Serving God’s purpose in your generation – Part 2
Diverse means by which
you serve God’s purpose in your generation
1. Spread the gospel of the kingdom of God
The primary reason for our existence today is to present
Christ to the unbelieving world. God chose the Israelites so that in their
lifestyle, other nations will see the difference and desire to have Christ as
their God and leader. Unfortunately, Israel did not do the needful. God picked
all of us who believe in Christ and he wants to use us to propagate the gospel.
Christ told His disciples before he ascended to heaven;
“Go ye therefore and make disciples of all the nations (Africans,
Americans, Europeans, Asians et cetera), baptizing them in the name of the
father, son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded you, and surely I am with you always to the very end of the age
(Mathew 28:28)
Jesus wants us to preach the kingdom of God, depopulate hell
and populate heaven. The church must be willing to support the missionaries who
are going out to propagate the gospel. Every believer should be ready to
provide financial support for the Paul and Barnabas of today who risk their
lives to take Christ to the unbelievers.
Many heroes of faith in the body of Christ have risked their
lives and went out of their way to preach in the last generation. People like
martin Luther, John and Charles Wesley, John Knox, and Jonathan Edward; all the
way from first century to twenty first century.
Men and women have burned the midnight oil to proclaim the
love of Jesus who loved the world and gave his life for them. Those of us who
live in this generation and in this time must be willing to pass the baton to
the next generation serve God’s purpose in your generation.
2. Serving and helping the needy amongst us
Christ would want us to serve our neighbors. Those who are
sick, in prison and in hospitals, need our help. Jesus once said;
Mathew
25:35-40
35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food;
I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I
was in prison and you came to Me.’37 “Then the righteous will answer Him,
saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You
drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and
take you in, or naked and
clothe you? 39 Or when did we see you sick, or in
prison, and come to you?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to
them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’
Let us feed the hungry. If you had an extra cloth, give it to
your needy friends and neighbors. The church of today has many open doors to
serve God in their generation. The street children who are homeless need a
helping hand to build a shelter over their heads and also provide to them foods
and drinks. The aged too effectively succumb with general body weaknesses as
the vagaries of years take a toll on them. Do not let the elderly who live in
your vicinity die of hunger.
We are also expected to serve in the house of God. We need to
equip the church with the relevant items and is why God has given us our
finances. We are supposed to buy Public Address systems, modern chairs…the list
of such articles being too numerous to enumerate. There is a young man, a
member of a certain church known to me, whose entire family decided to
regularly facelift the church with colorful décor. The family ensures the
facelift is done monthly, effectively ensuring the house of God is always glaringly
colorful.
3. Giving our money into the house of God
Serving God with our finances is yet another way of serving
God’s purpose. There is not a doubt that God needs your money in His service.
He doesn’t force us to give but he rewards such obedience. Listen;
Deuteronomy 8:18
And you shall remember the LORD your God for he is the one who gives you
power to make wealth that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your
fathers.
God is telling His people to never forget that He indeed is
the one who blesses, especially after experiencing showers of blessings.
David makes an astonishing statement when he met Araunah in
his threshing house. He (David) wanted to build an altar in the threshing site
because a plague had afflicted God’s people. Without hesitating, Araunah told
David to take it.
1 Chronicles 21:23
Araunah said to David, "Take it! Let my
lord the king do whatever pleases him. Look, I will give the oxen for the burnt
offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering.
I will give all this."
This was David’s response;
1 Chronicles 21:24
24 Then King David said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it for the full price, for I will not
take what is yours for the Lord, nor offer burnt offerings with that
which costs me nothing.”
David is today’s model that depicts just how much we need to
sacrifice to God. Such sacrifice, however, must cost us something. Our tithing
in the house of God is one such sacrifice as contemplated in the Holy
Scripture. Besides the mandatory tithes, there are people who go out of their
way to feed street children, the old and the vulnerable in orphanage homes. Our
God is a giving God. He offered his only son to die for the sins of mankind.
God has also given different gifts to people as an expression of His love to
them.
This is your generation. You will not serve in another
generation. Our forefathers served faithfully and are gone to rest with the
LORD. Serve God’s purpose with your money now.
Raise your children to serve in their generation at a time
when you no longer will be able to work again.
One among God’s purposes in marriage is to raise a God fearing generation
that will serve Him in the next generation so that the preaching of the gospel
will continue.
I was brought up by a God fearing family. My mother always
reminded us to pray every night. I remember many are times my mother prayed
that God would accord to us a hedge of protection all around. I was very young
and we had just relocated to Nyandarua after Independence which effectively
ushered the demarcation of the land in the white highland. Consequently, there
were no fences in most homes. Hence there was a general sense of insecurity
that hovered all over. My mother taught us to read a portion of scripture every
night before we went to bed. She was preparing the next generation. The outcome
was indisputably sure; today, my mother’s household has produced a bishop, a
pastor, two church elders, and elders’ wives. There is not a doubt; my mother
raised a generation that will serve God in her absence.
Most parents of the previous generation were not ashamed to ready
their children for church. They would give them a coin each to offer in the
house of God. Other times, we carried eggs and maize as our offering unto God.
We could not go to God’s house empty handed. Though we went to church wearing
pathetic shorts and barefoot, most of us are bishops of today overseeing big
churches in Kenya and the entire East Africa. Parents of the contemporary church
and society should stand up to be counted and raise sons and daughters who will
serve God’s purpose in their generation.
Conclusion
According to
the Apostle Paul, David served God’s purpose in 40 years as the king of Israel.
He died and saw decay. Let us be reminded that this world is not our home. We are
sojourners and strangers and are looking for a city of our own. But what we do
for the kingdom of God in our generation will never be forgotten or forsaken.
God is not unjust. He will not forget your work and the demonstrable as you
continually goes around helping His people. I encourage everyone to serve God’s
purpose
COURTESY OF ACH.DR. H.K
