THE NATIONAL PRAYER ALTAR
MARATHON PRAYERS
Monday 1st – 7th June 2026
DEAD WORKS
Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment (Heb. 6:1-2).
In last week’s Marathon Prayer call, entitled “‘RE’ & ‘PENT,’” the matter of genuine repentance as prerequisite for a successful Christian life was examined. The crucial missing link between man and God is repentance. Man seems willing to offer God everything but genuine repentance. Christians are skilful and abundant in praises, worship, preaching, giving, loving, as well as caring, but the fundamental requirement of God is rarely met. The controversy between God and Christians is repentance.
Nigeria is going through the throes of death because the Church has been unable to offer God genuine repentance. Repeatedly, God warns that unless His requirements are met, worse evil shall be unleashed on the land. Fortunately, some are heeding the warning and convening prayer and repentance initiatives. The expectation is high that God will hear and heal Nigeria. That notwithstanding, the emphasis on the need for genuine repentance must not wane. Rather, it should dominate conversations in Christian assemblies, and believers should begin to consciously ensure for signs of true repentance.
Genuine repentance is not merely abstinence from adultery, lies, or other common vices. There are moralists who abstain from such vices yet are not saved. For example, Buddhists abstain from such misconducts yet are not part of the Kingdom of God. There are others who do not indulge in sexual immorality or party spirit, yet could harbour malice, hatred, and express arrogance. Genuine Biblical repentance is demonstrated by a renewed mind, a new mindset that rejects the patterns and order of this world, and is solely committed to compliance with the commandments of God. In other words, a truly repentant Christian will subscribe to a Biblical worldview. He sees the world and relates to it through the pages of the New Testament. That individual obeys “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world” (1 John 2:15); and “be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom. 12:2). A mind that is transformed to think like Jesus, is the mind that will produce the fruit of repentance that God demands. ”As a man thinks, so is he” (Prov. 23:7).
God demands two levels of repentance from every Christian. The first level is when an unbeliever comes to the Lord. At that level, the call is for repentance from sin and from worldliness. “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38).
The second level of repentance comes after conversion, and it says, “repent from dead works.” It urges us to depart from “the principles of the doctrine of Christ” and to “go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God” (Heb. 6:1). A careful reading of Heb. 5:12 will reveal that there are certain doctrines considered elementary. They are the six doctrines of Christianity in Heb. 6:1-2, described as a “foundation.” They are the foundational doctrines of Christianity. In effect, while the unbeliever is called to repent from sin, the believer is commanded to repent from “dead works”.
The first “foundation” of Christian doctrines is repentance from dead works. Without it, every other doctrine is null and void. What are “dead works”? Whatever a Christian does that Holy Spirit did not assign him/her to do, is dead works. This is so, for two reasons:
1. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Rom. 8:14).
2. “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).
Whatever is not initiated by the Holy Spirit has no life. It does not matter how grandiose it is, if Holy Spirit did not initiate it, it is dead work. There are two categories of dead works.
a. Whatever a man does before coming to the Lord, is dead work. It has no record in heaven because the doer of the “good deed” has no “file” there. At the most, it will be rewarded on the earth, according to Gen. 8:22. That is what makes it dead work.
b. The second category is, whatever a Christian does, after coming to the Lord, but which Holy Spirit did not initiate. It is also not recorded in heaven, and it has no eternal reward. It does not matter how extensive the work might be, if Holy Spirit did not initiate it, heaven does not recognize it. Whatever Holy Spirit did not initiate comes from the flesh (Gal. 5:17), and God will not reward what the flesh inspired. It is strange fire.
There are many Christian workers who labour diligently and with great passion, but whose labours are not inspired by the Holy Spirit. Whatever does not come by the Holy Spirit cannot carry the life of God, and it will neither have temporal nor eternal value. It is the Spirit that gives life (John 6:63). The Bible says in Ecc. 3:14, “I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.” It is what God does that endures for eternity.
Ministry is not someone running from pillar to post, “labouring” for the Lord. Ministry is God working through them. Anyone is capable of using human determination and intelligence to build a global “ministry” that will thrive, which many might applaud, yet if the fire that sparked that “ministry” was not the fire of the Holy Spirit, that person has no ministry. That is the reason every ministry must start with a “call” of God. Ministry is not someone working for God, it is God working through them, otherwise it is dead works. The Master says,
• The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise (John 5:19).
• I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me (John 5:30).
• Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works (John. 14:10).
• My Father worketh hitherto, and I work (John 5:17).
If the Master could do “nothing” without God, how can anyone conduct ministry without the express leading of the Holy Spirit? The greatest tragedy of Christianity in this generation is self-willed men who do ministry in the spirit of competition, rivalry, self-promotion, and selfish motives. Many activities in the Church classified as “special programs,” such as crusades, outreaches, conventions, seminars, including prayer and fasting, could fall into that category. If only a small percentage of the activities in the Church were initiated by the Holy Spirit, the fruit and impact of Christianity in Nigeria would have been tremendous. Alas, the motive for many ministry works is self-promotion. In some extreme cases, when Holy Spirit refuses to move, some pastors have resorted to seeking powers from Satan to work what the Bible calls “lying wonders.” It is dead works. If the Church is filled with dead works, how can it give life to a dying country? It is time to repent from dead works.
All sins are classified into two categories.
1. Not doing what God has said.
2. Doing what God has not said.
The first category is rebellion, and the second is presumption. Many Christians might be sensitive to rebellion, but very few are sensitive to presumption. If God instructs a man to relocate a pulpit, and he refuses, that is rebellion. If God did not tell a man to relocate a pulpit and he does, that is presumption. Both are deadly sins. Rebellion killed Saul; presumption killed Uzzah (2 Sam. 6:6-8). Many activities in the Church are based on presumption. One might ask, “Should I then fold my hands and do nothing?” There is wisdom in waiting on the Lord, and “they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31).
Spiritual maturity is not measured by how long one has been a Christian, or how many gifts of the Spirit one manifests. Watchman Nee provided a succinct definition of spiritual maturity as follows: “if a man will not move unless God moves, if a man will not work unless God works, and if a man will not speak unless God speaks, then, such a man can be said to be spiritually matured.” If a man goes to a work that God did not send him, the people might get blessed, but he would score zero. After all, when Uzzah prevented the Ark from falling, the Ark remained intact, but Uzzah died.
There is no excuse for dead works in the Church. Every Christian has access to the Holy Spirit, and all can receive fresh fire from heaven. Unfortunately, some desire what God has not purposed for them, so they chart their own course. Such folks might labour, but when that work shall pass through the fire, they shall suffer loss (1 Cor. 3:13-15), that is assuming they even make it to heaven, since “rebellion is as witchcraft” (1 Samuel 15:23).
As Nigeria prepares to enter the phase of righteousness, the saints must learn contentment. The spirit of envy and competition that drives people to want to be better than others, or to replicate the achievements of others merely to prove that they also have anointing, must be condemned. Christians are called to do different things. Not everyone will be an Apostle Paul. Some are called to play other roles. The Scriptures say, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb. 13:5). Shun dead works. It carries eternal consequences.
May God bless Nigeria.
PRAYER POINTS
1. 2 Chro. 7:14
Thank God for raising watchmen to stand in the gap for Nigeria.
2. Lam. 3:31-33
Thank God for showing Nigeria compassion by ending His indignation against the land.
3. Ps. 85:8-9
Pray for the discipline of the Holy Spirit to rest upon the Church so that the saints shall not return to folly.
4. 2 Pet. 2:1-3
Pray that the judgment written shall be speedily executed upon false teachers in the Nigeria Church.
5. Mt. 28:19-20
Pray that discipleship shall replace ‘prosperity’ teachings in Nigeria Church.
6. 2 Kgs 19:35-37
Intercede for all who have been kidnapped in Nigeria, and those in life-threatening situations. Pray that God will release His angels to execute judgment on the terrorists and their enablers.
7. Ps. 94:19-23 Pray that God shall cast down every throne of iniquity in Nigeria.
