POWER SHIFT (3)

THE POWER TO BECOME – From Redemption To Adoption

Power shift is a process and we are in the process of creating a change through various stages of power experience. In the first edition of this volume on power shift; four power process that launches into power shift were discussed briefly. Out of these four our concentration is only on ‘’ the power to become’’. 

By the power to become; all men has been adequately equipped to become whatsoever their imagination can conceive. This is by the power of creative imagination. Whereas all children of God are further equipped by a greater power to become through a process of transformation; the sons of God, with the total identity of sonship. 

We are in the process of transformation first by the power to become, that the power to actualize purpose and destiny through creative imagination may really have a foundation and a strong footing. The entire process is all about power shift.  

Power must truly change hand, but the Spirit of God must have to produce the nature of God in us. The working of the Spirit of God in this regard qualifies the Spirit of God as the Spirit of adoption. 

Therefore the very first work of the Spirit of God by the power to become sons of God indeed towards experiencing the power shift, is to take all believers from ‘’ Redemption To Adoption’’.

This is my prayer for all of us that have tasted the redeeming power of Christ our savior, that we all might move on from the level of redemption to the level of adoption. As you read this edition of power shift: ‘’ The Power To Become- From Redemption To Adoption’’, may you be launched into a true experience of the Spirit of God, that transform and transport believers from redemption to adoption. 

God bless you. 

The Power to Become: From Redemption to Adoption. 

We thank God for the Salvation of our souls by the redeeming power of the cross. But this is just the beginning, for redemption without adoption is Christianity without Christian virtues and values. 

It is to have a form of godliness without living the life of godliness. It is Christianity without character and Christianity without character is empty Christianity. It is the Christian life empty of the manifestation of the life and nature of Christ the son of God in us. 

The struggle to live right before God is traceable to redemption that has not metamorphose into adoption. Again I say, thank God for the cross, but we should never remain at the cross; Jesus never did. Once the work of redemption was completed, the Lord ascended back to heaven and is now seated at the right of God the father in glory.  

Why should we remain at the cross? For the cross serves as a bridge to us that we might cross over to the other side of life. At the same time through cross right in Christ Jesus we must ascend by the Spirit of adoption into the fullness of adoption.  

Total redemption; the experience of the fullness and totality of salvation can only take place when we have crossed over from the side of redemption to the side of adoption. For the father cannot be glorify in the son unless adoption has fully taken place. 

Brethren, we thank God we are born again. But spiritual like the natural birth is a phase of life that must develop into adulthood. You are born again, fantastic. This is just the beginning of a new life and not the end of life.  

‘’ It is finished’, Jesus declared at the cross having completed the work of redemption, but it is not finished yet with you. You have by salvation embarked on a journey of newness of life; where all things are made new. The past life must be laid down and crucified to the cross; that the new life may begin right from the cross. The cross terminates the old life that there might be the resurrection of the new life. 

You see, every life begins with a birth. All of us, who still have our breath in us; were all born by the natural process. But we must be born again, we must be born of the Spirit to enter into adoption. 

‘’For unto us a child is born; unto us a son is given. And the government shall be upon his shoulder:…. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end’’….  Isaiah 9: 6-7. 

‘’For unto us a child is born,’’ that is the common ground. The natural birth is the starting point. Everyone is born but not everyone is born again. And it is not everyone that is born again qualifies for sonship. 

‘’For unto us a child is born; unto us a son is given.’’ Childhood marks the beginning of birth, it is the very first stage of life. But sonship is the stage of life marked by maturity, discipline, responsibility and strength.

Sonship is given because you bear the marks that proves that growth has taken place. Then by reason of growth marked by the accompanied signs of maturity, you are qualified to carry the burden and the responsibility of leadership.  

…’’And the government shall be upon his shoulder.’’ The government, the responsibility of leadership can not rest upon the shoulder of a child. ‘’ And of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end.’’   

There can not be an increasing in government; increase in leadership responsibility without a corresponding increase in growth. Sonship is given to those who have grown up to become a son and are no longer a child. 

‘’When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things’’ 1 Corinthians 13:11 

This is exactly what happen when you have redemption experience without the adoption experience; your capacity to function in life can not exceed that of a child, because that is what you are. But the adoption experience is for the son with the father’s distinct nature fully manifesting in his life. 

As a child we have the seed in us. The father’s nature is in us and with us from birth, but it is merely a seed that must grow and bear fruits. And so by redemption experience we have the seed, while by adoption experience we have the fruits fully developed from the seed, manifesting in our daily experience. 

The fact is, the redemption experience takes place at one moment; the moment you believe you are redeemed. But the adoption experience is gradual, it is a process by growth. It is the spiritual process of childhood to manhood. 

Though the redemption experience is the foundation for the adoption experience because we have the seed of the nature of the father by his son Jesus Christ right from redemption.  

Moreover we also received, right from redemption alongside with the seed of adoption, the very Spirit of adoption see romans 8:15. Now, both seed and the Spirit of adoption are present at the time of Spiritual birth and will still be present as long as our faith in Christ remains intact.  

But the adoption experience will never take place unless there is a death experience of both the carnal seed and the carnal fruits. There is the seed of adoption and there are fruits of adoption, but there are as well the carnal seed which produces the carnal fruits, known as the carnal nature.  

Why must we have the adoption experience? 

Now, Jesus Christ the first begotten of the Father needed not to be born again, because his birth was not by natural conception, his conception was by the Holy-Spirit. But whosoever receive and confess Jesus as the Son of God and the saviour, are automatically begotten of the Father by the Spirit of adoption, and now have the power to become sons of God but are yet to manifest the nature of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the first begotten of the father. 

So we are not the first born of the Father but the second born. Being the second born does not make us lower in nature as a son of God to Jesus Christ as a Son of God. No, on the contrary as the second born we have the same nature as the first born because we have both the seed of adoption and the Spirit of adoption right from the moment we are born again. 

But there is a major issue to be sorted out before the nature of the Son of God can manifest in us; it is the death of the carnal seed and the carnal fruits. The clear difference between the first born and the second born is that; Jesus Christ as a man was not born by the natural conception hence no carnal conception, whereas we that are the second born were first born by the natural conception with the inherent carnal conception. 

King David pouring out his heart in repentance unto God said: ‘’ Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me.’’ Psalm 51”5.  

What we have in the scripture above is a combination of the natural conception and the carnal conception. But the carnal conception was already in place before the natural conception.  ‘’And in sin did my mother conceive me.’’ This is the origin of the carnal nature. 

Now as believers, we are born again. We have the experience of the spiritual birth by redemption. But we are yet to enter into the adoption experience which we have already by the same spiritual birth. 

Adoption is therefore the process by which the power to become make us the son of God indeed; by eliminating through crucifixion, all the seed and the deeds of the carnal man in us.   

The Travail: But before the adoption experience there must definitely be a travailing experience. There is no such thing as delivery or the breaking forth without travail. 

Isaiah 66:7-9 ‘’ Before she travailed she brought forth. Before her pain came she was delivered of a man-child. Who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion travailed she brought forth her children.’’ This is the pain and the agony that precede the breaking forth from childhood to manhood. It is the breaking forth and the delivery of the ‘’Man-Child’’, just as Isaiah rightly put it. 

Apostle Paul called this translation period of travailing to bring forth by groaning: ‘’ waiting for the adoption’’, which adoption when is fully manifested is proven by the ‘’redemption of our body’’. See romans 8:23 

And then we ask, what redemption is Paul referring to as the redemption of our body? It is to be delivered from the body of this death, the carnal nature brought forth by the carnal seed. 

But we need to be conscious of this reality of life; while we are waiting for the adoption experience, the inhabitants of the world are waiting for us. ‘’For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.’’ Romans 8:19 

They are waiting for us to become the sons of God and we are waiting to be transformed to what they are waiting for; sons of God indeed. They  

This then should dawn on us, the world needs what we have and we have what the world needs. But there is a place and time of breaking forth that we might be in full possession and custody of heavenly resources. It is the place of travail. 

Finally brethren, be guided with this truth that: ‘’ the sorrows of a travailing woman shall come upon him; he is an unwise son; for he should not stay long in the place of the breaking forth of children.’’ Hosea 13:13.  

This is my prayer for you; may you break forth and bear fruits at the appointed time and season of your life and may the seed and the Spirit of adoption in you produce the adoption experience at the set time.  

God bless you.