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THE GREATEST NEED OF THE HOUR!
(The Message delivered by Pastor
S. Sam Selva Raj at the Main Church)
We have come to the last part of the spiritual index of the world we
live in, especially the country where we live. The Holy spirit compels
me to share this urgent message with you in these last days. I humbly
request you to consider my words as ‘Wartime Decisions’ and come
forward to practice that in your lives.
INDIA
The gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ reached India through St. Thomas,
disciple of Jesus Christ Him self in the 1st century A.D. INDIA is
mentioned in our Holy Bible and this reveals how much God loves our
country. “Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus… which reigned
from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty
provinces” (Esther 1:1).
I have listened to many people of various nations remark that Indians
in general are godly people. The way in which the Indians live as a
family, though they speak different languages and hold different views
about godhead, has to be appreciated. With a lot of adjustments they
get along with each other. At the same time one cannot refute the
truth that Christians contribute a major part in the development of
India’s education, medical sciences, economy etc.
But it is very sad to realize that Christians who are called to stand
at the gap and pray for the people who are going very fast towards
destruction, due to a Christless life have forgotten their
responsibilities. Today’s churches also have pushed aside this great
responsibility. But they try to establish their own kingdom by
projecting their own ideas. In those days, the churches and the
servants of God entered into the world and preached the gospel. But
now the world has entered into the churches and into the lives of
these servants of God. So our country like a ship sinking in the
middle of an ocean – is in dreadful sin, with unholy activities.
At this dangerous circumstance, people who are redeemed by the
blood of Jesus Christ, must rise up and come forward to fill
the spiritual emptiness. In order to do this, I wish to give you some
information which may be useful to you. I feel in my spirit that I may
be hated by many people as I preach this message. But it is good to
say what should be said. I request those who live in countries other
than India, to compare this message with your country’s position.
1.
God raised many godly people, trusting that they would generously
commit their body, soul and material possessions for the redemption of
the Indians. God gave them good knowledge of the scriptures and a
talent to preach the Word of God. God used them mightily to bring
thousands of souls into His fold. But at a certain period of time, the
love of money in God’s people attracted them to go abroad. They said,
“God is sending us abroad to study theology”. Some said,
“God is taking us to foreign countries to preach”, and
some others simply wanted to tour various countries. Thus, they got
themselves settled in developed countries like America. They never
wanted to come back. These people bring great disappointment to the
Lord God who formed them and called them with a great expectation.
Because of such things, I know that India lost many talented and
worthy servants of God.
2.
God raised certain people to huge heights thinking that they would be
spiritual giants. But those people failed to realize the greatness of
the Lord Almighty Who had called them. They compared themselves to
worldly
leaders and wanted to raise their financial position. So, they started
to sell their prayers for money, sell prayer oil, gold keys etc. They
turn to be gold bangle merchants and handkerchief merchants losing
their precious anointing. Though God wanted them to have a high
spiritual status, they have fallen into a dirty pit because of
slightly turning towards a wrong direction. They are now unable to
come out of the pit. “They b e c ame v a i n i n t h e i r
imaginations, and their foolish h e a r t w a s d a r k e n e d ”
(Romans 1:21).
So according to the lusts of their hearts, “God also gave them
up to uncleanness” (Romans 1:24). Since they “changed
the truth of God into a lie..., God gave them up unto vile affections”
(Romans 1:25,26). Now it is of no use trusting such God’s
servants who have tasted the worldly pleasures due to their spiritual
failures.
3.
Lord Jesus Christ promised, “But ye shall receive power, after
that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses…. unto
the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). As a fulfillment
of this promise, Peter and John, the disciples of Jesus Christ could
make a lame man, who was begging at the entrance of the Temple of God,
to walk, leap and praise God (Acts 3:1-10). That lame man not only got
healed in his body but also went into the Temple.
Signs and wonders are mere instruments to confirm the Word of God:
“…. the Lord working with them, and confirming the Word with
signs following” (Mark 16:20). But instead of directing the
souls they have won to the churches, in order to transform them as
powerful instruments for God, they keep them for themselves. As a
result, these souls backslide after a period of time, because of lack
of spiritual protection and growth. The gifted servants of God spend
all their years chasing devils and calling the sick by name. The truth
is, because of the selfishness of these gifted people, the Lord’s
kingdom never gets expanded.
4.
God called certain people to work hard to win souls for Him. But these
people as well as some others who consider preaching as a money-making
business, do not have real concern for the souls. They try to bring
the members of other churches into their own churches and try to build
their own ministry.
Recently some Pastors, in the name of “Care cells”, gathered the
believers of various churches to form small prayer groups. Later they
take them in their own vehicles to their main churches. By stealing
souls in such cunning ways and by giving them a wrong doctrine namely
‘prosperity gospel’. These preachers want to show their congregation
as a big congregation. There they introduce subtle and disorderly
style of ‘Praise and Worship’. This is also a great hindrance for the
true expansion of God’s Kingdom. Actually the same Christians keep
going to different congregations and this act is termed as spiritual
revival.
5.
There are certain powerful spiritual people who once preached
powerfully, have lost their call and vision completely. They are now
busy, spending a lot of money and strength
to form their own Diocese, Synods, Fellowships and Political
Formations. Some are proud to call themselves as ‘Bishops’ and
‘Apostles’ and they wander everywhere to popularize themselves. This
is not good for Christianity.
GOD NEEDS YOU!
Many whom God expected to stand at the ‘Battlefield’ have come out of
the ‘Battlefield’ because of their selfish views. God is concerned for
you and He calls you lovingly. He trusts that you also do not fall in
line with the above mentioned groups of people and ignore the true
calling, causing great disappointment to God Almighty.
1. THE
SUPREME COMMAND TO YOU!
The Lord Jesus Christ said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and of the Holy
Spirit. Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you;
and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew
28:18-20). The Lord meant that this command should be obeyed. In a
sense, it is His greatest command; for all His plans for all men are
bound up in it. Apostle Paul, for example, separated the disciples
from the Jewish religionists, and within a period of two years all the
residents of Asia heard the Word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks
(Acts 19:8-10). The early disciples treated the command with the
importance that the Lord gave it to them. This is a Royal
Command to you today.
2. THE
SUPREME BURDEN OF GOD
There is a burden on God’s heart. His burden is that the people whom
His Son purchased by His death on the cross are yet lost in sin,
not because they do not want to hear about Him, but because they have
not been told about Him. He does not want anyone to perish. The
people at different times have caught the burden that God has. God
needs people whose burden for the lost is so great that they will not
know one minute’s joy while multitudes pass away without Christ into
the lake of eternal fire.
3. THE
SUPREME NEED; LABOURERS
The Lord Jesus Christ saw the obvious need for labourers. He
encouraged His disciples to pray for labourers. He said, “The
harvest truly is plenteous, but thelabourers are few; Pray ye
therefore, the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth labourers
into His harvest” (Matthew 9:37, 38). The harvest is His. Only
He can send out labourers. There are three types of labourers needed
by the Lord today. He needs labourers who will:
i) Go out and preach the Gospel
ii) Pray for the perishing souls and
iii) Give sacrificially
4. THE
SUPREME URGENCY
There are many reasons why now is the only right time to act. It is
the only time anyone really has to respond to the greatest need of the
moment.
It is urgent to get all the gospel out to the world now because the
doors may be closed at any time.
Ethiopia that was once open to the gospel is now a closed country.
Communism has taken over. Angola is closed. Our country could be the
next. There is no guarantee that the doors will remain open. Enemy
forces are rising in great might and in great numbers. There is no
time to wait. Every minute lost is lost forever.
There is a great need for workers to go out today into the needy
fields in India and other countries. I say that there is a need for
workers who have an apostolic annointing, but not for people of the
average calibre of missionaries sent out today.
Dear readers, in a time when many who were called by God for His
ministry have lost their calling, the Lord’s attention has turned
towards you. When King Saul failed to fulfill God’s plan in His life,
the Lord had to find David who was taking care of the sheep. The same
Lord God is now expecting you to understand the ‘Need of the Hour’ and
come forward.
You are wanted by God Almighty. He can change, all your inabilities
and circumstances into something of great value. Do obey the call of
the Lord today itself. He will surely bless you.
§
Go to your Pastor and ask, “Pastor, can I be of help to you in your
ministry?”
§
Find people near your neighbourhood who never go to church. Sit with
them, read the Bible with them, meditate the scriptures together, pray
together and then bring them to your
church and introduce them to your Pastor.
§
Remember the servants of God in your prayers whom you know and pray
with a real burden for them. Select a street, or a village or a town
or a country and pray for the salvation of the people of that place.
§
If God calls you for full-time or part-time ministry, do not give
silly excuses, but obey Him immediately.
§
Support the ministry that God shows you, through your generous and
willful offerings.
May the Lord’s Hand and His leading be with you. Amen.
“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15,16)
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