Mission: Salvation and the Kingdom of God
When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?”
(John 5:6)
You are warmly welcome!
I hate being redundant; this means boredom and time just doesn’t seem to shift; it is almost sickening – and so it is for many of us. We all were created to be engaged in some activity. A jobless graduate who has not even found somewhere to volunteer will certainly have a sad tale to tell. Our Creator made us in His own image, and just as He is always at work, so must we. Now let me draw your attention to the noblest of vocations: I call upon all of us to focus on and be involved in God’s Mission: God has work for you, and this week is dedicated to reinvigorating our awareness of this fact, as we reach out to the University and surrounding areas with the gospel.
The Message of Salvation: Are you concerned about many people around us who need to hear the good news of Jesus Christ in order to put their faith in him and be saved? Some of these are your friends or even relatives. There is need for witnessing and calling them to salvation. Others have been born again before and they fell; they still come to Church but their love grew cold and they need to be assisted, held by the hand and brought back to Salvation: you can help – even if it is talking to only one person. But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.” (Acts 8:12) Philip’s evangelism that culminated in baptisms is testimony to the fact that many were drawn to Jesus. Preaching the gospel will affect someone.
The Message of the Kingdom of God: Are you concerned about a seemingly sick national economy in which we have resources but little benefit? Are you concerned about the poor stewardship – marred with selfishness and corruption – that results in very poor service delivery? Or are you concerned about students who study diligently and sit all exams but their marks are missing? Are you concerned about the high sexual promiscuity that characterizes young people in universities – acts of pre-marital sex, heart breaks, abortions? Are you concerned about the quality of graduates we are churning out, who have little creativity? The gospel of the Kingdom of God is what we need to preach in word and deed. These evils do not at all characterize the kingdom of God; what then do we mean when we pray ‘… Your kingdom come’?
Jesus asked, “Do you want to be healed?” Do you want to be made whole? He spoke of health, wellness, soundness – wholeness in body and spirit. The world around us is hungry for this wholeness, and if Jesus Christ is the giver of it, then give Him to the world around you. Get busy with mission work by your generous gifts, by talking to someone about Kingdom values in Jesus’ Name, and by your prayers.
God bless you!