THE DIVINE MANDATE

The message and ministry of Jesus Christ while He was on earth, can be summed up into one word called salvation. Our Lord Jesus Christ manifested the power of God as He touched every aspect of ministry ranging from miracles, deliverance, faith, prosperity, sound doctrine, giving, soul winning etc, but with a strong emphasis on salvation.

‘’for I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day” John 6:38-40 (NKJ).

In the book of John 6:38-40, Jesus Christ clearly stated the will of His Father, and the divine mandate that was given to Him from heaven, which is to save souls. God wants us to live in abundance, security, good health, and every good thing that can be imagined according to His word, but His major focus and priority is in nurturing souls for heaven through the message of salvation. Every message inspired by the Holy Spirit is geared towards salvation, because that is the divine mandate from God. Jesus Christ reaffirmed this mandate after His resurrection, when He appeared to His disciples.

“After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either. Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” Mark 16:12-16 (NKJ).

As a pastor, minister, bishop or whatever name that might be ascribed to you in your church, and whatever area of the gospel that you may have been given an assignment to minister on, it must be centered on salvation, because that was why you were given that assignment in the first place. Every believer with no exceptions, have been called by God to win souls for heaven, and every message should be geared towards that purpose.

There are many preachers who have derailed their messages and sermons, because the objective is at variance with the will of the Father and the divine mandate, which is bringing lost souls to Jesus Christ, that He may resurrect them on the last day. The call of an individual to ministry, is a call to leadership and not for self aggrandizement, wherefore as a temporary shepherd, that individual is saddled with the responsibility of grooming and monitoring the spiritual growth of his/her sheep (congregation), making sure that none is lost along the way. Jesus Christ is very passionate about His sheep (you and I), and as a result, He paid the supreme price of death that He might be able to raise His sheep (you and I) on the last day.

The Church is growing at a very fast rate with quite a number of new ministries springing forth, thereby adding to the existing numbers, while the older ministries expand their presence base by establishing new branches around the globe. In Nigeria, you can hardly walk through a street without coming in contact with a church or churches, with the inclusion of house fellowship centers as the case may be, which may be applicable in other parts of the world, but the question is, what are they teaching in our churches around the globe?

When last did you listen to a sermon as a Christian, where passionate calls were made to the unsaved unto salvation?

Are the messages and sermons coming out from our various churches around the globe in conformity with the divine mandate and will as established by the Father?

These are crucial questions that require urgent attention, if the church is really serious about getting it right as we wait on the Lord. Sermons on salvation are gradually eroding from our churches, and it is high time the church returns  back to the divine mandate, especially in this crucial moments when the world is walking through its last moments preparatory for the coming of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is coming soon, its our collective responsibility as Christians to win souls for heaven and depopulate hell.

#TheMessenger