Missions
“GO!…GO Ye!!” and GO Must We!!!
By Joseph Jerry Umaru ([email protected],[email protected])
www.myspace.com/joseph2nations
www.FaithWriters.com/member-profile.php?id=35402
October, 2008.
***Permission and encouragement to reproduce and re-transmit this article is hereby granted, but only in its entirety, including author’s name and contact details at the end of the article, and without any alterations.
Shortly before His departure to Heaven, Jesus Christ charged His disciples thus:
“Go ye into the world and preach the Gospel to [make disciples of] all nations, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you… lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:19-20).
DEDICATION:
I am dedicating this month’s article to my late spiritual father; the late Bishop Bitrus Kato and the cause/vision he stood for and relentlessly pursued with vigour in the course of his life and ministry, which is; World Evangelism and Missions…Simply put: Soul-Winning.
Bishop Bitrus Kato slept in the Lord on 23rd August, 2008.
Now The Article Proper:
Several years back, a dear friend of mine; Kolawale Olarenwaju told me that he believes the word “NO” is anointed. Facetious? May be. But I agree with him. Kolawale based his argument/premise on the fact that, if only people would develop the will-power to say “No” to so many appealing but destructive ‘carrots’ – ideas, suggestions and temptations – being flung before them by the devil and the world system, they (humankind) would have been saved many heartaches and misfortunes.
So, I should believe you now agree with my friend’s humorous but thought-provoking observation that the word “No” is ‘anointed’.
And if I may add to my friend’s biting observation, there is another word which I believe is also “anointed”. It’s the word “Sorry”.
If only humankind would learn to say “sorry” to each other (if and when situations demands for such), many conflicts would have been avoided. If only couples would learn to say ‘sorry’ to each other, many divorce suits would have been unnecessary, many separations would have been averted, and many troubled waters flowing in so many homes today would have been calmed.
Anyway, the words “No” and “Sorry” are not the focus of my article today. The ‘center of gravity’ (focus) of this issue of my monthly articles is another word which I believe is not just “anointed”, but quite heavily for that matter. It’s the word “GO”. Yes, this 2-lettered word is heavily “anointed”…
This amazing revelatory realization dawned on me while reading Dr. David Jeremiah’s Turning points devotional during a morning devotional time way back in August 2007.
Now, Just Pause A Moment And Listen Very Carefully: The first two letters of the word GOspel is “GO”, the first two letters of word GOd is “GO”, the first two letters of the word GOod is “GO”, the first two letters of the word GOal is “GO”!
Hence, when Jesus was leaving the earth, He charged us in Matthew 28:19 to “GO” into the world and preach the GOspel (GOodNews) of GOd to the world for the GOod of mankind – that should be our ultimate GOal in life, that is; to GO for GOd with the GOspel.
The word “GO” was/is used personally by God in several passages of the Scripture: From the calling of Abraham in Genesis 12:1 (NIV) when God told him (Abram) to leave his kindred and GO to a land He (God) will show him – To the calling of Moses in Exodus Chapters 3 & 4 when God told Moses to GO back to Egypt and tell Pharaoh: “Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, let my people GO” – To the stinging divine instruction to the Prophet Elijah in 1Kings 18:1 when the Lord told him (Elijah) to GO and present himself to Ahab and He (God) will send rain on the land – To the timely divine instruction to the Prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 18:1-2 for him (Jeremiah) to ‘GO down to the potter’s house’… – To Christ’s breathtaking charge to Peter in Matthew 17:27 that peter should ‘GO to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when he hast opened his mouth, he (Peter) shall find a piece of money (coin) which is to be used to pay Jesus’ tax and that of his disciple’.
In several other pages of the Scriptures can be found many other passages and instances where/when God personally used the word ‘GO”.
While we must not become ‘slaves’ to words, I am still nevertheless of the opinion and conviction that; the word “GO” holds a special place in the “divine lexicon”.
With this background, let me now focus on the main objective and central theme of this article – which is on what I call “The GO of all GOs”. I do also refer to it as the “Kingdom GO”. The Church calls it; “The Great Commission”.
Shortly before leaving the earth, Jesus Christ gave His disciples this solemn and unambiguous command:
GO ye into the world and preach the Gospel to [make disciples of] all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:19-20).
The above command to ‘GO” is Jesus’ last charge to His disciples and by extension, all Believers. He has commanded us to “GO”, and ‘GO’ must we!
Christ’s charge in Matthew 28:19-20 is not a mere farewell speech (so to speak), it’s a Command we are required to carry out to the letter, because, it’s divine in origin – it’s a ‘simple’ but VERY IMPORTANT Command!
While one can unarguably say that the early Christians did their best- unreservedly- to carry out this ultimate “GO Command” to the letter, the same cannot be said of us (Believers) in this generation.
To echo Bro Amos Olayinka: “The Church in our day has continued singing, dancing and celebrating while neglecting this commission. This is a big omission. It is a bigger omission that even when we choose to GO, we only go selectively to the plains and regions of convenience, instead of the uttermost parts of the earth as commanded by our Master”.
Though there are still mission agencies, missionaries and Churches who are today doing their best to carry out this “Go Command” to the letter, but they are few and far between.
Brethren, let’s not get caught up with the ‘modern trends’ in today’s Church to such an extent that we forget this ultimate “GO Ye” command of the Master.
Beloved, let’s arise and “GO ye” as Christ commanded us to. Our ‘slowness’ in paying attention to the principles of the Great Commission has resulted in the bewildering and unprecedented number of unsaved souls we have today…
By conservative estimates, it is believed that there are about 5 billion Souls in the earth today who are yet to be saved and are now headed to hell. That’s quite an unacceptable casualty rate!!!
We must do “more than” our convenient best to rescue the souls of men and women from Everlasting Hell to Everlasting Life.
As it is written:
“How, then, can they call on the One they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring GOod News!" (Romans 10:14-15 NIV)
We must develop zero tolerance for the devil’s antics and his fiery zeal to get as many people as he ‘possibly’ can to join him in everlasting perdition and damnation…
We must strive to take the Gospel message everywhere – no matter the roughness of the road and the seemingly mountainous oppositions that might stand before us! I can almost ‘see’ the legendary apostle Paul’s head nodding in agreement with my statement.
Let’s Be Committed To Missions and World Evangelism: The best gift you can ever give to a person is the ‘gift’ of Jesus – the gift of introducing them to Jesus. It cannot be compared to the best upstairs, limousines and holiday resorts available anywhere. It can also not be compared to the best gold medals in any sporting competition; neither can it be compared to fat bank accounts. I am strongly of the opinion and conviction that; no amount of wealth or accomplishment or prestige can possibly give to a man the inner satisfaction possessed by the man or woman who has linked his or her life to Christ Jesus in a transforming relationship†
In Luke 16:19-31, we read the story of the rich man and Lazarus. That story is pathetically poignant!
A rich man died and went to the other side of eternity, and when he got to “heaven” (hell, anyway), he discovered that what matters most in Heaven is not acquiring/accumulating unnecessary jeeps and mansions, but evangelism – SOUL WINNING.
The story is pathetic because, the rich man realized that truth far too late! That rich man even begged Abraham to “please send Lazarus back to earth” so Lazarus can at least evangelize his immediate family. How sad. How very sad! The rich man in that story failed to see wealth and riches from God’s perspective, from an eternal point of view…
God and His Agenda must be FIRST in all we do and pursue --not wealth. I tell you with the whole conviction of my being that; if unrestraint crave for wealth climbs into the saddle and guides a man’s life; then, such a person is in for a great and damnable fall! The whole history of the human race is a commentary on this…
The deadly fire of acquisitiveness…the all-consuming and fanatical desire to possess money and material things has been, and will be the cause of many a downfall. Wealth should NOT be pursued with such strong a passion that ought to be reserved for God alone. That’s my humble view as an African ‘boy’ from a remote and obscure African village. And I believe the rich man in that story as narrated in Luke 16:19-31 would totally agree with my viewpoint cos’, he came to terms with it the hard way.
Thankfully, for you and me, we don’t have to get to Heaven to learn the lesson the ‘rich man’ learnt the hard way.
The LORD has graciously given us the understanding that; advancing His Kingdom is what matters to the Heart of the Trinity in Heaven, and God willing, we will do just that!
The book of Proverbs 11:30b tells us that; “He who wins souls is wise”. From this Scriptural text, it is very evident that soul-winning is an essential characteristic of wisdom…
Therefore, as wise men and women in Christ, let’s all GO winning souls into the Kingdom of our God. Let’s GO forth and blanket the world with the GOspel and lead sinners to Christ. Let’s cover the earth with the knowledge of the Gospel of Christ even as the waters cover the sea.
God is looking up to us to carry the Redemptive Torch and the peerless Flag of His Kingdom to the ends of the earth…
As a pastor in my home-church; Pastor Mike Baba rightly emphasized in a charge he gave during the naming ceremony of a child recently: “God wants to extend the frontiers of His Kingdom and confront His enemies at the gates THROUGH US (His Children)”.
In that brief but stirring charge (exhortation), Pastor Baba successfully and ‘penetratively’ echoed the Scriptural truth that; WE ARE ARROWS IN GOD’S QUIVER. How profound and revealing! Yes, we are God’s soldiers – equipped to extend His frontiers – participating in a global cause of eternal significance!
Let’s therefore arise and lift Jesus high across the nations so that men will be drawn into the Kingdom of our God. Let’s begin to plunder hell in order to populate the Kingdom of our God, and God willing, the Church our day will do just that!
If you are reading this piece, that means the Lord wants me to encourage you this day to contribute or increase your quota to His Kingdom advancement: Don’t be left behind, fulfill your own part in carrying out the “Kingdom GO”.
If you can’t go in person, your money and resources can go…
There is a hurting, lonely, oppressed and dying world out there that needs to hear the Gospel and have a feel of God’s agape love. We got to change the world for Jesus – reaching out with Christ-like compassion and Spirit-led action to touch the lives of the lost and the needy…
Satan knows he doesn’t have many years left and he is rapidly moving to perpetrate as much destruction as possible. We must arise and out-match him ‘Zeal for zeal’, ‘Missions for missions’, ‘Evangelism for evangelism’ and ‘Fire for fire’. We must not allow the devil to run rampage as he feels like…
We got keep ‘attacking’ and possessing the territories of the ultimate Enemy (the devil) and advancing the cause of Christ – witnessing for Jesus and winning the nations to Him.
Praise God, the Bible says; “we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:37).
We must strive to establish the Kingdom of our God in the collapsing and shallow kingdoms of men. Surely, the wisdom of this age has come to naught… We need to go out there and set the captives free by the liberating power of the Gospel. We got to reach out to the embers of a dying and confused world and give it life and direction through the Spirit.
We are the custodians of the Word of God, and the WORD of God is the Life and Light of men (Read John 1:4 and 1Corinthians 4:1-2)…
The time has come that the life and light that is in the Word be ‘distributed’ to the nations. If this life is not ‘distributed’ unto men, they will by no means come out of darkness and be delivered– and that’s why we need to aggressively evangelize the nations.
Let’s take the GOod News of Jesus to a darkened and dying world, so that many will be saved from perdition. “GO ye into the world and preach the Gospel” is the divine Command, and ‘Go we’ must be our ‘action response’.
Be a part of your Church’s evangelism and mission outreach programs —be actively involved.
If you can’t go in person, you can sow financial and material seeds into your Church’s mission fund. And if your Church does not have one (Missions/Evangelism Program/Fund), then, pray to God to reveal to you/lead you to a GENUINE minister/ministry cum Christian TV/radio station(s) you can partner with in taking the glorious GOspel of Jesus Christ to the nations of the world…
Our means (resources) must become a means (channels) of people being saved for all eternity. As a popular saying goes: “we cannot serve God AND money, but we can serve God WITH money”.
Just as Pastor Chris Oyakhilome rightly opined in the August 5th, 2008 issue of his daily devotional Rhapsody of Realities; “Getting the Gospel out through every available means requires lots of money; therefore you must commit your resources to sponsoring the Gospel big-time. Start giving financially to world-evangelization at the level where you are now, no matter how small. Soon, the Lord will cause all grace to abound towards you so you can do much more”.
Beloved, never underestimate what even a dollar sown into the Kingdom of God can achieve…
Gene Edward Veith was once quoted to have said in World Magazine that; “If church members were to [faithfully] tithe 10% of their income, churches would reap additional $156 billion…. If 60% of that extra income were designated for overseas missions, that would come to $94 billion – enough to feed, medicate, and evangelized the underdeveloped world”.
LET’S ALL BE A PART OF GOD’S END-TIME MOVE!
As Dr. David Jeremiah of San Diego, California once observed: “Jesus cares so much about the salvation of lost souls and the spiritual growth of Believers that He has asked us not to just sit back and enjoy our own relationship with the Lord but, out of love and compassion for others, to take our spiritual knowledge and the gift of eternal life to a world in need”.
A wise man once said; “If your salvation is worth having, then it is worth sharing”.
“Go Ye Into The World And Preach The Gospel” is the divine command, and it’s everybody’s job, and NOT just a handful of preachers. Join the saints in moving God’s Kingdom forward…
Let’s continue to ‘march’ to the camp of the Enemy to hoist the Flag of the Kingdom of our God…“from victory unto victory, His Army shall He lead, till every foe is vanquished and Christ is Lord indeed” – the ferocious roars of the devil notwithstanding!
Believe it or not, the devil is alarmed and angry as a wounded lion would. But the game is up for him – time is fast closing in on that wily monster of a prince!
The Kingdom of Heaven is on the march in a way that has never been seen before. Demons are being cast out, souls are being saved en masse, lives are being transformed, and in the kingdom of Satan, a beachhead is being established that would continue to be enlarged until one day nothing of that dark, evil and oppressive kingdom will be left!
I DECLARE BOLDLY IN FAITH: The flag of surrender will one day go up in the devil’s kingdom and the very soul of that dismal kingdom will capitulate!
Let’s just keep on the Firing Lines… Let’s keep Going and GOing! Let’s continue to bear fruits for the Kingdom and be a lighthouse beaming the liberating Gospel message to the nations.
Let’s put in the sickle cos’ the end-time harvest is ripe! It’s harvest time…Let’s rise up to the challenge…
Lord, we are ready to GO, so help us GOd. Amen.
May the liberating truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ continue to transcend the laws and limitations of men to reach humanity across the nations in Jesus’ Name. AMEN!
†Shalom~GO!
_____Joseph Jerry Umaru
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What a powerful article and God forgive us. Keep going for the Lord Jerry ! May He richly bless you and your ministry.
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