Scatterer or Gatherer?

Growing up in the church, he used to
wonder why "Thus says the Lord" was
conspicuously absent during worship
services
The term "Thus says the Lord!" was
how his mother, who was born a Muslim
but converted to Christianity in 1979 at
CAC Agbala Itura used to describe the
prophetic!
His father was a fourth-generation
churchgoer whose gospel wasn't
powerful enough to bring his mother
to Christ
His mother came to Christ because she
was at home one afternoon when a street
preacher said "Thus says the Lord, there
is a woman in this neighborhood, a Muslim
from Ogun State.
You have three daughters and you are
trusting God for a son.
The doctors have told you to give up on
having children because of the
complications that you experienced when
having your last child.
The Holy Spirit says to tell you that He
will heal your womb and
give you "a son and a son" if you will
come to the three days revival I am
organizing at Onipepeye area from so
and so date to so and so date"
His mother said she had chills in her
bones as she listened to that message
She was barely holding on to her home
at the time because of
the family pressure she was facing
over her inability to provide his father
with a son
She went for the crusade
She gave her life to Jesus on the first
day
While she was praying on the revival
ground on the second day, a child
walked up to her and embraced her
as if she was his mother
She opened her eyes to look at the
child and then the child walked briskly
away
A few minutes later, the Holy Spirit
said "I am giving you double, a son
and a son!"
She said at the time she thought God
meant she would have a set of twins
Nine months after the revival
his mother gave birth to him
Two years later his mother had another
son
Then she understood what the statement
"A boy and a bit meant" but she couldn't
stay in that church because of his father
She wanted him to start going to church
and he insisted it had to be his old church
After much talk and arguments, his
mother agreed to his father's terms
She really wanted his entire household
to be working and active for God
His mother chose to leave the
"Thus says the Lord" church in order
to encourage his father's return to the
faith
That was how the family ended up in
the old church
His mother said she learned how to
read the Bible in the old church and
she also learned many things about
the Christian faith but she missed
the supernatural
She would say "There is no thus says
the Lord in that church"
All they do is by the flesh and
doctrine
They cannot walk by the power of the
Holy Spirit in the spiritual gifts
All they do is preach the logos
It was very frustrating for his mother
At a point, she began to sneak to the
"Thus says the Lord" churches during
the week, especially whenever she
needed clarity on certain life issues
It was at such a meeting that she got
the message about her first daughter's
marriage and everything worked out
as prophesied
She never joked with the supernatural
One day, as he was growing up, he
went to see the Reverend of their
church and asked him why
"Thus says the Lord was missing in the
denomination"
The reverend doctor told him the
prophetic is subject to too much
uncertainty and manipulations in the
hand of carnal men
He said "Somebody may not like another
person and declare such a person as a
witch just for that reason.
He said he saw a pastor's wife who
went into a supposed trance and declared
that a certain lady she believed had
caught the eyes of her husband was a
member of the marine kingdom who
was sent to pull her husband down in
ministry"
The lady was sent away from the church
The pastor's wife admitted she did
what she did in order to secure her
home
The reverend also mentioned examples
in advanced countries where a lady said
God told her a certain man was her
husband
The man was married but the lady
insisted she heard from God
The lady went to get a wedding gown
and chose a date for the wedding
She said she was so sure it was God's will
Her action caused so much unrest in the
body of Christ and made a laughingstock
out of the church for many years
Visions, prophecies & their likes are too
prone to manipulations for stability and
growth
The reverend told him several families
were basically torn to shreds because
someone who claimed to be spiritual
started giving prophecies and word of
knowledge without any recourse to
consequences.
Husbands were told they married the
wrong woman and wives were snatched
by greedy men all under the disguise of
walking in the supernatural
He heard so much that he came to
distrust the supernatural
He came to see it as unstable and
volatile, a dangerous path that men of
reason shouldn't tread
Then he had had a girlfriend whose
church was very diabolic
They met in the neighborhood
His friendship with this lady opened
his eyes to so many things that so-called
"spiritual people" can do by the spirit
He witnessed for example the case of a
man whose friend was working in
Germany
His friend sent some cars to Nigeria
through him
The deal was for the friend in Nigeria
to sell the cars, take out his commission
and send the rest to the family of the
friend in Germany that are also in Nigeria.
The friend in Nigeria sold the cars and
kept all the money
The friend in Germany returned to
Nigeria that December and informed the
police of the evil his friend did
The friend in Nigeria heard that his friend
in Germany had returned to Nigeria and
was planning to arrest him
The friend in Nigeria ran to this church
The prophetess went into the spirit and
told him to get some materials
He got them and some
"spiritual" things were done for him
The next day, the friend from Germany
arrived with the police officers and
totally lost his mind
He was just laughing sheepishly at
the sight of the friend that defrauded
him
The police officers and his wife tried
to talk some sense to him
but it fell on deaf ears
He returned home with his wife and
the police officers
They were unable to arrest or even
accuse him of his wrong doing
He saw everything and it left a bitter
taste in his mouth
"What sort of God defends the unjust?"
He also saw drug barons and fraudsters
visiting that church and getting all
sorts of consultation by the "spirit"
They were given a date and time to
travel with their drugs and special
spiritual clothes were sown for them
to sleep in and commit their frauds in.
These guys always return to the church
in big cars for thanksgiving service
every first Sunday of the month.
He spent seven years in that church
with his girlfriend and he saw a lot
of things
Strange things that he knew couldn't
be from the God of the Bible he was
brought up with
After breaking up with his girlfriend,
he went back to his previous
denomination
He kept wondering if there was no
positive side of the Holy Spirit that
was as potent and real as the one
he saw in the demonic church
His denomination was still lifeless and
he found himself choking in the lifeless
religion they were practicing...
That was when he met the Holy Spirit
He didn't have to do trial by error or
learning by conjecture
He met the Holy Spirit and he began
to learn his ways
The Holy Spirit was a meticulous teacher
One of the first things the Holy Spirit
taught him was not to use his senses to
decode spiritual things
The second was to speak less and
be moved more
The Holy Spirit said "Many ministers
stumble in words in the place of
ministering because they do not pay
attention to the person of Jesus,
study him"
He did
He studied Jesus and King David
He studied the
apostles too
When it comes to dealing with evil
spirits he knows he didn't need mush
words
And when it comes to giving counsel,
he knows he must not leave room for
misinterpretation
Good intention is not good enough
when ministering to God's people, it
has to be by the spirit only
When the Holy Spirit has not spoken,
don't be hasty like King Saul who was
looking at physical signs and decided
to offer a sacrifice he ought not to offer.
And when he speaks do not delay.
Remember that be builds, equips,
and edifies
He does not tear down or condemn
It was sheer joy
His walk with the Holy Spirit
Never was he quoted by anyone or
any family that he accused people of
witchcraft or manipulated human
relationships
He had a stellar reputation in his
ministrations because he did everything
as taught and led by the spirit
Too many words is a no!
When he met possessed people, he
casts out the demon
There was no need to start announcing
that someone is a witch or another is
an ogbanje
Jesus didn't do that
If you cast out a spirit and it proved
too stubborn for you, go back home,
fast and pray and return to cast it out
Don't label anybody in the church
of God
Where else was a possessed person
supposed to go for deliverance?
When you give a word of prophecy,
it must be judged or you must explain
it clearly leaving no room for ambiguity
It is very easy for people to
misinterpret spiritual things
Finally, the goal of the fruits and gifts
of the spirit is to equip and edify the
church
If you notice you have any motive
apart from the leading of the Holy
Spirit, please keep quiet.
Dont give prophecies to someone
based on your feelings for them
When in doubt, shut your mouth!
The standard regarding prophecy is
stated clearly in 1 Corinthians 14
Good Order in Worship
26 What then shall we say, brothers
and sisters?
When you come together, each of
you has a hymn, or a word of instruction,
a revelation, a tongue or an
interpretation.
Everything must be done so that the
church may be built up. 27
If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or
at the most three—should speak,
one at a time, and someone must
interpret. 28 If there is no interpreter,
the speaker should keep quiet in
the church and speak to himself
and to God.
29 Two or three prophets should speak,
and the others should weigh
carefully what is said.
30 And if a revelation comes to
someone who is sitting down, the
first speaker should stop.
31 For you can all prophesy in turn
so that everyone may be instructed
and encouraged.
32 The spirits of prophets are
subject to the control of prophets.
33 For God is not a God of disorder
but of peace—as in all the
congregations of the Lord’s people.

It is more honourable to keep quiet
than to give a prophecy that will turn
the life, home or family of someone
who believes in obeying the spirit
of God upside down.
Jesus said to lay hands, so do that
and dont lay your "mouth" on issues
unless you are absolutely sure!
A minister who does not stumble
in words is a faithful minister, please
be mindful of this.

PS: That was how he always ministered
and it has never ever happened that
anyone misquoted, misrepresented,
misinterpreted or misunderstood his
words because he says as little as
possible while ministering by the
spirit
When it comes to the prophetic, he
hears and fulfills rather than throw
words in the air to impress people
He has only one audience and his
meat is to please the Holy Spirit.