FULFILLING GOD’S PURPOSE?

READ: 2 KINGS 2:19-22

Another benefit of divine favour is that it transforms a useless or powerless vessel into a vessel of honour. There are different kinds of stars. Some are useful others are not. You will not be useless star in Jesus name. When the Almighty God heard the groaning of His suffering children, He decided to send Moses as His vessel of honour. In other words, Moses became the solution to their problem, the answer to their request for deliverance. God is not going to single you out for favour for the fun of it, but so that you can become an answer to people’s problems. How many of such challenges have you taken care of? Or are you using God’s blessings, promotion and wealth just to take care of yourself and your family?
You are anointed for a purpose. It is not for decoration but for hard work. Elijah was anointed so that he could, by signs and wonders, such as bringing down fire from heaven, win back backslidden Israelite to God. In 2 Kings 2:19-22, Elisha entered a cursed city and before he left, it became a blessed city. For years many left Jericho in droves. It was almost becoming a ghost city. But after the curse was broken, a ghost city was repopulated again. He had restored the lost glory of Jericho.
You are blessed for a purpose. You are empowered for a purpose. You are endowed and talented for a purpose. The simple reason is that you should become a vessel unto honour. To take away sorrow from people and give them joy. To improve quality of life. If your presence in that parish as a pastor or leader is not increasing God’s kingdom, drawing sinners to Christ, and establishing believers, you have not yet identified why you are there. If you predecessors did a particular evil, or placed the people under bondage, you are there to uproot the evil and break the bondage. You are in government office for a reason. You occupy that position to serve a divine purpose. You are financially blessed to meet the needs of the poor. Are you fulfilling the purpose for which God placed you? Remember, He could have put some other person in your shoes. If you do not fulfil God’s purpose, you defeat God’s plan and grieve His Spirit. You can earn a name in heaven by positively affecting lives on earth!

MEMORIZE: 2 TIMOTHY 2:21 –If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel to honor, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared to every good work.

THE MARRIAGE OF SALVATION

READ: COLOSSIANS 1:12-15

Sometime in the 80s, the Lord showed a brother a vision. In it, he saw an old man with all his hair gray, announcing: “I want to get married.” The brother looked at him, laughed and said: “Who will marry an old man like you?” Not long afterwards, he saw people flying to the sky in large numbers. He was wondering what was going on. So he too rose up his hands to join them but fell back on his bed and woke up. You will not miss the rapture in Jesus name.
The main purpose of creation was because God wanted to get married. Do you know that every time somebody gives his or her life to Jesus Christ, the fellow is actually saying, I have accepted Jesus Christ as my husband? Salvation like any other marriage has its contract. Whenever someone marries to Jesus Christ, there will be three basic changes: First, there will be a change of name. You used to be named after Satan, but now you are named after God because you have become a child of God. In no other religion do adherents see themselves as the children of God, hence they see us a peculiar people that we really are.
Secondly, there will be a change of accommodation. Whether you are aware or not, the day you got married to Jesus Christ, you were translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His dear Son (Colossians 1:13). You used to live with your father, the devil in the kingdom of darkness where sickness, poverty, and other evils were of daily occurrence. But the day you married Jesus, you changed accommodation and moved kingdoms. You are now seated with Jesus in the Heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6).
Thirdly, there will be a change of responsibilities. Before you were married to Jesus Christ, you were free to do anything you liked. You were not expected to pay tithes, preach the Word of God, follow-up sinners, work and serve Jesus, spend and be spent for Him. But after your marriage to Him, you were placed under these responsibilities and more. In fact, from that time, His Word became law. Since then you can enjoy divine health because you are married to the Chief Physician. How are you playing your wifely role in support of your Maker and Husband?

MEMORIZE: COLOSSIANS 1:13 –Who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.

ARE CUSTOMERS ALWAYS RIGHT?

READ: JAMES 2:1-5

One very important public which cuts across ethnic, geo-political, socio-cultural divides of the world is customers. Products are designed because of them. Sellers and manufacturers are in business because of buyers. If there was nobody to buy, there would be no production. There would be no marketing process. If buyers would buy once and never return, all factories and manufacturing plants would have grounded to a halt. The need for buyers to become customers is the greatest challenge of marketing.
The marketing concept has had to evolve through various stages over time. Presently, marketers have discovered that what puts them in business is not the capital they put together – land, labour, money and entrepreneurial skills, but the buyers that make repeat purchases. If buyers refuse to patronize manufacturers for just one year, organizations that will survive may be less than 10%. Having acknowledged their importance, secular business adjusted to their new philosophy. Everything now revolves around the consumers. Hence, they say, ‘The customers are always right’: but are they? The target of business is to attract buyers and satisfy them to a point where they would become loyal customers.
In the church many leaders unfortunately do not share that philosophy. Instead of the customers being treated as king, it is the pastor and ministers that are. When the buyers (first timers) come to the church to purchase some products (spiritual services) they are treated shabbily, like they don’t matter; hence they may never repeat their visit and become customers (converts). Church leaders should take a cue from the world. You are a pastor or minister because of the congregation. Without the new comers, you may never have the financial and spiritual pillars that will help your ministry. Your church should be organized in a way as to make the service attractive, inspiring, comfortable and inviting to all your new comers (rich and poor) so that they can return and God’s counsel will stand in their lives. To this end, do not let your services be too long or else they will go some place else. Treat your visitors with great respect. Right from the gate, let your ushers welcome and treat them as kings (once they come into Christ they truly become kings). Never argue with them or publicly embarrass them. Give them a good first impression and treat them like royalty. You can be sure they will become your customers.

MEMORIZE: JAMES 2:5 –Hearken, my beloved brethren, Has not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which He has promised to them that love Him?