“And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil” (Zephaniah 1:12).
TEXT —Zephaniah 1:10-18
Message
It has been said that “Indifferent people cannot build a different world.” If you remain neutral, showing no interest in intervening for the good of your environment, you risk the grave danger of having others make unpleasant decisions for you. If we want societal changes, we must participate in collective efforts to effect the reforms we seek. Otherwise, external forces would impose on us what we do not bargain for.
God frowned at such an indifferent attitude among the inhabitants of Jerusalem during the ministry of Zephaniah some 630 years before the coming of Jesus Christ. They not only charged the Lord with indifference (“The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil,” they said), but they also slid into a life of ease after amassing silver and gold. They built houses and planted vineyards that gave them wine. They worshipped their wealth and became deaf to the call for righteousness. They were neither here nor there in spiritual matters, unaware that divine judgment was around the corner, as prophesied by Zephaniah.
Our generation has not learned from the mistakes of the people of Jerusalem. Men and women in their millions still go about with little or no concern about the warnings given by preachers of the gospel that the end is near when God will fulfill His promise, “And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity, and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible” (Isaiah 13:11).
Man’s apathy cannot in any way alter God’s resolve to punish sin, and should not stop us from our evangelistic mandate. Instead, we are to lovingly warn the middle-of-the-road people that the wages of their indifference is death. They cannot avoid being hit when the mighty hurricane of God’s swift judgment sweeps across the world.
Thought for the day
Sitting on the fence makes one an easy pick for the devil.
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.
