The Divine Organogram

Why Much Profession, But Little Manifestation? 

Most Christians – definitely including myself – firmly proclaim, claim, and even sing of our numerous blessings and benefits in Jesus – blessings such as victory, freedom, power, peace, joy, etc. But have you paused and asked this probing question: why is it that so little of those benefits

actually materialize and characterize so many of our lives? Are the blessings not really in Christ as we claim? Are the confessions and professions just a make-believe to create phony happiness for ourselves in the Lord? Or is there something else amiss? I believe the latter question points to the culprit. What is amiss is this: the vast majority of Christians do not understand the divine organogram. Divine organogram? Yes, there is one. And here it is: God the Father is the Provider; God the Son is the Procurator; God the Holy Spirit is the Performer. Stated another way: all that the Father has (i.e. provides) is accessed only in and through the Son, and experienced only through the Spirit. 

Ephesians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”  The keyword in that verse is “in”. Jesus is the sphere or domain in which the goodness which the Father has lavished on us can be accessed. It’s like saying all the rights and privileges available in a country are accessible only to those who have become its citizens. So, God the Father’s love, goodness, kindness, plans, and purposes, beginning with salvation, are acquired via God the Son, Jesus Christ. Specific blessings are listed in the rest of that Ephesians 1 passage. The Father is the provider, the Son (Jesus) is the procurator. That means if you are in Christ, you are entitled and granted full access to all the goodness of God the Father. But that it is only half of the equation. The second half of the equation is this: all those blessings procured and secured in Jesus CAN ONLY BE FULLY EXPERIENCED through God the Holy Spirit because He is the One that executes them. In other words, God the Holy Spirit is the Executor of the Father’s will in the lives of all those who believe in the Son.

The dictionary defines an executor as a person or institution appointed by a testator to carry out the terms of their will. Jesus is the Testator, Who gave us the new testament (covenant, will) in which we are entitled to the goodness and blessings of the Father (Eph. 1:3). However, the executor, who carries out the provisions of the will is the Holy Spirit. This is a very important point that must not be missed. Most Christians have the will, know the will, but cannot fully experience and enjoy the provisions of the will because the One to effect the provisions, blessings, and benefits of the divine will in our lives – Holy Spirit, the Divine Executor – is not properly recognized and engaged.  This is the lesser-known fact, and the lack of this understanding is a major reason why many blessings which our rightfully ours in Christ are not fully experienced and enjoyed.

The failure to recognize the Holy Spirit as the Divine Executor inevitably leads most believers to give minimal place to His roles in their lives. Unfortunately, and injuriously, we have mistakenly relegated the role of the Holy Spirit mainly to speaking in tongues, prophesying, and the likes. That is a big travesty. If you are Christian, but you are not experiencing the full benefits of the life in Christ, the question is not, “are the blessings real?”; rather, the question is: how much significance have you been placing on the role of the Holy Spirit in your life? Have you recognized and related to Him as the Executor of the divine will in your life? If you haven’t, that’s where the problem lies.

Have you asked why Jesus made so many references to the Holy Spirit when He Himself was about to leave earth? Why did Jesus, on different occasions between John 14 and 16, tell the disciples that when the Holy Spirit would come, He would do such, and such, and such? It’s because He -the Holy Spirit – is the Executor of Jesus’ will.  The execution of all that the Lord wants to do in the lives of His children has been committed into the hands of the Holy Spirit. That was why the New Testament church was birthed by Him (Acts 2), and the church was led, directed, instructed, and filled over and over by Him (as indicated throughout the book of Acts).

All that Jesus wants to do in your life can only be effected and executed by Holy Spirit. For example, the bible says “…be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (Eph. 6:10). But did you know that for power and victory, Holy Spirit is the One that strengthens you with “might in the inner man” (Eph. 3:16)? Joy, regardless of external circumstances, is one of the perks of the life in Christ. But, again we are told that Holy Spirit is the manufacturer of joy even in the midst of adversity (1 Thess. 1:6). A follower of Christ should enjoy freedom from addictions and bondages of sin; but the Holy Spirit is the One that actualizes freedom and liberty (Rom. 8:2-4). For internal peace, He is the producer of righteousness and peace (Rom. 14:17). For prayer assistance and energy, He is the prayer helper (Rom. 8:26). For discerning the will of God, He is the divine guide (John 16:13). For victory over the flesh, He is the suppressor of sin (Rom. 8:13). This is just to list a few.

It is important to remember that even Jesus, in the days of His flesh, had to be anointed with and empowered by the Holy Spirit (Act 13:10; Matt 3:16); was led by the Holy Spirit (Matt 4:1); and performed His earthly ministry by the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:16-21). That is to say Jesus’ entire earthly ministry was “executed” by the Holy Spirit. What does that tell us about the essential roles of the Holy Spirit in the Christian’s life? If Jesus’ life and mission had to be executed by the Holy Spirit, wouldn’t ours need to? No question!  The blessings and benefits of the life in Christ that we proclaim are true and real.  However, one of the major reasons they are not realized is that most have failed to recognize the important roles the Holy Spirit plays in “giving life” to, and executing those blessings in the believer’s life. God’s will, plans, and purposes revealed in Christ are constantly failing and crashing in many believer’s lives because they fail to recognize how much they need the Executor of the divine will in their lives. As a Christian, your life is more dependent on the Holy Spirit’s work and action that you realize. All the promises of God are “ye and amen in Christ” (2 Cor. 1:20); however, they can only be fully translated into action by the Holy Spirit’s work in the believer’s life.

If you have not received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, that is a must; but it is just the beginning of living a Sprit-empowered life, not the end. Begin to pray for the Holy Spirit’s work and power in your life. Let being filled with the Spirit – as the bible commands in Ephes. 5:18 – become a priority in your life and in your prayers. Develop daily conversations with the Holy Spirit: ask Him for guidance, empowerment, instructions, and leading. Ask for grace to listen to Him, to submit to Him, and to live a Spirit-empowered life. If you want to enjoy the life in Christ, and fully experience the power, blessing, and benefits of that life, the Holy Spirit is the Performer and Executor of those assets.

Pastor Samuel Obadare