HOPE DEVOTIONAL: OCTOBER 18 GOD’S PURPOSES FOR THE CHURCH (2) SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW 5: 13 – 16, 21 – 22, 43 – 47
We saw in yesterday’s devotional that the church under discussion here is all members of different denominations and other ministries as collective Body of Jesus Christ. Jesus was sent into the world for saving the world not only from sins but to build renewed assemblies of people who will be doing what could not be done by the people during the Adamic dispensation. Besides Jesus’ major assignments of saving the sinners, healing the sick and the diseased, He taught those with Him things to do to make the world differently better and joyful to live in. We know from church teachings and doctrines that the church is to go out and preach the word of salvation, baptizing people, making them filled with the Holy Ghost and others. This devotional looks at the roles the church should play to make the “God’s created world” return to the exact nature God intended for the world. The purposes of God for the church are contained in the teachings of Jesus and those of His Apostles.
Jesus said those following Him should stand as the salt and the light of the world (Matthew 5: 13 – 16). This is very significant. The world is full of bitterness and darkness on the side of how the world reasons and reacts. God’s own people are to do everything possible to make the world sweet, tasteful and pleasurable. This is what salt symbolizes. The Body of Christ, as light is meant to use her righteousness and transparent living to lead the people of the world. It cannot be light if the church joins the world in works of darkness. The church is saddled with responsibilities of directing the world into doing all things rightly. It will be a great error for the church to be allowed to follow the world doing evil things. Functionally, light brightens up darkness. The church is purposed to shine upon every work of darkness practiced in the world and swallows it up.
Church members who participate in killing people are working outside God’s purposes for the world. The church is to add values to life instead of aiding and abetting killing of people. Many Christians are involving in killing other God’s created people. While some are killing physically, others kill by blackmailing people, accusing people wrongly in order to destroy their reputations. Many others block people from attaining worthy positions in life. *Church people who make others get angry to a point of committing suicide is working outside God’s purposes for the church (Matthew 5: 21 – 22). The world lives on enmity, hates her enemies and plot death for enemies. But Jesus said no member of His followers should hate anyone. We the church members are to love our enemies, do good to them and pray for them (Matthew 5: 43 – 47). How beautiful will the world be, if the church plays all these roles in the world?
PRAYER:
BLESSED JESUS, you lived in this world, you changed the world and still changing it. Grant me the grace to fulfill God’s purpose for the world without the world influencing me. Amen!
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