THE MESSAGE PART 9. COMMITMENT TO THE MESSAGE OF CHRIST

THE MESSAGE PART 9. COMMITMENT TO THE MESSAGE OF CHRIST

The Message is Christ. It is not just based on mentioning Christ but of the facts of what Christ has done and who we are because of what he has done.  The life of Christ we have received places certain responsibilities on us. Please do well to click below and read the previous parts of this series.
Part 1. Christ the only message worth preaching.
Part 2. The sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow.
Part 3.  One message, different topics and emphasis.
Part 4. Ministry is in the message.
Part 5. The Message is beyond results.
Part 6. The Message is beyond experiences, supernatural encounters.
Part 7. The Message is beyond mediums
Part 8. The Message is full of grace

Acts5 : 42  And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.
The disciples were given to teaching and preaching Christ. When we say Christ has done everything, it does not mean we have nothing to do. The bases of all we do is what Christ has done. Reading through the epistles, we see that the man in Christ is instructed to be given to certain responsibilities like preaching, giving, prayers, and good conduct. Most of these responsibilities are in relation to the message of Christ. Let’s discuss some of these responsibilities.
PREACHING THE MESSAGE OF CHRIST
Before Jesus left His disciples, He gave them a profound instruction among other instructions. The instruction was to go into the world and PREACH the gospel to everyone.
Mark 16: 14  Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. note
15  And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
This was also stated in Matthew 28:18-20.  We are told to preach to everyone .
We have seen a lot details about the message of Christ. These details are useless if not communicated to others. The gospel of Christ is only effective to the degree at which it is preached. Many times people shy away from this awesome responsibility. To God, His will is that all be saved(1 Timothy 2:4). This can never happen unless we preach. The gospel is designed in such a way that it is the ONLY POWER GOD HAS TO SAVE.
Romans 1:  16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Notice the emphasis, the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. This means that the power God has to save is the gospel. Therefore when you let loose the gospel you let loose the power of God. Here lies the importance of knowing and preaching the details of the gospel. Notice it didn’t say going to  church is the power of God for salvation or behaviour modification is the power of God unto salvation. Though all of these are good but men are not saved by them. If a man goes to a place he calls church for one month and never hears anything about the gospel of Christ, in that Christ died for his sins so he can have life, he is not saved. If Jesus returns, such a person will perish. There must something said  about the gospel  that a man must believe to be saved.
1 Corinthians 1
17  For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. note
18  For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
19  For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
20  Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21  For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
22  For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
23  But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
24  But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
25  Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Please read the scripture above again especially verse 21. You will observe How God saves. God saves by the foolishness of PREACHING. It is not by comedy, by ushering, by clapping, by any other activity. These activities are good but they must never replace our work to PREACH. Also observe we are to preach to everyone . Preaching is not just done in the gathering of the saints. Wherever you find yourself tell someone the truth that Jesus died for his sins so he can have the life of God. WHY ARE MEN PERISHING?  It is because they believe  not (John 3:16-18). Romans 10:14 said, how shall they believe when they have not heard.  The price Jesus paid was for every man. Therefore whoever believes is saved. The price is paid but you have to agree that it has been paid.  Here lies the importance of Preaching. EVERY MAN IN CHRIST  IS GIVEN A MINISTRY WITH A MESSAGE. We have seen in part 4 that ministry is in the message. It is the message of telling the world that God is not imputing their sins on them. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21.

GIVING 
One major responsibility we have in Christ is to give. The Message of Christ is free but for it to get to more persons, money is required. The giving can be of your finance or other resources.  In Christ, we know we don’t give  because we want to get. Certainly, we get when we give. But we give because we love God and want to see God’s work prosper. EVERY MAN, AT ALL TIME HAS SOMETHING to give to foster the message of Christ. Paul spoke of the church in Macedonia.
2 Corinthians 8:1  Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;
2  How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. note
3  For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves;
4  Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.
5  And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.
You notice that this church of Macedonia could give despite their deep poverty. You must excel in the grace of giving which you have. Where your giving is shows where your heart is. You cannot say you are for the message of Christ and be giving to support other messages that do not exalt Christ. Not giving to a work or ministry that preaches Christ instead of the one that preaches Christ is evil. How then can you know the one that preaches Christ? Read the entire series for details of the message of Christ. Jesus said where your treasure is your heart will be. Cultivate a habit of giving to sponsor the message, giving to the preachers of the message even giving to one another. We know when you give the fruit abounds in your account. Philippians 4:16-18. Part of the fruit is that the message is able to reach out to more persons.

PRAYERS
Prayer is a vital responsibility that you can not remove from the message of Christ. We have several admonitions to pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:  17  Pray without ceasing.
We must learn to cultivate the habit of praying and praying the word. In Christ, we are not just told to pray but we are told what to pray. Many of the prayers we see in the epistles are prayers to know what we have and express what we have. Ephesians 1:17-21. Philippians 1:9-11, Colossians 1:9-11. In 2 Thessalonians 3 we see that we can pray for ourselves and for our pastors that they may be delivered from wicked men and that God’s  word in their mouth may spread rapidly and be glorified. For more on believers prayers, watch out for my write up on prayers.

GOOD CONDUCT
Part of our responsibilities in Christ is to maintain good conduct among believers and before unbelievers.
Titus 3
8  This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.
We are to maintain good works for the profit of men, remember, it is same men we preach to.  The profit of good works is in men. God is happy with our good conducts because of men . The good work is not a condition to be accepted before God but it is relevant for the message sake. Paul admonishes us in 1 Corinthians 8 as regards eating food offered to idols. An idol is nothing but for the sake of others who are weak. We must maintain good works for the sake of what we preach. The man in Christ should never be found making mistakes with an unbeliever. We are of the light. We shine forth as light in our  conduct before  others.  Many times you know that your conduct can serve as a barrier to the message of Christ.
Maintaining good conduct does not mean you should feel unworthy to preach knowing fully well that you are preaching Christ not yourself. You are not the message, Christ is the message.
In summary, Jesus only is our message. We are to preach him, sacrifice  for him, live for him and be given to prayers.

Jesus Only is Our Message
Lyrics by  Albert B. Simpson (1890)

1.Jesus only is our message,
Jesus all our theme shall be;
We will lift up Jesus ever,

Jesus only will we see.
Jesus only, Jesus ever,
Jesus all in all we sing,
Savior, Sanctifier, and Healer,
  Glorious Lord and coming King.

2.Jesus only is our Savior,
All our guilt He bore away,
He, our righteousness forever,
All our strength from day to day.

3.Jesus is our Sanctifier,
Saving us from self and sin,
And with all His Spirit’s fulness,
Filling all our hearts within.

4.Jesus only is our Healer,
All our sicknesses He bare,
And His risen life and fulness,
All His members still may share.

5.Jesus only is our Power,
He the gift of Pentecost;
Jesus, breathe Thy pow’r upon us,
Fill us with the Holy Ghost.

6.And for Jesus we are waiting,
List’ning for the Advent Call;
But ’twill still be Jesus only,
Jesus ever, all in all.

By OBIAZIKWOR EMEKE MODESTY
www.emekemodesty.com