“And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me” (Ezekiel 8:1).
TEXT — Ezekiel 8:1-6
Message
Prophet Ezekiel was called to be a spokesman for God at the age of thirty. Doubling as a priest, he was repeatedly employed to address the children of Israel during their captivity in Babylon. Ezekiel did not need any notice to be commissioned for service. Through visions, he received God’s messages, which, as an obedient messenger, he promptly transmitted to the people as they sought to hear from heaven in their distress.
On one occasion, when the elders of Judah were in his house for consultation, God also came calling. He lifted Ezekiel from their midst in Babylon to reveal to him their transgressions. His servant was made to be eyewitness of the idolatrous and immoral conduct of his compatriots back in Jerusalem. The Lord transported him to the “inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy”. The prophet saw “the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth”.
A loving God who knows the consequences of dying in sin would always intervene through warnings from His servants. He does not wait until the unrepentant crosses to the other side, where he can no longer repent. He looks for submissive servants to send to those who have gone astray so they would retrace their steps. Wherever these messengers are today, they never hesitate as they are called for the Master’s work.
The invitation from the Lord is more urgent now than it was in the days of Ezekiel. With many dying into a Christless eternity and with the Lord’s imminent return to judge the world, the believer should not hesitate to preach the gospel to snatch souls from Satan. The Christian is the Ezekiel of today; he is required to tell the people that only God can deliver them from the captivity of sin.The invitation from the Lord is more urgent now than it was in the days of Ezekiel. With many dying into a Christless eternity and with the Lord’s imminent return to judge the world, the believer should not hesitate to preach the gospel to snatch souls from Satan. The Christian is the Ezekiel of today; he is required to tell the people that only God can deliver them from the captivity of sin.
Thought for the day
The wise believer preaches the Word with unrelenting vigour.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
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