Let’s make haste to finish the work

Mk 16:15-16 says “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”

Believers, it is our duty to spread the gospel across the globe to every home, office, market square and bus. And to do this, we must step out of the comfort of our homes and preach to people regardless of their races, colours, culture and status. The scripture didn’t say they should come to us but that we should go into the world and preach the gospel. We must reach out to people beyond our community just like the apostles did and the gospel got to us. This is the only way to bear fruits and demonstrate our appreciation for being chosen among others.

Acts 8: 5-8 says, “Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. 6. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles, which he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. 8. And there was great joy in that city.”

In the days of the apostles, Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ unto them. If Philip did not go down to Samaria, the gospel wouldn’t have got to them as at that time. Also, the Europeans left their countries and travelled thousands of kilometres in order to ensure that our part of the world received the gospel of Christ. Therefore, this commission cannot stop on our desk; our generation must also expand the frontier of evangelism, deplete the kingdom of darkness and increase the Kingdom of God for that is the charge. It is the duty of every believer to ensure the preaching of the gospel does not stop at his door. No believer should boast of being a Christian if he doesn’t do like Christ, who declared that, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work” (Jn 4: 35). Jesus came not only to do the work of God, which was enshrined in His will but to finish it. He gave up food and other pleasures in order to ensure the work of the Father was done. This teaches us to always rise above fatigue, hardship, want, and bear all with pleasure in seeing that the work of God is advanced.

We must not give an excuse for not preaching the gospel. Jesus works to provide salvation and teaches us the necessity of it by example. And if He was so diligent for our welfare by enduring fatigue to benefit us, then, we should be diligent, also, in regard to our own salvation, and also in seeking the salvation of others. Paul the Apostle says, “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel” (1Cor. 9: 16).

We should know that there is no more time and that our Lord Jesus Christ is coming very soon. Rev. 22:7 says, “Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.” It is very certain that our Lord and Master is coming soon but many souls are not yet saved, many are still undecided.

Joel 3:14 says “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.”

Many are still in the valley of ignorance, yet undecided on the issue of salvation. While they have not decided, the day of the Lord is near. While they are yet to be converted, the day of the Lord is near, thus, we have to do something to get to where they are in the valley of decision. That is why we are converted and called into the work, to go into the entire world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Everybody is included in the message of salvation, and every child of Adam is offered eternal salvation. We should go and make known the grace of God that has come to us and by so doing, offer to every creature an opportunity for eternal life through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our charge is to every human being. If any rejects it, it is to his or her peril, God is not to be blamed if they do not choose to be saved. But all must hear the word of God.

Mathew 24:14 says, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”

The preaching of the gospel, wherever it is done, proves a testimony to them to whom it comes. To the humble and teachable, it is a testimony, but to the scorners and despisers, it is a testimony against them. Although many heads are being cut in the course of doing this work, we shall not be daunted for nobody goes to war on his own charge. We must go to Iraq, Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, China, etc, and other parts of the world because this gospel of the kingdom of God shall be preached to all creatures and every nation till the end comes. Brethren, let us aim our mind to preach the gospel to every creature until Christ comes for this is the work we are called to do and finish.

Testimony
I Denounced Membership Of Black Axe Confraternity After My Encounter With Christ
IN 2004, when I gained admission into the university, the first thing that happened to me was to be initiated into the Black Axe Confraternity. During the initiation, all the initiates were expected to pass through torture. So, I went through the drilling, and in the course of it all, I went into a coma because of the pain. And in that state of the subconscious, I saw myself walking to an unknown destination, and suddenly felt a force interrupted the journey and took me back where my body was laid and immediately, I regained consciousness.

After that experience, I became rugged, fearless, tough and determined. With these qualities in my favour, I was made a leader. And because the confraternity thrives mostly on violence, I became part of their story. We also were involved in defrauding innocent people of the huge amount of money.

But in all this wickedness, the mercy of God was shielding me from being apprehended by security agents. In one of the robbery incidents that happened at Enugu, in 2004, as soon as we started the robbery operation, somehow, the Enugu State Police Command got information and arrived at the scene with some operatives and surrounded the entire place. Meanwhile, as an ‘external’ from Abia State University, that is, one who came from outside the state, I didn’t know the terrain very much, thus, had no idea of the escape route. So, on sighting the police, my colleagues escaped through pathways and I was left at the mercy of the police. At this point, I was the only one being chased by the police. So, I saw a church and ran into it. As I was searching for a place to hide inside the church, I looked through the window and saw that the police had also entered the compound. In those days, because of the high rate of crime and violent cult activities in Enugu State, the governor had directed that anybody caught in robbery should be shot at sight. So, immediately, I saw the police had taken over the place, I conjured all the powers that could enable my disappearance but all to no avail. We got some of these powers from Ogoni in Rivers State during the time, we went for fortification against all kinds of danger. The powers were meant to help us mysteriously escape dangers or repel bullets. And these powers have been potent until the day it failed. Meanwhile, I was with the confraternity’s armoury bag that contained guns, axe and machete of which, if I was caught, I may never come out of it. Having lost all hope, and seeing police very close, I remembered God and vowed that if He showed mercy and delivered me from the hopeless situation, I would denounce my membership of the group and never again participate in cult activities. Behold, as soon as I made this vow, it was like there was a divine instruction to the police to halt all advancement to apprehend me. Immediately, the operation was suspended and they went back. But I didn’t stop or pay my vow.

The scripture says the goodness of God makes way for repentance, but in my case, the devil blocked my sense of reasoning and I was lured again by my friends into another robbery. Although, this particular one was not considered hot because it wasn’t expected to be bloody.

So, as we began to rob, there was a sudden confusion everywhere, and before I knew it, I was left alone and surrounded by mobs that were itching to lynch me. But as God would have it, they were still there warming up to deal with me when I walked out of their midst. They were still watching when I walked away, thus, I escaped and went to meet my gang members in a nearby bush, where we scheduled to meet after the robbery. To my surprise, on arrival at the base (den), I discovered they never even cared about my safety but were relaxed. I became angered and quickly called one of my friends and told him what happened and my firm decision not to rob again in my life. That brought about the end of robbery in my life.

And to confirm it was the mercy of God that was sustaining me all the while, a month after, my gang members went on an operation that fetched lots of money for them but on their way home had encounter with police and were killed. I would have been among them had I not repented.

However, I stopped robbery but became a drunkard. I could drink from dusk to dawn and hate preachers who preached against the intake of alcohol. One of the days I heard a Chosen sister preaching against alcohol, I developed serious hatred against the church. That night, as I was laying on the terrace of our house, I heard a dream where I encountered the angel of our General Overseer, and behold, from then, I gave my life to Christ. And today I am a Chosen. I thank God for His mercy and compassion.