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The Great Commission
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Let me take time out to greet my lovely brethren — Bishop in his absence, our lovely Sister Paulette, all the ministers, CPC, my colleagues and friends. I am so delighted to be standing here once again, having this opportunity.
My daughter — I actually encouraged her to come with me. She got up early, I got her a shower, got her dressed. She's somewhere upstairs with her friend. Hallelujah. Prayer works. I stayed all day with her, and the church prayed. And today she is much better. We give God the glory. We give God the praise. I'm praying that one day I will walk her into the water baptism pool. Amen.
Today we have been blessed. Put your hands together for the worship team and the choir who have blessed us today with their voices and their ministry. Thank you, evangelism team, for giving me this opportunity.
The Great Commission invites us to reflect on our own individual calling. For many years I've been called to serve. From the time I was in my teens I was called and noted to have a dual ministry — pastoral ministry and the ministry of evangelist. I was sent off to Bible college for three years to be trained.
My first church, I was just in my early twenties, about 23, when I was given my first assignment. But I was placed in the heart of a quite hostile and aggressive community in Bull Bay — those of you who know Jamaica well, just outskirts of Kingston. The reason I was sent there was mainly because the senior minister who was appointed refused to go, because the area was so violent with crime.
As a young person coming out of Bible school, I never knew that I was walking into an area in Kingston city that was so violent. But God. When I went there, I saw gunmen, I saw M-16s, I saw different rifles, I saw men passing with their guns and looking at the young pastor.
But when I stood up that Sunday to speak, and they introduced me as a young pastor to a congregation with ministers and officers who were well-groomed and well knew the church — they looked at this little boy. I was very thin. They said, "What is this little boy? Send this little boy to pastor us?" Well, when they gave me the mic and I stood up, the Holy Ghost anointed me. And I preached through that service. I heard the deacons and the pastor say, "Boy, him little but him tallawah."
God called us and gave us different areas of ministry. To stay focused within the theme allocated to me, I would like to draw our attention to the following points:
The Bible conveys to us, my brothers and sisters, men and women of God called to serve in times of difficulties — moments when they had to be very much on guard, resilient, and committed, standing in the moments of testing to extend the gospel of Christ.
In modern times, we think about Billy Graham, one of the greatest evangelists of our time. Despite the challenges he faced, he went all around spreading the good news of salvation. He was relentless. He stood his ground for the mission of Christ.
Coming home, this morning we can reflect on some of the great Bible characters such as Peter, whom God commanded and gave a vision to transform the world. Before he was called to the ministry, he had a very crude and rough personality — just like some of us.
Sometimes you really wonder why God chose some of us:
But God looks at the heart when he's calling mankind for a mission. God does not look at your initial ability. He looks at what you can become as you process within his calling.
Peter denied Christ. He swore to the damsel and said, "I did not know him." He would run away when the going got tough. But Jesus knew that something was in Peter. Even when the rest of the disciples turned up, Jesus said, "Remember Peter. Remember Peter, because something is in him."
Peter was the one who saw the vision where sheets of animals were coming down, some clean, some unclean. Jesus said:
"This vision signifies something that I want to use for the world to know. So Peter, do not call anything that I have created unclean. Do not call anything that I created impure. This is not about the things you see in the vision, or the things you need to eat. This is about breaking boundaries, because I'm about to set the church to transform the heart and mindset of the Jews. Despite where you're coming from, despite the culture, when I institute the church, both Jews and Gentiles will be welcome."
Paul was one of the greatest evangelists God ever used. Paul came from a background where he was one of the greatest persecutors of the Christians. Paul was responsible for stoning Stephen. But God looked beyond and saw something within him.
At the moment of his calling, when he was transformed on the Damascus road, his eyes were opened up because God had a mission for him. When he received a fresh anointing and understood the purpose of the calling placed upon faithful men, he said:
"I am now ready to preach the gospel. It doesn't matter what stands before me. I'm not relying on self, because the gospel is a power of God unto salvation. Despite what's around me, with the power of God, I can break down barriers."
The Bible declares that the first mission of Paul was to modern Turkey. On his first mission, they stoned him. Even though he thought he was ready, when he went there, he faced challenges he was not expecting.
The mobs heard that Paul had changed his religion and gone over to talk about the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords — to talk about Jesus Christ. So they set out to stone him. As they stoned him, they dragged him out of the city. The disciples came to mourn his funeral because they thought he was dead.
But miraculously, God touched Paul. Even though he was stoned and the masses thought he was dead, he got up under the anointing. Glory to God. Right at that moment, he was rekindled. He was revived. He was energized. And he stood up and walked back into that city the following day with the good news. Why? Because God had a plan for his church.
Just after the resurrection, Jesus called his disciples to a secluded place on the mountain and said, "Now, we need to reason. This is my farewell testimony." In Matthew 28:18–20 he said:
"All power and authority is given unto me. Nothing could hold me down. I burst the tomb and came forth with authority and power. But now I'm leaving you — with a responsibility, with a mandate. Go and spread the good news to all nations. Tell all people that this is good news."
The Pharisees could not help. The creeds and the different traditions and the priests could not help. But Jesus comes with good news — creating, formulating, formalizing, transforming the world. Amen.
Jesus said to his disciples, "Cross boundaries and barriers. Do not stay in Jerusalem with the good news. You have a responsibility to reach different nations, to touch the lost at any cost."
I'm thanking God Almighty that Jesus was thinking of Jackson. Jesus was thinking of the Gentiles. Jesus was thinking of those who were marginalized, those who were rejected, those who were in pain, those whom no one noticed. Jesus has a heart for evangelism. Hallelujah.
As they were ready to go, Jesus said, "Before you go, understand that the things you saw me doing — nothing in terms of miracle can happen unless you come through fasting and prayer." For the anointing to flow, it takes commitment. It takes sacrifice. You have to understand that self cannot do this thing.
A lot of people are called to different ministries and we see them doing well. But not everybody is called to preach. Not everybody is called to teach.
If you don't have love within you, you can put down the mic — because you'll be like sounding brass. If we don't have love, compassion, and forgiveness in our hearts, we can really pack up.
But thank God, he's the one who purifies. He's the one who anoints. He's the one who prepares us to go. At this moment, I'm thanking God for the Holy Ghost — standing with us in moments when the church's challenge is so high, when so many stones are being thrown at the people of God. This thing is not by self.
Jesus said to Peter:
"Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
It doesn't matter what the devil does against you. If you are committed to the mission of God, he will cover and protect you. Raise your hands and just praise God. Worship him.
When Paul was struck off the horse and blinded by a shining light, he never knew where he was. Nobody else saw what was going on. But God directed him to go to the house, so they could lay hands upon him. And they did. Right there he saw Jesus in a different way, because the anointing came upon him. His eyes were opened, and he was filled with the power of the Holy Ghost.
He said, "Now I am feeling anointed. I'm ready to go. The gospel is a power of God unto salvation. I am going to take this gospel to the Corinthians — a city that worshiped idols, a city that embraced immorality. Despite being thrown out of a city, I am now ready to go to another city."
And so Paul broke barriers and went to the Corinthians and preached the word of God. Right there in Corinth, he found a church where Gentiles were a part. Glory to God. The church was instituted through the anointing of God, where Jews and Gentiles came together, making the one church.
Today I'm praising God that I'm a part of the church. I'm a part of that calling. Thank God there is something in you and me that he could use. The church is God's church. It's not about jobs. It's not about my status. It's not about my intellectual ability — God has a plan for the church.
The greatest thing, my brothers and sisters, is that God will reward those who work faithfully. There are those in the sound of my voice who have been around a long time working, laboring, coming out to prayer meetings, playing the music, praying, travailing — when a lot of us are sleeping in our beds. There are those in Zion whom God called to travail for the church.
Do not be weary in well doing.
God has placed on you a mantle for you to carry. Continue to travail.
There are those in the community who will walk around and hand out tracts. It doesn't matter what the weather be — they will go and they will witness. God has separated you for a purpose. God has separated you to carry the mandate. God has separated you for this great commission.
Sometimes we feel like giving up, but glory to God. Sometimes I feel that preaching becomes too heavy, but thank God for the anointing that breaks the yoke. Sometimes in prayer, you have to stay there and travail. You have to go deep. The Holy Spirit will take us to another level.
To be effective in the kingdom of God — as preachers, as evangelists, as choir leaders, as worshippers — it takes sacrifice. It takes commitment. It takes time when you have to put away the plate and rely on the Holy Spirit.
Hear what God's saying today. Separate yourself for fasting this week. I'm asking God to give the church a revelation. I do not know where some of you are at the moment in your heart, in your mindset, in your devotion. But the Holy Ghost has given me a word for the church today:
"Just like in the day of Daniel, when he had to keep on praying, waiting 21 days for the release of the power of God — just like the church today."
Clouds of darkness. Struggles in the workplace, struggles at home, struggles in your body, problems with illness, financial struggle, political upheaval, high prices, high bills. But in the moments of those, God is looking for faithful ones who will still carry the gospel.
I've been through some tough times over the past weeks. Sometimes Satan comes like he came to Job and says, "You say you're praying. You say you're giving. You say you're preaching. Why is this happening to you? You say you're playing the music. You say you're a part of the choir. Why are you going through this?"
But Job said:
"Though he slay me, yet will I trust him. Even though worms eat my flesh — yet in my flesh will I see God."
Hallelujah. You have to know God for yourself. Family will let you down. Wife will let you down. Close friend will let you down. But thanks be to God. This is a word pronounced over your life by the way of Jeremiah:
"I knew you from when you were in your mother's womb. The plans that I have for you — nothing will stop them. A plan to bless you. A plan to prosper you. A plan to give you a hope."
Raise your hands if you're expecting this hope. It may be long. I remember waiting and waiting. But I'm waiting on this hope. I'm waiting on this promise. Because he promised to bless me. He promised to open doors. He promised to cover me. Hallelujah. Call his name — Jesus.
My last point: there will be an ending date to your moment of serving.
Oh my God, the earth is shaking. So much innocent blood. I listen to the news sometimes — the Jamaican news and other places. Sometimes I am so grieved to see young kids gone missing. Every day some bloodshed. Teenagers being killed, because it seems the devil just takes over their hearts. Drugs take over their hearts. Alcohol and a lot of things — and they are confused. Mental health issues going all over the place.
But thanks be to God, there is a God on the throne. Young people who listen to my voice, we have to hand over the baton to you — but you have to know God. Jesus. Jesus.
We are in a generation today where we are sensing the coming of God. No much enjoyment again in this world. You just work, my brother, to home. And sometimes you are saying to yourself, "Oh my God, I wish I could go somewhere else." We've got to fly away.
Trouble all over the place right now in our community. When you walk out in the street, you see the drug addicts, you see the alcoholics, you see prostitution, you see everything. You see people sitting up bitter, not praising Almighty God and Jesus. They're running off resources. They're operating in the flesh.
But thank God, there is a separated people. Don't rely on this flesh. Rely on the Almighty God to give us unction, to give us inspiration, to give us anointing, to cover us. Glory!
When God touches us and calls some of us from a young age to carry this gospel, he prepares our heart. But we have to go through the mill. You see my glory, but you don't know my story.
You see us here, moving in the spirit, singing the songs of Zion, the Holy Ghost anointing and blessing. Some of you have served in the community and nobody sees you. Not calling you for big trophies. Not calling you for awards. But thank God, God sees your work — knowing that you have made a difference in the community for people who are marginalized, for people who are put on the scrap heap. Glory to God.
The church is here for a purpose — to carry the good news. You are the light of the community. You cannot allow your light to go dim. Preachers, teachers, singers — we cannot allow the light to go dim.
Despite the temporality, despite what's setting up around you — as you sing the songs of Zion, as you worship, the anointing will rekindle you. You will be energized. Sometimes I feel that this body is getting frail. But thank God, when the anointing comes, it makes a difference.
Say hallelujah.
