Guardian Nigeria
Christians, the believers in Christ, do more exploits when they are in high spirit because it is at that period that they are connected to God. It is at this stage that the ministrations of the Creator seamlessly come to them. Whenever a man makes a remarkable achievement, there is always an unseen hand or force behind the moves. These forces could be satanic for the people outside the family of God, who serve as the agents of the kingdoms of darkness.
However, when the unseen force is from God, it is good, beneficial and eventually leads to eternal life because it is divinely motivated, directed and led. That is why it is expedient for the children of God to continually draw closer to their creator. This is why it is important they arise and shine to show the world what the spirit of God is in them and leading them. Hence, the Bible urges Christians in Isaiah 60:1-5 saying:“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.2: For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 3: And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. 4: Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. 5: Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.”
There is a clarion call for the Christians, the righteous to arise wherever they are and shine to the glory of God. As the scripture above says; the righteous are the light and salt of the present world. The expectation is that through the righteous,the world will see the good things of the current earth through the message of salvation they preach. When you are converted to Christianity, you do not keep the word and the experience to yourself alone; rather, you should explode to let the people around you to share your experience and benefit from them. Tell the world the gate of heaven has been thrown open through the death of our Lord Jesus Christ for people to come back to their Godand Creator. It is counter-productive for a Christian to live a quiet life. You need to let people know that Christ died for their sins and has returned to heaven to prepare a place for the saints and He is coming back againto rapture the saints to be with Him forever.
The quiet life of a Christian is likened to lighting up a candle and hiding it under the bushel, the light does not shine out, hence, nobody sees with it. There is no benefit of the light. As a matter of emphasis, Isaiah 60:1-5 declares:“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. 2: For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 3: And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. 4: Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.5: Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.”
Prophet Isaiah is emphatic by saying that the coming of a Christian, the righteous, is the arrival of the light. The implication is that the presence of a righteous man brings good things to the people. No wonder the Bible says that when a righteous man is on the throne, the people rejoice. When the righteous man is on the throne the dividends of leadership is assured. The people are the beneficiaries of good governance. As a Christian, a righteous man, you have to declare the word of reconciliation; prove the purpose of your conversionand let the people hear the good news and be saved and delivered from the bondage of the devil. In the lead scripture above Prophet Isaiah is lamenting a scenario wherecandlelight is hidden instead of putting it in a vantage position, where it will give light to everyone within its vicinity. Hence the righteous, the Christians, must arise by preaching the gospel for the salvation of perishing souls.It is only by embracing Our Lord Jesus Christ that the captives of the devil are delivered and saved. It is never a work of bread and butter, but by serious engagement of preaching the gospel to dislodge the devil from the hearts he has taken possession of.
Jer 51:20-23 has this charge for all Christians:“Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms. 21: And with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider. 22: With thee also will I break in pieces man and woman; and with thee will I break in pieces old and young; and with thee will I break in pieces the young man and the maid. 23: I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock; and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers.”
In the prosecution of gospel campaign, the Christians, the righteous are the battle axe and weapons of warfare with which the devil is checked to set the captives free. It is, therefore, expedient that every Christian should wake up from his or her slumber and preach the gospel to save and deliver the perishing souls from the bondage of the devil. Once one accepts our Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, he or she becomes God’s a battle axe and weapon of war to fight the devil to finish.
It should be noted at this point that evil days are coming, when men will pay less attention to the things of God, begin to invent their own false teachings to deceive even the very elect. That is why Apostle Paul lamented in his letter to his spiritual son, in 1st Timothy 4:1-3 saying:“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils. 2: Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron. 3: Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. 4: For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving.”
In event of the manifestation of these false prophets preaching heresy, the only way to check them is by preaching sound gospel to the people. The truth can only be preached when the righteous are alive with the correct doctrine of our Lord Jesus Christ. When sound gospel takes root in the heart of a man, false doctrine will always be differentiated and expressly rejected. The righteous, therefore, should arise, shine by preaching sound gospel at this time. When you plant the good seed in the heart of men and continue to water it, God Almighty will make it to germinate, grow and bear fruits.
