After healing Peter’s mother-in-law in Luke 4:38-41, people from the town of Capernaum and neighboring towns brought their sick and those that are demon possessed to be healed by Jesus Christ. He did heal them all; the next day they came searching for Him again and they went as far as wanting to prevent Him from leaving their town. Their thinking may have being to lock Him down in their town so He could be their personal healer and talisman. One could just glance at the story and miss one of the important lessons therein. So many wonderful children of God have being locked down in their fellowships, Churches, work places and the likes making them comfortable but unfruitful in the things of God because they are stunted in their spiritual growth: “The person who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted, and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins” (2Peter 1:9). It is truly great to experience the Lord at the level you are in, but God is not static, you need to grow in your relationship with Him. As a result of their stagnancy, the message of the kingdom of God they carry have being watered down and compromised!
Jesus Christ told the people that wanted to keep Him in their town: “But He said to them, ‘I must proclaim the good news about the Kingdom of God to the other towns also, because I was sent for this purpose’” (Luke 4:43). What we received of the Kingdom is not meant to be locked down to make us feel good, rather we must spread the message as Christ did: “…Urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received” (Ephesians 4:1b). You may not be able to move from place to place, but where you are, your work process and the people you meet, you must: “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Your speech should always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person” (Colossians 4:5-6).
You claim to be a child of God, but you have so patterned your life that, Christ is restricted to Sunday services and one or two odd weekly meetings you ‘try’ to attend. In your office, school or neighborhood, do they know you as a child of God? Is who you profess to be only evident in a Church setting? This trend had become so endemic that some Churches are now struggling to have services that will pander to the ‘two-faced’ members they have in order to make them comfortable! It is disheartening to be in a Church Service on a Sunday morning, just after a powerful sermon and ministration, the next minister comes to the pulpit to advertise products or movie premieres that have nothing to do with the advancement of the Kingdom of God; consequently, successfully watering down the Word of God that had just gone out.
Friend, there is a purpose why Jesus Christ came and died for you and I. It is not, I can bet you, so we can have good lives and go on our merry way. We claim everyday of how our lives and ministries are impacting the world yet our locales are yet to feel the impact of the Word we preach. Jesus Christ’s return is very near whether we like it, or are prepared for Him or not…He is coming! The question is, do we believe this? If so, how has it impacted our day to day living in our homes, at work and at school? It is not enough to bear the name of God, we need to increase in the things of God: “Therefore, brothers, make every effort to confirm your calling and election, because if you do these things you will never stumble. For in this way, entry into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly supplied to you” (2Peter 1:10-11). God bless you.
