God's Wrath was Satisfied

God's Wrath was Satisfied
Preach the Word!!

Thursday 26 September 2013

Now is the time



“What is troubling you?” asked Mr. X. I grumbled. After patiently listening to my complaints he said, “When I was your age, I spent so many years living for myself, seeking self pleasure and self glory. Now that I am saved and old I wish I was young again. I wasted so many precious years. So whatever it is Kwenda, serve the Lord. Twenty thirty years from now you will not regret it.” Deep down my heart I was like, “Lord, take my life and let it be concentrated Lord to thee. Now is the time to serve you.” But many young people shy away from this noble task for obvious reasons.


The first observation which hinders this whole heart service is fear. There is firstly the fear of missing out. As young people we love to explore. We want to figure out things. We are always asking, “what’s new on market?”  What’s the latest car, phone or music video? Have you seen this and that? We fear that if we spend time doing the work of the Lord we will miss out on the latest music, fashion and games.  There is also the fear of losing the best. We all want the best. No one does anything with the intention of getting the worst of results. There is a desire to succeed and get the best. Get the best job, the best car, the best house, the best wife or husband, the best family and so on and so forth. But the question is this, who gives us the best of things? Who provides for our needs? Is it not God? The problem is that the best is defined according to worldly standards. According to the world the best is that latest phone or car. Some have gone to the extent of saying if you don’t have that then you are probably not God’s child. God’s children must have the best of things. Well, Jesus was the son of a carpenter. He, as the Son of God, chose to be in that form. Did that make him cease to be God’s eternal Son? No! Instead it was God’s best choice for his Son. For through that, he would die for people’s sins and rescue them from hell. Do you see the wisdom of God? There are certain things you may consider useless and without benefit as you serve God but those same things may actually be God’s best for you. You cannot see it now but later on you will appreciate it. Ask Job, he will tell you.


The second observation is love for comfort. “Oh I just want to be in that Jacuzzi! I want to sleep and wake to find the fridge, the stove and everything else is in place. I want that 100 inch 4D flat screen on the wall. I want! I want! I want!!!” Isn’t this a familiar thought pattern? No distress, no disturbance, no hardships. Many young people love comfort. Many would say, “I am too young to be allergic to comfort.” Oh poor soul! It was during captivity in Babylon when Daniel greatly represented the LORD. It was while David was still a youth that he fought with Goliath and was persecuted by Saul. Remember Joseph as lad being thrown into the ditch and then sold as a slave and later in prison for three years?


My fellow youths, now is the time to serve the LORD. Why should you regret having wasted your energy twenty thirty years from now? You do not have to become a Pastor in order to serve God. That beautiful voice God has given you use it to glorify his name. That poetic brain can write hymns that the church will use to sing to their God. If you are sensing the call to ministry do not be scared. Now is the time! Now…is…the…time!! Remember this only applies if you are already God's child.

Wednesday 4 September 2013

Missions not divisions



There are some tweeter and face-book profiles which are so edifying especially for a person in full time ministry.  Whenever I read through them I look forward to the next post. They help me keep my head up in matters concerning missions, winning the lost to Christ. However, there are other profiles that just keep you wondering what their goal is. You can sense that their heart is not missions but divisions. Why is this so?

Well, it is obvious in the content of the posts. The content is not about how people can be equipped for ministry. It’s not about the challenges of ministry. It’s not even about the great commission, winning the lost. All you see is posts about whether heaven will be on earth or not, whether Israel is the Church or not, whether a woman can wear slacks or not and whether or not Mr. X is Calvinist or Fundamentalist. Should we study these things? Absolutely! Should one hold a view about it? Certainly! Nevertheless, our convictions must not hinder progress of the gospel for then we will become like a certain book titled “When God is small and people are BIG.” It’s not like you have special revelation from God to say, “This is what it should be.” Knowledge is good but if not used wisely it puffs up as Paul says in 1 Corinthian 8 and can lead to sin. Some people have gone to the extent of not socializing or partnering in the gospel with those who hold a different view. Surely, it ought to be about the major things of Scripture.  If someone denies the deity of Christ and God existing in three persons then he has a very big problem. It’s likely that he is not saved. If someone does not believe that the Church is an assembly of believers then surely he needs help and it’s not biblical to partner with such a one. Do you see what I am pointing out? It’s not the uncertain things that should hinder missions. In fact if someone who does not believe in the deity of Christ is not sent then there is no deterring of the gospel. We will in fact be preserving error from spreading. If you are fully convinced about a matter in Scripture then hold it to yourself. Don’t let God hold you accountable because of a view.

I do not see any reason for someone to deny going into the mission field because the people sending him Calvinists. The problem is we begin to say, “What will people think about me? That one, that one and that one will be disappointed with me.” But look at the greater side. If churches and mission boards were not so critical about these issues there would be a very big impact. Can you imagine how many Churches would have been planted? Can you imagine how many regions would be reached with the gospel? Look at it this way. Here is a young man zealous about winning the lost to Christ. It is clear he is called into the ministry. On the other hand there is a missionary board or Church that has been looking for a man to send to labor in a particular location for years. The young man approaches the board or Church and he is rejected because he is a Calvinist. Everything else is in agreement except that he is Calvinist. Isn’t that being dogmatic? Imagine if David Livingstone was denied the desire to come and minister in Africa because someone was very particular about a certain view? Do you see what I mean? Not that we should send any Jim and Jack or not apply wisdom is making those choices but understand that it’s about missions. It’s about missions, dear friends not divisions. It’s about winning the lost!