In our last post we spent time demonstrating the gravity of substituting our God-given identity for the identity given by the world, demonstrating that identity lost is tantamount to purpose compromised. We saw how that the only way this can be cured is dying to all the appetites of the flesh that drive the children of this world. I daresay anyone who has not died to the flesh CANNOT function in the purpose assigned by the Lord (Romans 8:7).
Today, let us examine closely what is His expectation of us as believers as He summarized in John 17:18-21 (TPT), but let’s start from John 17:6,8 seeing the place of the word in our lives. Three things are set out that we must interrogate:
- Commissioned to represent Him—how and in what capacity? John 17:6, John 4:27-35, John 10:14-16, Matthew 18:12 all summarized His instruction to Paul in Acts 26:16-18 (AMPC), who would later clarify this in several expositions about the lifestyle and expected activity of every believer (Phil. 1:10-11 (AMPC), where as instructors they turn out graduating students to do the work of ministry (Eph. 4:11,12) which is well defined as ambassadors of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:17-21 (TPT). If there was ever a time to obey this commission, it is now. 2023-2024 is a bridge period during which the Lord is asking us just as He did the disciples to turn from secular thinking and understand the harvest of souls God desires
- Vs 19, further demands that just as He dedicated Himself as a holy sacrifice, so are we to dedicate ourselves to God. The Lord charged the religious leaders of His days in Luke 16, using the parable of the dishonest manager in verses 13-15, while Paul in two different places addressed this same question of absolute devotion to the Lord’s set purpose (Romans. 12:1-2 (TPT) and 1 Corinthians 7:31 (MSG). The pressures of the years ahead will push you to hustle and spend time needed for the pursuit of God’s priority for things that pass away. Establish your control, let the saying of the Lord in John 14:30 be your constant watchword remembering His promises in Matthew 6:25-33, and with the coming pressures, He finally added
- John 17:21a—That they all may be one—which He explained earlier in John 13:34-35 and John 15:12-13. This is the third leg that speaks just as great a challenge as the other two. Under the coming pressure I pray we don’t become Cain whose statement in Genesis 4:8-10 probably triggered Paul’s dissertation in Galatians 6:1-10 on our personal responsibility and helping others.
We must take a careful and a sober examination of our works before God. If we don’t, and if we carry on under our self-deception, then we may think our works are approved before God, when really, they aren’t. We want to have our work approved before God, so that our rejoicing on the day of reward can be for our own work (himself alone), and not in the work of another. Selah.
Pastor Afolabi Oladele
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