“From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).
TEXT — Matthew 4:1-22
Message
Two men discussed why one was successful in his chosen profession while the other was not. The unsuccessful man was a preacher, while the successful discussant was an actor. The preacher asked the actor a very bothering question, “Why am I preaching the essential and unchangeable truth and I am not getting the crowd while you are presenting fables and the crowds keep coming?” The actor replied, “This is quite simple. I present my fiction as though it were truth; you present your truth as though it were fiction”.
Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus Christ did not present the truth as though it were fiction. He was passionate about bringing souls into the kingdom of God. Everywhere He preached, “The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up”.
Jesus has set a pattern for us that we cannot overlook. He wants us to fulfil His commission with concentration and compassion as He did. He expects us to commit and bring to evangelism a much better passion than the fabled successful actor. However, something was unique about Jesus’ style of evangelism. He prepared Himself. He prayed, fasted and became an embodiment of divine power. No sinister power could stand against Him as He preached throughout the Jewish territory.
God calls all believers to commit to the great commission. If we understand the urgency of our tasks and the fact that the salvation of our fellows depends on our preaching the gospel, we will wake up and do it with passion and zeal. Let people see that you truly believe what you preach by doing it passionately.
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.
