Meeting: Sunday Service
Date: May 5th, 2024
Ministers: Bro. Happy Oseni & Bro. Niyi Otunaike.
“Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:” (Isaiah 28:8-10)
Precept is the doctrine of the word of God and lines are the commandments of the doctrine of God that the Holyghost gives. There will be no lines without precept.
Many of us have the doctrine of Christ but when it comes to decision making around our life we are unable to live the life because of the presence of another life or line. It is also possible to have the doctrine of Christ but make life’s decision by the judgements of the milk of the word.
The essence of precept is that it should be broken into line/life to be obeyed. Precept should not remain as precept. We can have a form of godliness but be far from the practice of the life that we’re hearing.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17).
The power of the gospel is first that it reveals righteousness. Faith comes by hearing; the righteousness of God is revealed from hearing to hearing. We can hear but refuse or deny the revealed righteousness that the words we hear produces. Jesus wants to teach the believer how to live and we need precepts and lines. We should not stop at hearing the words, we must also live by faith (precepts & lines).
“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” (James 2:26) – Our hearing without works is dead. What makes our faith or giving attendance to hearing the word fruitful is the works that we do i.e. it brings forth fruit.
(2 Corinthians 3:6) There is the letter of the word and the spirit of the word. Precept is not the letter of the word. Precept is a code of wisdom we access through the spirit that can give life or light to the hearer (Psalm 119:130). No man can self generate precepts. We need a teacher or preacher of precepts i.e. a minister of the new testament.
Precepts comes by the revelation of God’s word. It does not come because we read scriptures but by revelation of the word through the Spirit.
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” (2 Timmothy 3:16-17).
Scripture is not static, it is living. The inspiration around scripture is precepts. The letter of the word made alive through the Spirit is precepts. Every word has its milk, meat and strong meat inspiration and interpretations. Doctrine or precept is for reproof, for correction and instructions in righteousness so we can produce good works.
(Isaiah 28:9) Before a man can use precept, a man must have used (lived by) milk well. Many times the reason why we lack application of precept is because we lack the foundation (milk) needed to obey precept. Precept will not rest well when there is a milk deficiency. Milk of the word is the preliminary to precept. On its own, it does not have its own precept. Precept is a code of wisdom that defines how to live that only comes by revelation.
We must be careful to check that the things we hold as our belief system are founded in scriptures.
“But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” (Hebrews 5:12-14) – The journey of formation of Christ in the soul of a man starts with precept.
Any man that teaches the letter of the word is not a precept giver. A man of God not under the tutelage of the spirit cannot teach precepts even if he reads the Bible, he will only teach the letter of the word but not give life to the hearers.
Precepts are revealed truths of Jesus. (Revelation 21:15) Line is a measurement of life. Line comes according to the measure of precept we have. How old natures are broken in us is by precept. The wicked one or the wicked nature in us is also a precept.
THE END