Views: 63

I was listening to a Christian radio station one day, when a “preacher” came on. I had to tune the radio off after a few statements from him. I do that quite often.

I have often watched and listened to preachers making a lot of effort to please and impress the congregation with eloquence, wit and humor. Some use drama, wise sayings, proverbs, contemporary quotes, and sometimes obscene and misplaced analogies. All these in a desperate bid to woo the congregation. Some take it to the extreme. To feel powerful, they trade fear and exploit the traditional beliefs in witchcraft, spells and ancestral spirits, to scare people. Then they say they are the ones — not God — that have the solution! Most were simply taken over by mammon, instead of God.  

These ministries do not last. They have not gone according to what God wants them to preach.

What is the core message of God, and what is its position in the scheme of things?

READ Matthew 10:1, 5-8

“Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evilspirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness.

———————————————————————–

Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions:

‘Don’t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, but only to the people of Israel—God’s lost sheep.

Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near.

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons.

Give as freely as you have received!“

(Matthew 10:1, 5-8 NLT)

Jesus gave His disciples the authority to cast out evilspirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness (vv. 1); but He also gave very clear instructions to His disciples about where they should go and what they should do.

1. Don’t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, but only to the people of Israel—God’s lost sheep (This does not mean the Gentiles and Samaritans were never ministered to —Matt. 8:5-13, 15:21-28 & John 4:1-42– But in this particular case, he told them not to go there.).

2. Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near.

3. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons.

4. Give as freely as you have received!

Jesus is always very clear about His mission and expectations. Casting out evilspirits and healing diseases are supposed to be signs that follow us, and not the main thing. When we do the main thing right, and preach the kingdom, these signs will follow us. His primary mission is the kingdom. Let us looks at what each of the gospels said about the great commission.

“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.Gotherefore andmake disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…'” (Matthew 28:18-19)

“And He  said to them, “Go into all the worldand preach the gospel to every creature.He who believes and is baptized will be saved;but he who does not believe will be condemned.And thesesigns will follow those whobelieve…” (Mark 16:15-17)

^“Then He said to them, ‘Thus it is written,and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,and that repentance andremission of sins should be preached in His nameto all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.Andyou are witnesses of these things.Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the cityof Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.'” (Luke 24:46-49)

“Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’  And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.'” (John 20:21-22)

At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus stated His mission exactly; when He went into a synagogue in Nazareth, was handed a scroll, and He found and read:

“TheSpirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-19)

His mission is very clear; and that mission has driven the growth and survival of the church for more than two thousand years. Nothing could have done this, but the Spirit of God that inspired people to keep propagating the gospel.

It is God’s idea, not ours;

It is about salvation through Jesus Christ, and not through us;

The power to do this is from the Holy Spirit, and not from us;

The vehicle God is using for this is His Church, and not our church;

And the target is the entire world, and not just those we find materially valuable!

If we keep these in mind, we will stay on God’s track!

MEMORY VERSE

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor...”(Luke 4:18)

QUESTIONS

1. Are you a true disciple of Jesus? 

2. If so, what do you preach? Do you preach His kingdom?

PRAYER TIP

Almighty Father, please help us to preach Your kingdom.

Written by:

BENNY MALM

For:

TESTIMONY DEVOTIONAL

URGENT CALL

If you don’t know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and Personal Savior, you need to do that now!

Please visit “The Believer’s Prayer” for guidance.

We will be happy to hear from you through the contact information on that page. God bless you.

🌹 SPECIAL GRATITUDE 🌹

Thank you for visiting the Testimony Devotional Website. 

We would not have gotten here without your prayers, goodwill and overall support. We are grateful, and humbled. 🙇🏽‍♀️🙇🏽‍♀️🙇🏽‍♀️🙇🏽‍♀️🙇🏽‍♀️🙇🏽‍♀️

We thank God for counting us worthy to share in His Great Commission.