Jesus Gives Godly Instructions

During His earthly ministry, Christ told His followers that He did not come to do His will, but the will of His Father. Through the personage of Jesus, God gave instructions to man concerning His kingdom. His message was not to a select few, but to everyone.

To the rich He asked, "What will a man give in exchange for his soul?" To the destitute and downtrodden He invites, "Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden and I will get thee rest." To the sick he declares, "He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, what was necessary for you to obtain peace was placed upon Him, and with his stripes we were healed." The sick and afflicted have immediate victory. We were healed!

I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. God has instructions for everyone. As Christ went about healing all who were sick and afflicted, He met with a great deal of opposition; mainly from church people and those under the law.

As followers of Christ, our mission is to preach to a dying world. We, too, will meet opposition just as Jesus did, but we are not to give up because the words we speak are not our own, but the Father who commissioned us.

Our world is headed for destruction. There is sin and immorality the world over. We live in a modern day "Sodom and Gomorrah." Every day we turn on the TV or open the newspaper, someone has been raped, robbed, or murdered. There are people missing and the most recent incident involving a missing family substantiates the point. Also, the political moratorium on crime and violence is meeting serious opposition. No one wants to step up to the plate.

Jesus’ command to adopt God’s way of doing things fell on many deaf ears, and the people struggled and suffered defeat as a result. They questioned His ideals and philosophy, and denied the only hope available- namely, the risen Savior. "He that believeth on me shall not be condemned, he that believeth not is condemned already because he or she has not believed on the only begotten Son of God."

Many of the religious leaders questioned Jesus’ revelation that He was in fact, the Son of God. They were so steeped in their beliefs that they sought to kill Him. From city to city Jesus traveled to escape the angry masses that sought to kill Him. Although He committed no transgression, He paid the ultimate penalty-death.

If we are true followers of Christ, we are also a target of the enemy. People, even those church people who seek a reputation and personal gain, will plot to stop us. God’s instructions are His words and they bring life everlasting. The prophets of old are no longer present to deliver His words. We, who are God’s messengers have been assigned the task of carrying His message of hope to the sick, lonely and dying souls.

Our world is in critical condition. The anointing found in God’s word is the life-giving solution. "Go ye into all parts of the world and preach the gospel teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I’ve said unto you." This charge by Jesus was given to His followers and we, unlike He, don’t have to do it alone; for He declared that "Lo, I will be with you always even unto the end of the world." We have comfort in knowing that God is always with us, and we are not alone.

Naomi J. Brown