Pastor Seyi Osanyinbi
[biblegateway passage=”Matthew 19: 27 – 29″ display=”Matthew 19: 27 – 29″]
- Many people in the church are basically unaware of the necessity and benefits of being committed to their local churches and the vision of the set man. Today, we will look at some persons in the Bible who showed commitment and what they got out of it.
[biblegateway passage=”Matthew 19: 16 – 25″ display=”Matthew 19: 16 – 25″]
- The rich man who came to Jesus asking about eternal life went back sorrowfully because he couldn’t come to terms with selling all that he had just so he could follow Jesus. Obviously, for the man, there was probably an assurance that he was already qualified because at that time when Jesus was talking, there was a prevailing thought pattern that being rich is evidence of the blessings of God upon a man and a guarantee of a free ticket to heaven. So, it didn’t make enough sense to the ears of the disciples to conclude that it was more difficult for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.
- However, what mattered most to Jesus is the fellowship we ought to have with God and our ability to give up anything for the sake of that fellowship. The fact that Jesus acknowledged and took cognizance of those that forsook all they had to follow him shows that God rewards those that make these kinds of sacrifices.
- The people that will inherit this kingdom are those who can delay their gratification. The question now is “what have we forsaken for the sake of the kingdom? What have we given up for His name sake?” If we are going to have a fellowship with Jesus, then we have to value and care about our relationship with Him. For the sake of our relationship with God, there are certain things we have to give up because relationships put a demand on us.
[biblegateway passage=”Ephesians 1: 1″ display=”Ephesians 1: 1″]; [biblegateway passage=”Philippians 1: 3 – 5″ display=”Philippians 1: 3 – 5″]
- Commitment is also another vital component of fellowship. We noticed that Paul was made an apostle by the will of God. And from the first day that he started ministry till the time he wrote to the people of Philippi, Paul testified that these people were committed to him and his welfare. They made up their minds to be committed to supporting Paul and meeting his needs and as they identified with him by doing so, they were able to access the grace of God upon his life.
[biblegateway passage=”Philippians 4:14 -18″ display=”Philippians 4:14 -18″]
- We need to realize that every commission comes with a grace and a blessing. The Philippians identified with Paul and were privileged to also partake of the blessings of God upon his life too. When a person is sent on a mission, the responsibility falls on the people he is sent to, to align and to assist him. God puts the responsibility on them to support such a person with resources in order to carry out the work of ministry effectively. This was what moved Paul pray for the Philippians that God should satisfy and supply their needs too.
[biblegateway passage=”2 Timothy 4:16″ display=”2 Timothy 4:16″]
- The Corinthian church, on the other hand, did not minister to Paul’s needs despite the fact that he was the one who laboured over them and was committed to their growth. Paul, realizing that he was forsaken and left on his own could have been bittered and even prayed to God to deal with them which of course would have come with judgment because God expected them to have behaved otherwise, but rather prayed to God to have mercy on them (2Tim.4:16). In spite of the fact that these believers did not help Paul, he did not lose focus on what he was sent to do. You cannot afford to lose focus on what you have been called to do just because your expectations concerning certain people were not met.
- God is concerned about our commitment to the furtherance of His work here on earth. We must be fruitful wherever we are by committing ourselves and investing in the work of God through whatever ability we have. We should learn to be committed to the place of our worship. This goes way beyond giving tithes and offerings; we have to give our own inputs to the people and the place that gives us spiritual succour. We should also learn to be committed to another. Somewhere there, God has made us the answer to somebody’s need. We cannot afford to despise our relationships and the people God has put around us.