on the man’s SELF, and then he most likely always succeed.
The purging that 2 Tim 2:20 underscores is the removal of the self, that is a consecration of the heart that subjugates the power of the flesh to rule. In Eph.4.22 – That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; It speaks of the removal of the old man and in verse 24 the putting on of the new man is made clear.
In God’s eyes, the person whose work is weighty and recognizable is not a man who has cast out many demons, raised thousands of dead men, had a large auditorium, or gathered a large crowd. Rather, it is a person whom the devil has lost dominion over, whose heart is now pattered to the beauty of holiness and sanctity, holiness releases true power because power is connected to the Holy Spirit, the spirit of Holiness. Truth is that there are prices to pay to access the power of God in a godless generation, there are sacrifices that must be made to make God say to you “I would make you my abode to release my power and fire to a cold generation.”
In Romans 1:1, Paul had to become a servant( a selfless life) before his apostolic ministry could be effective because, despite God’s power upon his life, it was necessary he purged himself totally from self before whatever work he achieved for God can count.
What drives the Holy Spirit from making you a vessel that is sanctified, ready to sanctify others is your flesh. It is high time people were acquainted with the truth that for you to revive others you must revive yourself in the fire that rids the flesh of its power.
Jonah
Many don’t know that Jonah had to first of all be revived in the belly of the fish for three days and nights to terminate the power of the flesh before he could spearhead the mighty revival at Nineveh. ( Jonah 2 & 3) Unless Jonah was revived, he could not possibly revive Nineveh and that’s why God had to punish his flesh in the belly of the fish to rid of him the power of his fresh, this was to subjugate himself and make him a slave to obedience.
Do you think God would have allowed the unrevived Jonah just to go to Nineveh to revive others? It was in the belly of the fish his purification occurred, which culminated him on the pinnacle of honour, prepared for the Master’s use, his disobedience brought about his obedience but in the fire that subdues the self.
Isaiah 6 captures the markings of purging that God does in a man before such man is sent to manifest his power. In a bid to avoid disgrace to his name and solely because of his principles, didn’t even God say in 2 Tim.2.19 – Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity?
God had to purge Isaiah before he was positioned on the apogee of honour, and fulfillment of his divine destiny.
This is not just a message void of burden, it’s a call for those desiring to be used more than the Fathers of Faith to begin the work of purging, to begin clearing the way for the Holy Spirit to gain pre-eminence in such vessel. It’s a call to the Church to get back to the old-time Christianity inorder for her to see the old-time power of God.
What do you think the early Church was known for, what was their secret to enjoying or partaking of the raw power of God during their time? They paid the price of purification, those mighty vessels you might have heard God use had their consecration in other to preserve the power of God in them. They were slaves to the Spirit of God and so they were vessels of gold and silver in the hands of the house owner.
Apart from all spiritual exercises like prayer, fasting, or maybe impartation(s), what births true power is holiness. Because a clean heart is emptied to be filled by the spirit of Holiness who is the agent of power.
Let the Church get back on the path of true holiness and righteousness for her to experience more of God’s power. Let this begin with you.
It is time to pray:
“If a man, therefore, purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work”.2 Timothy 2:21.
Mark.7.20-23 – And then he added, “It is the thought-life that defiles you.
For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, eagerness for lustful pleasure, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness.
All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you and make you unacceptable to God.”
Gal.5.19-21 – When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your life will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”
According to the above scriptures, are you guilty of the sins mentioned? Until your heart is cleansed and purged from them you can not be a vessel of honour in His Vineyard, the Church. It means your ministry is defiled and not acceptable unto God. It means whatever you are doing for the Lord such as gospel ministrations, activities, programs, meetings, preachings, giving, prayers, and other things you have done for many years or presently doing with evil desires and wrong motives for the Lord and gospel advance in and outside the church auditorium are mere external rituals and practices.
They don’t make you holy and as a result, you are not qualified to be called a child of God nor your services recorded and rewarded in heaven. It’s carnal
Therefore, If you can humbly pray now, begin to pray that GOD WOULD BEGIN TO PURGE YOU FROM THE DESIRES AND FRUITS OF THE FLESH, THAT HE WOULD PERFORM HIS PURIFICATION SURGERY ON YOU NOW.
Cry and open up your heart to the Holy Spirit. Ask that Jesus change you from a vessel of wood to gold. Please pray. Ask Him to change you from a vessel of earth to Silver. Ask Him to purge your iniquities. He will do it, thoroughly purging and cleansing you, and then change you to a vessel of honour.
He will graduate you from being called to being chosen and your fruits will most certainly abide. Most men and women of God in the Bible times and in our contemporary age who changed lives and transformed their communities, and nations and brought unprecedented souls to God’s Kingdom all prayed similar self-purging prayers and God helped them to heaven at the end of their journey on earth.
Whatever position you’re currently at, high ranked or low, are you a spiritual leader? gospel musician? or cleric? You need this prayer so that your works can be recognized so that you will never be cast away. Are you a church pastor or head of a ministry? Don’t neglect this prayer. Are you a Christian and a government official in any sector of the economy? or an Intercessor, missionary, prayer leader, worker, Bible school/ seminary student, teacher, street evangelist, businessman, and woman? or any position you are in as a Christian?
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Revive Us Again series 102.
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