The Sacred Call

TEXT: MATTHEW 10:1-15

Key verse: “And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mathew 10:7).

Fishing, as an occupation does require much training, teaching, guidance, commitment, consecration and hard work. Soul winning is compared to fishing, except that the soul winner ‘catches’ souls into the kingdom of God.

In our text, the time had come for our Lord Jesus Christ to try out the men He had chosen as disciples and pioneer soul winners. He thus sent them out, as it would appear that they had completed their probation. The ministry of reconciling men to God is a great trust. Those chosen, therefore to carry out this task should only be those that are found fit. The disciples had been with Christ for sometime. They had watched Him, observed His methods, received instructions and assimilated His teachings. They had asked questions on knotty issues and had obtained clarifications. It was now time to go out and put their knowledge into practice. Though the manner and method by which believers are called today and commissioned may be different, the task of reconciling men to God remains the same. The urgency that Jesus communicated to the disciples as they were sent out has not changed either. Thousands today, die each minute and go to a Christless eternity in hell. How we need to urgently rescue the perishing.

When healing and deliverance follow the preaching of the gospel, repentance from sin and new life in Christ must not be relegated to the background. If men must make heaven and escape eternal damnation in hell, what they need is unrelenting warning against sin and its consequences. Pastors, preachers and true believers must address themselves to this task as true disciples of Jesus Christ.

Are you a Christian, born again and cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ shed at Calvary? The commandment from the Master comes to you today ‘Go and tell men that the kingdom of God is at hand’. Persuade them to repent and believe the gospel. This is a sacred call that true believers cannot lay aside.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Christians owe the world the gospel message.