And she said unto her husband, behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passes by us continually. 2 Kings 4:9.

This morning, I woke up from a dream in an encounter with an old man, who after a hug or embrace delivers unto me a sort of a debit or credit card, but upon looking intently on the card, I found this inscription on it – Christian. I was satisfied, as David says, when I awake, with your likeness (Psalms17:15) but was much more content when i received the debit or credit card type of testimony with the name Christian which also remind me of the scripture how that the believers were first called as Christians at Antioch. Acts 11:26. 

The name Christian was the testimony of the unbelievers concerning the early followers and the twelve Disciples of Christ, not because they were preaching the resurrected Christ (which was very good in itself as their first mission) but because they are bearing, revealing and portraying the beauty and imprint of the indwelling Christ in them – their foremost responsibility. Note: if believers should judge the world and the angels, they should be just and true in holiness in all their ways, just as God – the King of saints who has called them is just and true in all his ways. Rev. 15:3.

Note: God purposely set-aside or apart (sanctified) certain from among men unto himself that they should be holy unto him for his holy- purposes (Numbers 16:7) who in turn should have the responsibility to teach the holy word of God and to show the right and holy ways of God by their lifestyles for others to follow (I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day. Behold, here I am: witness against me before the Lord, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? Or whose ass have I taken? Or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you. And they said, thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man’s hand. And he said unto them, The Lord is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found ought in my hand. And they answered, He is witness. 1 Samuel 2:2-5) through the power or by the reason of the holy anointing of God upon them. Numbers 16:3. They should no corrupt the word of God (2 Pet.1:21) and they should not corrupt their office and ways before God (1 Samuel. 2:12), lest they should corrupt the people they are called to lead and bring into the holiness of God. Malachi 2:7-8

God disapproves and condemns any false and biased testimony of an unbeliever against his children, so that every tongue that shall rise up against them in judgment is condemned, but he also approves and accepts any true testimony of their conducts and character – good or bad from the outsiders (moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. 1 Tim.3:7) as God with whom there is no respect of person  – God of truth without iniquity.

Learned or unlearned, white or black, young or old, rich or poor, male or female, those who are ‘practically’ Christ’s and have truly been with him are like a city built on the hill which shall be known by the world of ungodly men (now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13), and among their brethren (for our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward. 2 Cor. 1:12), not only because of their testimonies about Christ, but by the reason of their godly walk and godly speeches, holy behaviours in all godliness and irreproachable conducts and lifestyles as light shinning out of the darkness, shinning more and more unto the perfect day –you  are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe.1 Thess.2:10. Prov. 4:18.

On four different occasions by curiosity and inquisition, I was approached by four different people and for four different reasons on four diffrent questions. Sir, are you a lawyer, please, I needed a black lawyer to represent me, supposing that I was a lawyer. Another, please sir, which of the bank are you working – supposing that I was a banker. Another, as I was in haste to board an inter-city train, rushed behind me saying, sir, please, can you help me with a job, thinking that I have an enterprise and can give him an employment. But the last person got her perception right and was helped when she approached and asked, I think you are a pastor. You think or you know, I asked. I don’t know but something is telling me that you are a pastor. Okay, what about it if I am a pastor or not, I asked? The forth encounter and conversation happened at Turin some thirteen years ago, but the woman in question was blessed afterward because she’s been praying to God to lead her to a genuine church and a true pastor.

As spirit born believers (that which is born of the flesh is flesh. that which is born of the spirit is spirit. John 3:6), we all need and should pray for increasing sharp and strong ‘spiritual’ perception to see, not as men sees, but as God sees. Spiritual insight and divine perception made Mary to anoint or waste according to some, her precious oil and perfume on the body of Christ against his burial, while the rest of the disciples were lost to the true motive of her action, being spiritually short sighted and blinded.

Carnal or human perceptions of things or people may get us into serious problem and setbacks just as the forty two little children, as usual – their common practices of mocking everyone that comes around with any physical defect, mistakenly perceived and mocked a bald-headed man to the loss of their parents and the destruction of their destiny: this time around, it was not just an ordinary man, but a man with new and double portion of anointing with divine mandate (2 Kings 2:22-23): but the great woman at Shunem, though rich, will not despised the poor prophet of God by his outward look or presentation (do ye look on things after the outward appearance? if any man trust to himself that he is Christ’s, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ’s, even so are we Christ’s. 2 Cor. 10:7) by which many people in the church today are deceived for lacking spiritual insight and perception, but after careful observations of his ways, speeches and comportments during his many visits by invitation to her house to eat bread, she perceived in her spirit or by the spirit of God, further recommended Elisha for a convenience and better accommodation and reception before her husband.

This was her conclusion, after her careful observations during many weeks and months of Elisha and his servant’s constant visits to their home by constraint or appeal, that she finally testified that this is a holy man of God. Her personal testimony about Elisha was true because she was a woman that dwells among her own people and had seen a lot from other prophets in her city, being a generous rich woman, but Elisha was a different breed  with no regard for your money or your personality lacking in the love and fear of God – And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. And she said unto her husband, behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passes by us continually. Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither. And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber, and lay there. 2 Kings 4:8-11.

Nabal, by his wicked heart, saw a break-away rebellious stranger and servant of King Saul in David who does not deserves to be helped or given bread to satisfy his hunger (1 Samuel 25:10-11), but his wife Abigail, perceived David with different eyes of faith from the insight given by the spirit of God to say the following words before David, I pray thee, forgive the trespass of your handmaid: for the Lord will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fights the battles of the Lord, and evil (iniquity) hath not been found in thee all thy days. 1 Samuel 25:28. Note: those that will live godly in Christ shall suffer persecution (2 Tim.3:5) both from outside and within the church (Isaiah 66:5): and though, many are the dark, blind, evil and wicked souls in the church that will falsely charge and accuse the saints of sin that they neither can convince them of, or of which God has revealed or shown any miscreant about his servant to them for reproof, yet, let none of the elects be grieved by those evil men among us than to hold fast to the righteousness in Christ and never let it go while keeping or holding forth their pure conscience and unfeigned faith in the Lord Jesus. Job 27:6. 

Note: it is evil, sinful and revengeful by God (but it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone. And it came to pass about ten days after, that the Lord smote Nabal that he died. 1 Sam. 25:37-38) to treat any of his servants with contempt and disdain –  to lack or loose proper respect, to lift self or puff up against them because of their adverse situations or trials – he that is ready to slip with his feet is as a lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease. Job 12:5.

Your situation is not whom or what you are than the instrument or ladder to the palace of your enthronement and exaltation or promotion by God after the trail is over – consider the trails of job, his patient and the end of the Lord. Psalms 66:10-12.

While Nabal only see a beggar and good for nothing man in David, but his wife – Abigail see the faultless and future King of Israel to position herself for future blessing in David’s future reign which she received. Though David will attempt to fight and to avenge himself by being defined and treated by his temporal demeaning situation God brought him into, yet, you should either keep silent or speak briefly to rebuke, remind or altogether avoid them who seek to vex your soul by their grievous words and provocative behaviors (but now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock. Job 30:1), but not to fight against such that seeks to despise or defines you by your adverse situation that you might give room for wrath.

Except by the greater testimony of God’s insight or perception, no one should be taken or defined by their looks –sometimes a gently manly dress is put on by hard core criminals, thieves, manipulators and evil genius to deceive -woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Matthew23:27-28.

Holiness should not only be the emblem of God’s house (holiness becomes your house, O Lord, forever. Psalms 93:5 b), God will be sanctified in them that call on his name if they will not be sanctified by him (Leviticus 10:3), to walk and live in all righteousness and true holiness which should be the ornament of beauty,  bearing and imprint of the King of saints on his saints – elects.  Holiness defines the true sons and daughters of God. It defines the impact and durableness of their testimony in the world. It defines the worth of those who are called to be saints and to live as becomes a saint before God who has redeemed and bought them, not with corruptible things as gold and silver, but of incorruptible blood of his Son – Christ.

Believer’s call is a call to sainthood or holiness in all manner of conversation or lifestyle, without which no man shall see God – be ye holy for I am holy. 1 Peter 1:15-20.

Stop saying that foolish word anymore that no one is holy because your own heart which is is evil, being filled with every dead works.  Unto the pure, all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure. Are you sanctified? Have you sanctify yourself unto Christ?Whatever Christ was made by God to become unto us must be lived out by us. Was Christ made as sanctification unto us? We must pray, live and seek for sanctification in the body soul and spirit as we bring ourselves unto subjection to the ruling and dominion power of the word which is able to build us up and to give us an inheritance among all those who  are sactified. Acts 20:32. Holiness is a practicable lifestyle to grow increasingly for its perfection in the fear of God. 2 Cor.7:1.

While some from the church shall be saved as by fire, many shall be sent into the very fire prepared for Satan and his angels. Celestial eligibility and candidature is not without a price on the part of those who are called to inherit life though many people cannot see the reason why certain few believers in Christ shall get to heaven but many others shall be rejected. Except you have spiritual insight and perception of mind of Christ, you won’t know that there is a big different lifestyle and positioning for heaven between the straight gate and narrow way seekers from the wide gate and broad ways believers or Christians? The difference is that few has chosen the highway of holiness – nothing but the word, it should not fall to the ground -I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word. Psalms 119:101.

Have you put off the old clothes (old lifestyles) for the new clothes (new lifestyles of complete surrender in obedience and holiness unto the Lord) designed and prepared to put on for the new life in the pilgrim journey – to run the race and to fight the battle in righteousness and truth? As a partaker of divine nature, are you diligently living in an incorruptible lifestyle by the incorruptible word by which you are now born again, or you are delusional to live corruptible life by sowing to the flesh, having not escaped the corruption that is in the world through lusts? Have you not read that nothing unclean shall be allowed to enter the gate of the holy city? Male or female, there is no holiness in worldliness –  if you are to make yourself pure for heaven to see God, you should not in any way be spotted with the world in body, soul and spirit. James 1:27. It is either godliness in holiness or worldliness in unrighteousness, there is no substitute or half measure.:you are either crucified to the world in holiness or you perish with the with the world in her ungodliness and worldly lusts which wars against your soul. 1 Pet. 2:11.

There’s no holiness (which is the covering glory and beauty of God in his saints) by living to the flesh – conformity to the world – friendship with the world – or the love of the world and of the things therein – the equality in the world, for you are not of it. Sorry to say this that there is no work of sanctification or holiness which shall take place in your life if you don’t first come out of the world in separation of purpose, pursuit and goal unto God – wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. Hebrews 13:12-14.

Do you know and can you recognize a holy man or woman of God when you meet or if you see one from the beauty of the inner man? 1 Peter 5. 1-6. 1 Timothy 2:9-10. Can you differentiate in this last day, a broad way believer from the narrow way brethren? Today, the genuine sons and daughters of Zion are seen as those who are in bondage, while those who do not realizes that they are living and exercises false liberty are neglecting and wrestling with the word of God unto their own destruction. Those starnge worldly dressing and dresses, worldly ways, worldly company or associations, worldly beliefs and mentality, worldly behaviors, worldly pleasures and leisure are just increasing your chances of not making it to heaven at death or making it at rapture, for they are not the bearing, beauty or the imprint of the King of saints on his elects, but of satan in the m who are presently fulfilling his pleasure and will – for they never abide in the truth as their father is a liar and father of it.