Heaven's Urgent Message
By Abraham Eli
Open sky over region of Iceland.
"Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 4:14-17, KJV)
Introduction
The above scripture lets us into the urgency of heaven about a message, nay, The Message, which needs to be proclaimed and heard everywhere around the world. So urgent is this message that when John, the Baptist was arrested by Herod, rather than seek to release him, the Lord Jesus relocated to another part of the Region to continue to proclaim this urgent message of heaven.
An urgent message is one that warrants the abandonment of all else, in order to attend to its need and requirement. It can come as the cry of a baby, which jolts the mother from her other concerns to attend to the need of the baby; or it could be the war-time siren alerting people of an approaching bomber aircraft, thus, warning them to abandon all they are doing and take cover for their safety; or it could be a telegram, or an sms, having few words, and yet weighty and pressing.
Heaven's urgent message is to all individuals on the face of the earth, be they young or old; male or female; black, yellow, or white; rich or poor; successful or unsuccessful; influential or uninfluential. In every generation, such messages have gone out, usually, before an event of epic proportions. It went out before Israel went into exile, as prophet after prophet kept calling the people back to God, and away from their idols, but their words and warnings went unheeded, until at last, it happened: they went into exile. Perhaps, they either did not believe, or just could not imagine that, it was possible for an entire nation or people to just go into exile. It was also the message that was heralded just before the revealing of the Son of God in the flesh by the prophet Malachi four hundred before, and then by John the Baptist, just a few years before He eventually appeared on the world stage. It was proclaimed on the day of Pentecost, and has not stopped being proclaimed ever since, even when the believers were persecuted for their proclamation of this urgent message by various Roman emperors.
For some reason, however, this urgent message seems to taper off or even almost die off during the times of material prosperity and comfort, such as the time we are living in! One wonders why an urgent message would go unheeded. Is it possible that like Israel of old, people don't believe the import and the consequence of not heeding the message? Or they do not realize the urgency behind the message? Or is it that the message does not convey what they want to hear? And, maybe they believe that those proclaiming the message are frustrated people with sadistic tendencies who just want everyone to jump at the cry of "wolf!"? Let them think again deeply!
What is this Urgent Message?
Following the arrest of John the Baptist, the Lord Jesus began to proclaim, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." This is heaven's urgent message! It required that the Lord Jesus, abandon all else, including the release of John the Baptist to continue to preach in another location. But what really does it mean to 'repent'? Various translations of the bible break down this word in many ways including, to 'turn to God' (New Century Version); 'think differently; change your mind, regretting your sins and changing your conduct' (Amplified); 'repent of your sins and turn to God' (New Living Translation); and 'Turn to God and change the way you think and act' (God's Word). One common thread in these translations, is the connotation of a change in the attitude and behaviour of the person who has repented. For example, John, the Baptist, in proclaiming this urgent message, explained to the people in his day that they needed to show by their conduct that they had indeed repented, when he said, "Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance ..." (Luke 3:8). And when they asked him how, he showed them in simple terms what they must do. We would do well to learn from this illustration, rather than claim to 'belong to Abraham' (that is, laying claim to being born again, even though we are not living that life; attending church without a change in our conduct; etc.). This was John's response to their query as to what they must do: "And he answered them, "Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise." Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Collect no more than you are authorized to do." Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages."" (Luke 3:11-14; English Standard Version). Do you claim to be a child of God, and you are still struggling with sharing and giving? Are you claiming to be a child of God, and you are charging people more than the approved fee or fare or payment? Are you going about telling people that you are a worker, minister, or even pastor, and yet you are collecting bribes and extorting money from wayfarers? Are you in the habit of living above your means, and coveting all that you set your eyes on, and yet say that you are a Christian? This is not the kind of evidence (fruit) that shows that we have truly repented of our sins.
Heaven's urgent message is also called the 'good news' because it is the news about the payment of the price for our sins by Another: One who never sinned. It is good news because, by reason of what the Lord Jesus did on the cross at Calvary, He has made it possible for those of us who were at enmity with God, to be reconciled back to Him, hence, we can now draw near to Him, and He to us, without fear of being crushed by the Almighty. No wonder the Gentiles were very glad to receive this message, while unfortunately, the Jews who believe that they are the seed of Abraham, refused to receive it, and even till today, many Jews still refuse this simple message. Also, while the humble and poor are glad to receive this message, many proud and wealthy find it difficult to receive it; perhaps, they cannot imagine that there is something that their strength or ability or wealth cannot get them. Whichever reason it is, the bible says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16). The operational word in this scripture is 'whosoever': it covers all of mankind, and it includes you. It is also a word about the choice that is before us: 'whosoever believes' is a choice that we are confronted with. Do you believe? Should you believe? Would you believe?
This message from heaven is also about changing our mind and purpose, and returning to God (Acts 3:19; Amplified). When this becomes our attitude, God Himself wipes out our sins, and brings times of refreshing to us. The aspect of turning to God is the other significant part of the urgent message. Many who say that they are born again are not turning to God at all. They remain where they were and never really make an attempt to move towards God. Indeed, there is no testimony of their having been born again. And because they have not turned to God, who is able to blot out their sins and make them live holy, they inevitably are unable to live lives that testify about the word of God. It is this aspect of holy living that has floored many believers today. The Lord Jesus said that when the Holy Spirit comes, we shall be witnesses of Him (Acts 1:8). A witness is one who tells about what he has seen. Now, many of us did not see the Lord Jesus actually crucified and resurrect, but when the Holy Spirit comes upon us, we would be able to testify as though we were there. For He, the Holy Spirit, makes it very clear to us by revelation which cannot be refuted (by any other 'strong evidence' which men may present) that it is true. Furthermore, witnessing about the crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord, is not just in word only. It is also about testifying to the work of transformation that the Lord Jesus, through the medium of the 'cross' wrought in our lives, thus enabling us to live and conduct ourselves as true believers in this dark and evil-filled world, and even in the church! Daniel, in Persia was able to live like a true child of God. He was the only one out of 123 top political leaders (Vice Presidents and Governors) in the Persian kingdom who chose to live right and live for God! Many are now using the dictum: "If you can't beat them, join them." How sad for the 'Christian'! This is why the message of repentance and returning to God is very urgent today. Sadly, many are going to church, but are also heading for hell, and they do not seem to care. Some just believe that being in church is all that counts. Beloved, the bible says, "If any man be in Christ ..." (2 Corinthians 5:18), not "If any man be in church ..." It is about being in Christ, Christ being in you, and you living for Christ who died for you!
Why is this an Urgent Message?
God's call to repentance is so urgent that the Lord Jesus while here on earth required people whom He sent to preach to abandon certain social and societal obligations just to go and preach the gospel. He told one man to forget about burying his father, and to go and preach the gospel; He told another that he should proceed without saying good-bye to those he was leaving behind; saying that looking back while your hand is on the plough is a disqualifier from being involved in the assignment of proclaiming this urgent message. On another occasion, the Lord Jesus, would not eat when His disciples offered him food, because he had 'work' to do, and that 'work' (which is the proclaiming of the urgent message), He considered food enough (John 4:31-38)! In fact, He warned His disciples then, as He is warning us now, not to think that the field is not ripe for the harvest. Indeed the Lord Jesus inferred that when we think there is a longer time before the harvest that is actually when people are ready to hear the message. And in any case, what we are called to do is to proclaim the message, whether or not it is received is a different matter. We are to present it as best as possible to the hearer, and then leave him or her to make up his or her mind about repenting from sin. Also, the urgency of this message is because, once a person dies there is nothing else, but an expectation of judgment (Hebrews 9:27). And since we do not know when anyone would die, we must urgently warn men and women everywhere to repudiate sin and turn to God! The young and the old die; the rich and the poor die; the powerful and the commoner die; and so on. No one is immune from death; hence, the message must urgently go out to all before it is too late!
God expects us to take this message everywhere. The early Christians, while fleeing persecution went along the way preaching this urgent message. We must proclaim this message in our offices, when we are with friends, when we meet with people in the course of transacting business, when we are traveling in cars, in the bus, on the highway as we come across people, or in the air. This message is too urgent for us to just look the other way. We have a perishing world around us! Supposing you have a friend whose house is on fire and he has hung a 'Do Not Disturb' sign outside his door, would you be more concerned about the sign or for his life? Beloved, let us be more concerned for the soul of men rather than the huge 'Don't come near me' sign they hang on their faces and about their mien. Let us show more concern for the things that concern God, and tone down on our own personal needs, which probably have been outstanding for as long as we have been believers, for in due season our expectation will not be cut off. God can, and will, use anyone if we who have been called refuse. He used Saul of Tarsus, who was persecuting the church: He turned his life around, and then got him to take the urgent message to the Gentiles of which we are one. Thank God, he was not disobedient to the call of God (Acts 26:19). What about you?
Conclusion
What is keeping you from fulfilling God's call upon your life? Those who can and who actually do take this urgent message to the lost are so few that the Lord asked us to pray that God will send labourers into His work. May we not be replaced! So, what are you doing right now that is hindering you (and that cannot be abandoned) from taking this urgent message to your family, friends, neighbourhood, office, community, city, and even around the world? Let us stop chasing after mundane things. Let us go to God in prayer to send labourers into the harvest, and to equip and send us into His work.
Perhaps, you are reading this article, and you have no relationship with God in a way that is far more meaningful than you have with any man; then, you need to quickly repent and turn to God. And when you do so, He will blot out your sins and send times of refreshing to you. You will begin to enjoy peace that passes all human understanding, and also experience joy that is not of this world (drugs, alcohol, money, and sex can't do that). All you have to do is simply acknowledge that you are a sinner (and you are); then ask God to forgive you of your sins and come into your heart (by speaking to Him as you would with a friend). From then on, you will begin to receive direction on what next to do. The Holy Spirit will direct you to a local assembly (church), where you should attend and grow in your knowledge of, and relationship with God. And from then on, you can begin to tell others what the Lord Jesus Christ has done in your life!
God bless you.