My brother, my sister, today as you are reading this message, open your heart to the Lord who is knocking asking you to become consistent in your walk with Him. Has your going to church become a simple routine or is an important part of your life that you cannot joke with? The sad truth is that many believers still don’t know Jesus while they claim they are His followers.
The Body of Christ is the most powerful institution the world has… yet it is still the poorest in all aspects (economically and socially namely, etc.), therefore the world does not see its need for Jesus. My friend, what has weakened the Body of Christ is not its lack of power in the world… certainly not, because Jesus said: “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you” (luke 10:19). You see, as God’s ambassadors on earth, we are supposed to weigh heavy on the matters arising in our communities (political, economical and social matters), because Jesus got back what Satan had stolen from us through deceiving Adam. So, now, what has weakened the Body of Christ then?
Let’s look at the people of God in the wilderness to find some answer to this question: “The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the LORD. For the LORD had sworn to them that they would not see the land he had solemnly promised their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey” (Joshua 5:6)… It is our refusal to obey God that has made the power we have received less effective. Of course, things are no longer like in the old days because Jesus has come since then… Unfortunately, many believers consider Jesus only for the benefit they can receive from Him and they are not following the Gospel that He has brought to us. This weakens the whole Body… because it says: “He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions” (Psalm 107:20). Today, truncated, well-chosen parts of the Gospel are widely preached in churches enslaving souls that had already been set free by Jesus or they are deceiving many who serve man, appearance or become miracle runners rather than serving Jesus. These are all the things that have weakened the Body of Christ…
But, let me tell you that there is no other way but the Word of God to help us become consistent or assiduous: “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope” (Romans 15:4). Now, it is so sad that people are reading from the Bible only about forgiveness, grace, blessings (but skip the part that states the conditions going along with the blessings promised by God)… Today, remember this Word of Jesus as He is about to leave this world: “hen Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age…” (Matthew 28:18-20). This is the greatest mission we have received in the Body of Christ and each of us has a part in it individually. Where do our emotions, our problems, our present circumstances, our little murmuring coming into picture here because that’s all most churches now preach? If you truly know Jesus, you keep running with your eyes set on Him despite the walls of your house falling apart before you. Yes, a genuine believer of Christ lives in the victory he/she has received from Him from the cross where He overcame all we, as human being, could be going through.
Can the Body of Christ return to the truth of the Gospel? Jesus is returning very soon… Let’s honour our Lord by doing what is right before His sight… the only way He can be truly honoured in the Body, my friends, is when what He had come to do in this world truly happens: “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed, 19to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour” (Luke 4:18-19). Can we, as individuals, move from the gospel of our need to the Gospel of Christ to see true transformation in our lives and be true instruments for God who has given us power and authority to act on His behalf until He returns? Stay blessed in Jesus’ name.