We have been looking at these lines of exhortation since the week began titled
NO CHURCH GROWS WITHOUT A PEOPLE ON THE GO
We have established already that God is interested in the growth and enlargement of His Church.
Matthew 16:18
We have also come to recognize that our God is the God of addition and multiplication.
Acts 2:47
Jeremiah 30:19
But we have also come to recognize that we must plant and water before the God of increase can step in.
1st Corinthians 3:6
Increase cannot take place without God but God will not step in until you and I engage. So according to Scriptures therefore you and I have the responsibility of engaging both the responsibility of soul winning and prayers in order to see God step in for the growth and enlargement of His Church.
This morning we are going to be looking at the following thoughts very carefully.
1- The sales of any product will stop where its marketing stops. The Bible makes us to understand in the book of Mark 5. The man came to Jesus, the mad man of Gadarenes. He was possessed with devils. The Bible tells us that Jesus cast out those devils and the people became afraid and they asked that Jesus should please leave their Coast. And this man came to Jesus and said ‘Lord I want to go with You’. Jesus said ‘No, you have an assignment stay back and begin to tell people what good things God has done for you and the Bible said this man published it among Decapolis. The word Decapolis means ten cities. He went announcing it around. And the Bible said Jesus came that way the second time and this time the entire City came to meet Him at the Coast.
In other words the avenue for the harvest of that city was the marketing of an act of God. We must come to understand that when it comes to how far we are able to see the gospel, It is how far we are able to go advertising Christ.
The Bible said concerning the apostles In the Book of
Acts 8:5
Philip preached Christ in Samaria. He announced Christ there. He marketed Christ there. The outcome was that the entire Samaria turned to the Lord.
Every believer is given this mandate and assignment by Jesus Christ.
Mark 16:15
That is the assignment of every believer. So every child of God is ordained as a Christ marketer.
We are sent forth with the gospel to advertise Christ in every location where we find ourselves. That is our duty, mandate and assignment. Not only has God assigned us for the task, He has also enabled us for the task.
Acts 1:8
So you can say not only are you going on this assignment but you are now witnesses. You are given this task from Heaven, this assignment to go everywhere and preach the gospel.
So according to Scriptures there’s this task and assignment, given to you and to me to market Christ everywhere.
John 4:29
We find a Samaritan woman that came to meet Jesus and the Bible tells us that she went into her city and began to tell them ‘Come, see a man who told me all things that I ever did. Is not this the Christ? ‘Come and see’.
We just heard the testimony of that brother who said he invited somebody to Church and right there in the Church that individual got a testimony of a miracle job to resume the next day and the next Sunday he came with his own convert. What do you think he told the convert?
There was no more to say except come and see. So every child of God is ordained by God as a gospel marketer, advertising the doings of Christ, advertising the manifestations of Christ. That’s why you discover when we look at what happened in the book of
Acts 9:33-34
Peter went through a particular city, the Bible says there was a certain man called Aeneas who has been sick with the palsy, the Bible says when Peter saw him, he said to him ‘Jesus Christ maketh thee whole, arise make thy bed’ and he arose immediately.
What was the effect and impact? The Bible says in verse 35 and all that dwell there turned to the Lord. As soon as the doing of God was announced, he turned to the Lord. Now when he says that all of them that dwelled there what happened to them was that they heard the testimony of this man. It is not that the whole city was standing watching when he was healed but when he went around advertising, ‘see what God did for me’.
It is our duty to take the acts of God and announce it everywhere. Let people know what Jesus is doing in the now. They’ve heard of what He did in the Bible but they must know what He is doing in our days. We must advertise Him everywhere. That’s our task, our assignment.
I see grace coming for each one of us in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Furthermore we cannot experience supernatural Church growth without engaging the Holy Spirit who is the Lord of the harvest on the altar of prayer.
Matthew 9:38
So there is the requirement of engaging the altar of prayer. We are not engaged in a physical act, we are engaged in a spiritual act. While your physical mouth may speak, it will only take the Spirit of God to convict.
We must engage the Holy Spirit. Don’t just go out there without the cognisance of the necessity of the Spirit of God. We must engage Him in prayer. You must call upon God. Lord let Your Spirit convict, let Your Spirit convert, let Your Spirit arrest the heart of men that is the street.
The assignment is to advertise Christ. Enablement is in the power of the Spirit so we must engage not only in the assignment but we must engage in the enablement of the Spirit of God in order to see the manifestations of His power as we go forth into the harvest field.
I see grace coming upon us for this in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
That is why as soon as the spirit of God came down in Acts 2 the next impact was the eruption of the Church of Christ. You saw souls coming into the Kingdom in their numbers. These are operations and manifestations of the Holy Ghost.
We must engage the enablement of the Spirit. That is what makes the difference.
There is a woman I came across, this woman was very very effective in soul winning and I began to wonder, we all went out together soul winning and by the time we come back her list will be so long, papers filled with names, front and back. So I said I want to know what she says because I felt that the answer to her effectiveness was have been what she was saying. So I came to her during the harvest field pretending I was just passing by. I saw her talking to some people, I stayed to hear what she will say and sincerely everything she was saying did not arrange itself properly. I couldn’t understand where she was going or where she was coming. The thing did not look like it was going to make any impact or arrest anybody. So I said I was going to see the end of this matter. As soon as she finished talking, me who had been in Christ I didn’t understand what she said. As soon as she said ‘Do you want to be born again? all the people she was talking to lifted their hands. It was then that I understood the impact of the Spirit.
When the Spirit of God takes charge of an operation He checks your words into the heart of those you are speaking to. He arrests them, convicts them and converts them.
That’s why I pray that for each one of us from this day onward the Spirit of God, that Spirit of life, that Spirit of conviction and conversion will begin to operate in each and every one of us in the name of Jesus.
As we conclude this morning take note of this that it takes a genuine heart for God to keep going after souls. There are many that start but not too many will continue because the sincererity of your heart for God is what determines the continuity of your pursuit of the lost. The Bible makes us to understand in the book of
Romans 8:35-38
We find there Paul the Apostle making clear. He said what will separate us from the love of God? Shall tribulation, persecution, distress, nakedness, famine, peril, sword? He said in all these things we are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us. What was Paul saying? Nothing can stop us from loving God. A man who’s heart is genuine towards God will never relent.
Philippians 1:21
A genuine heart for God will make you pursue God without needing encouragement. You are just self motivated, self encouraged.
I see that grace coming upon each and every one of us in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Bible tells us in Hebrews 10:22 and I close with this. Let us draw near with a true or a sincere heart. What brings a man close to God is the sincererity of his heart. Have a sincere heart in the pursuit of God and don’t relent in the pursuit of the lost. May grace come upon each one of us to maintain a genuine heart before Him in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Receive grace this morning to maintain a genuine heart in your love for God.
From this day onward your heart will remain fervent towards God in the name of Jesus Christ.
One of the foundations upon which our faith will produce is our dedication.
Be committed, be dedicated, be fervent in spirit and watch what God makes of you in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Indeed the turnaround effect will manifest practically in your life in Jesus name.
So shall it be in Jesus precious name.
This day shall be a day of testimonies.
God will surely visit you in the name of Jesus Christ.
So shall it be.
#PastorDavidOyedepoJnr
#CHoP
#ChurchGist
