#147: THE FORGOTTEN ONE'S 1

“But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 [AMP])

I once heard a preacher say that the reason his church was not growing in size over the years was because the members were not living right; if they lived right, many would see the evidence of Jesus in their lives and follow them to church. That’s partially true, but not 100% true. I once heard another preacher say that the reason they were depreciating in number was because evil was looming around the church and preventing new members from coming in. Well, that could be true to some extent, but not 100% true.

I sat wondering year after year why it was the same people I saw in church every Sunday. There was no single new member and the only difference was that these people were getting older and dying while children were born to others to replace them. I realized only some time back that the reason behind all of these was that we had forgotten the people outside the shores of our holy sacred buildings. 

We’ve been so focused on making heaven, sitting and just warming the pews and building and grooming ourselves alone that the essence of our existence has become lost.

Many of us have grown up with certain perceptions like mine; that the work of ministry is only but for the 5-fold. Ephe 4:11-12, “And he gave some; Apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”

But most of us forget that the ministry of reconciliation was handed down to every believer. This is the priority and hallmark of every believer . 2 Cor 5:18-20 “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ; certain that God is appealing through us, we plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.”

Jesus redeemed us and reconciled us back to God so that He can live within us and find expression in and through us; That the heartbeat of the father becomes the heartbeat of every believer.

Many churches and believers have left evangelism to the missionaries and evangelist. But no. When Jesus left, He promised us; every believer, the Holy Spirit; that we may be empowered to be His witnesses in every nook and cranny of the earth until His glory fills the entire earth as the waters cover the seas.

Luke 14:23 “Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” If we, the church would not go out there and only wait for them that are out there to come to us, then the church would never really grow. If no one is willing to go out there, where they are, then no one should expect them to come in here, where we are.

Jesus went out there where the people were. The vision of Jesus has become the vision of every believer and the mission of Jesus has become the mission of every believer; to seek and save the lost by going out there where the people are and preaching the gospel to every creature that His house may be filled. By all means, we must save some; that none may go to the place of eternal damnation; for it is not His will that any should perish but that all may come to repentance.

Isaiah 6:8, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” and I said, “Here am I. send me.”

Will God find us in all His seeking? Will we be relevant in this kingdom harvest and mandate? Will we carry on this mandate that has been handed down to us by Christ? Will our lives be spent on fulfilling this mandate?

T.L. Osborn once said, “Christians are sharers of their faith, of their hope, of their love and of their Christ, and the Holy Spirit will always guide you and manifest God’s love through us.”

PRAYER:

Father, I ask for the grace to give my life wholly to the mission of Jesus; to seek and save the lost

I ask for your help to submit myself wholly to the process

I pray that there be a massive release of laborers into the harvest 

I pray that every hindrance be removed

I pray for all believers, that the eyes of our understanding be enlightened and we know the hope to which you have called us.

Amen.