Fellow colleague and partaker in our common faith and heavenly calling; let us with one heart bless the name of our Redeemer forever. The mystery of the call to which we have responded and its mandate is very essential and much more now as the day draws closer and deceit hovers round our heads. We have been washed and justified from our former empty ways of life so that we can approach the Living God who lives in holiness. He has called us to become unto Him a peculiar people, qualified to carry out His mandate here on earth. God bless you as you journey through the Scriptures with me on this topic.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28)
This is the unique call we have received as believers to inherit the Kingdom of God. That is the hope in which we stand. This is what the Scripture declares concerning those who through obedience and humility heeded to the call of the Master: “…you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the first born whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus Christ the mediator of a new covenant and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” (Heb. 12: 22 – 24)
The Lord is calling all men from His holy hill; but “who may ascend the holy hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart….” (Ps. 24: 3 – 4). As we respond to the call of the Lord, we are cleansed by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit (2 Thes. 2: 13). He has washed us with His blood and declared us “sinless”. Therefore as those who are cleansed, “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” (Heb. 10:22). Having believed the gospel of truth, we have been sealed with the Spirit of God. He draws us closer to God and keeps us in fellowship with the Lord in truth and holiness.
Indeed, the reference point of our lives is Calvary, where Christ died in order to bring us into His glorious dwelling. His precious blood still speaks on our behalf. According to Scripture, we are not bought with perishable things like silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish and defect (1 Pet. 1: 18 -19).
Our calling into the Kingdom of God is not without a mandate. The Lord has called us to live in holiness and to reveal his manifold wisdom to the world through the manifestation of His power. The God who called us dwells in holiness, and he demands that those who come to Him also live in holiness (1 Pet. 1: 15 -16). It is an undeniable fact that the righteous requirements of God’s laws are far above human ability. No man can fulfill those requirements by his own will. For that very reason, God, who is rich in love and mercy has decided to come and live inside us through His Holy Spirit in order to fulfill the righteous requirements of His law in us. Yes, he has come to dwell in us, helping us to obey His law. This has made it possible for the Spirit-filled believer to live out God’s standards with ease. To live in holiness, we must draw closer to the cross daily and follow the voice of the Spirit. This is a worthy admonishing: “Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” (2 Cor. 7: 1).
The mandate of our call is not limited to the call to holiness, but extends to exercising spiritual authority granted us by the Holy Spirit. We are called to reveal the virtues and the power of God to the entire universe. We have come to a triumphant King. The Bible records this about Him, “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” (Col. 2:15). We share in this victory won by Christ on the cross. We also possess the authority to wage war against the spiritual forces of evil and overcome (2 Cor. 10: 3-5). This mandate to display the supremacy of Christ comes from the throne room of God, where Christ is seated at the right hand of the Majesty, highly exalted and crowned “King of kings and Lord of lords.” The whole world is under bondage, and many are held captive to sin and desperation. Indeed, many eyes are blinded; many hearts are broken. They are crying for deliverance. We must wage war for their liberty.
We can flourish in the exercise of spiritual authority through a steadfast fellowship with the Spirit in fasting and prayers, and in daily devotion to the study of God’s word. The Lord has left a lasting example for us in that regard. “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1: 35). In these days, the devil is obstructing many believers from engaging in fasting and prayers, as well as fervent fellowship with the Word. His ultimate purpose is to render believers powerless and weaken the Christian front. May the body of Christ stand to the task and resist him at all cost. Let us all watch and pray, as the Lord admonishes, so that we do not fall into temptation.
As we come to Christ, He gracefully anoints us with His Holy Spirit for a divine mandate to reach out to the world. This has been the mission statement: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and a recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” (Luke 4: 18-19). The Lord has made a covenant declaration regarding those He has called saying; “I the Lord have called you into righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and make you a covenant for the people and a light for the gentiles, to open the eyes of the blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon, those who sit in darkness.” (Isaiah 42: 6-7). This is an urgent call. The enemy is desperately winning the world to himself through music, delusion and other deceitful schemes. Our Master is looking for vessels to inhabit in order to reveal His glory to this wretched dying world. Will you respond to him today? Are you on the Lord’s side? Blessed is the one who responds to this clarion call! Join the army of the Lord and let’s win the hearts of men for Him. He is coming soon with His reward for all who are labouring for Him. Let us hoist the flag of victory. May we never watch His royal banner suffer lost. Victory, oh great victory awaits the army of the Lord!
May the Spirit of the Living God anoint you with power to carry out the mandate of your call, so that after you have done all things, you would inherit what has been promised. Remember your call is an eternal call; yes a call to glory. Grace and peace be with you. Amen.
LOUIS SITSOFE HODEY
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