By Apostle Isidore Agoha
More than amazement expressed by the synagogue audience, the incident of the deliverance of the man with the unclean spirit by Jesus generated great news far and wide. It was so great that it propelled the ministry of Jesus from obscurity to fame in the whole region of Galilee within hours. The ramender of the Lord’s itinerary for that day, which included the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law and climaxed in the evening with an evangelistic service, was characterized by many miraculous healings and deliverance. The impact of the news was so effective that it drew the whole city to Peter’s door and paved the way for miracles - Mark 1:28-35.
In spreading the news of the Lord’s work, the people magnified His name. Through the people’s testimonies, many in need were drawn to Him. The lesson magnified here is that when people in need are drawn to Jesus, their needs are met, their burdens are lifted and they come into His rest. In this rest, they receive their inheritance - God’s provision for their needs, "Come unto me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest" Matthew 11:28.
It is the Lord who gives the invitation, and it is Him also who provides the salvation, healing and deliverance. However, it is we, His servants, who have the honor of publishing the invitations and the works of the Lord. The people in the days of the Lord’s earthly ministry were effective in publishing His work notwithstanding the technological handicap of their era. This, therefore, poses a great challenge to those of us who live in our present high-tech age, abundantly blessed with a polyglot of communication facilities. In the case of the event that took place in the Capernaum synagogue, the whole district was reached in one day by word of mouth communication. It appears that those in the synagogue audience who, having witnessed the miracle performed by Jesus, were struck with such awe that led them to proclaim the good news far and wide.
The life and power of Jesus impacted those unbelievers to such an extent that they not only believed but also immediately began to tell the news of God’s power through the Lord Jesus Christ. Likewise, we, as the Lord’s servants can impact our world with God’s power through our cultivation of the fruit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit so that those who do not believe will not only believe but will testify that God is real. When the world sees the reality of God and His power in the church, the world will reject humanism, Satanism, new age philosophy, occultism, false religion and the theory of evolution. They will come to the church’s door with their needs for an answer from Jesus.
One more aspect of the fame of Jesus that requires consideration is that this fame centered on Him. The news of what happened in the synagogue made neither the doctrine of deliverance nor any other man famous. Nor did that particular synagogue building become an object of veneration or a pilgrimage spot. Rather, the fame was about Jesus, His name, person and ministry. It is only in this perspective that God gets glorified.
Jesus ascribed all the glory to the Father, who in turn glorified Jesus for all eternity. Jesus, being God, did humble Himself to a shameful death, but God exalted Him and gave Him a name above all names - Philippines 2:7-10. We, likewise, as the servants of Jesus, do partake of the Lord’s fame; but we should not allow ourselves to be sidetracked by personal fame and glory.
There is no doubting the fact that many believers have received ministry gifts from God characterized by regular manifestation of the miraculous with a tremendous potential for power, fame, money and other forms of material rewards. However, we must resist the temptation to use these trappings for personal aggrandizement and instead glorify the Lord, focus on Him and publicize Him. Let us lift Him up so that He might continue to draw other sand us unto Him
Apostle Isidore Agoha is the Senior Pastor at Triumphant Life Church in the Bronx, N.Y.
www.tlcny.org | http://twitter.com/apostleagoha
No comments:
Post a Comment