What is Emmanuel and who is Emmanuel to us as believers. How do we relate to the Father God? How much of the Emmanuel dimension of the Christ do we really know? The prophetic word by the angel sent to Joseph while he thought to put away Mary privately with good intention for her becoming pregnant without the knowledge of a man was..

:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. {JESUS: that is, Saviour, Heb}

22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” Math 1:

Now can’t you see the church know the lord so much as Jesus, the one that came to save us from our sins and nothing much about the lord Emmanuel?

When all that we present to the believer is JESUS that came  to save us from our sins, and no true knowledge of the Emmanuel dimension, do we really expect the church to come to maturity? Is it a surprise today that the church is intimidated by messages  of the power of the devil, and so producing very intimidated and cowed believers because we know very little of the Emmanuel dimension of the presence of God ?

Can’t we see that all our prayers are based on fear and not faith because we lack the knowledge of the Emmanuel, the second Grace, if i may use the word, of God? Saving us from our sins is based on Grace, what about living out our freedom in the power of him being with us. Why do you think Christians walk with so much fear in them, even though they are saved from their sins. Yet the word says the righteous are as bold as a lion.Prov.28:1. It is the missing knowledge of the Emmanuel dimension in our teaching and worship.

The word of the angel to Joseph is “thou shalt call his name JESUS” But as fulfilling the prophecy.. “they shall call his name Emmanuel,”. From a “thou” .singular to a “They” plural. Speaking of what the church ought to truly know the Father as..

Meaning our relationship to him should go beyond just knowing the Father as the one that saved us from our sins (Jesus) to the one who is presently abiding with us, Emmanuel.

This knowledge takes us from the realm of just a poor sinner saved by grace to a faith based work and walk  with the lord on the earth without any form of intimidation, fear and doubts leading to unbelieve.

I remembered a few years ago flying to South Africa for a meeting from Nigeria, and at the point of take off,  here was a lady behind me praying in tongues and wouldn’t even give you the peace, this she repeated when the announcement came from the Pilot that we are about descending to Johannesburg  . I began to wonder what the trouble was. And the lord spoke to me and said. ‘son so many know me as Jesus but few know me as Emmanuel’.

Meaning the reason for all of those prayers and noise was based on the fear of death. Her thought was, ‘God don’t allow the devil crash this plane while am inside’.

Can you see what I mean? Should this be the way we live our lives as believers on a daily bases after many years of coming to the lord? Only the true knowledge of God as Emmanuel can deliver us from this intimating spirit of the fear of death from the so called devil the supposed Christians hangman?.

Now, the background to this prophetic word to Joseph about his wife Mary is found in Isa 7:1-15.

It was a time at which the kingdom of Judah, under the government of Ahaz, was reduced very low.  Pekah, king of Israel, had slain in Judea 120,000 persons in one day, and carried away captives 200,000, including women and children, together with much spoil.

To add to their distress, Rezin, king of Syria, being in a league with Pekah, had taken Elath, a fortified city of Judah, and carried the inhabitants’ away captive to Damascus.

No, because of this, king Ahaz was afraid that the enemies who were now united against him will prevail to destroy Jerusalem, and the kingdom of Judah, and so annihilate the family of David!

That was what led to God given this prophecy to king Ahaz of Judah. It was as a result of fear and God was only trying to reassure the king that He God will protect and deliver him from the hands of the enemies..The Emmanuel dimension of God…

To be continued…

© 2016 –  Dr. David O. Ogaga