Rev.Dr.Jeffry David Camm

Obey God's Word ---or Catch The Vision

 

I have heard many sermons in the last 25 years saying that we must “catch the vision” of the Denomination, or the Pastor, or of the “prophecy for the Year ahead”, BUT VERY FEW sermons about “Obeying God’s Word”.

 

John the Baptist came as one crying in the wilderness: “prepare for the coming of the Lord”.

 

John the Baptist baptised into repentance, because he got a revelation from the Word of God, that each and every person were accountable to God the Father (the righteous judge) for their own individual sins.

 

Because of our individual sins we were outside the Covenant with God and therefore could not enter into an eternal relationship with him. Now some will jump up and down and say; “but that is under the Old Testament Covenant, this does not apply to us, we are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ”; and you would be true ~~ up to a point.

 

Your past sins, that is, before you accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour are forgiven you, but then you are required to follow New Testament Scripture!

 

Jesus said: “If you love me ~~ you will keep my commandments.”

Now Jesus did not say “you will keep SOME of my commandments” or “you will keep them when you feel like it”.

NO! Jesus means what He says and says when He means. You shall keep ALL of my commandments, ALL OF THE TIME!

 

Matthew 28:18-20 is a pretty clear instruction, spoken by Jesus Himself to His Church leaders (His Disciples) before He ascended into Heaven.

 

“GO” (an action word) and “MAKE” (another action word) DISCIPLES!

 

1. You notice that Jesus did not give you a choice!

2. Jesus did not say “wait until you “catch the vision”!

3. Jesus did not even say to Go and make “Believers”.

4. This instruction from Jesus was very specific, and each of those disciples present, were to be held individually accountable for their obedience to this command from Jesus Christ.

5. If they did not obey this command there was to be consequences.

This was later confirmed in Acts 1:8 where Jesus again made it very clear. Here Jesus even laid out the “action plan” about “how to” implement this evangelistic command.

 

1. You shall wait in Jerusalem until you receive the Promise from the Father (the Holy Spirit) and then you shall go and obey my commandments.

2. The first place to evangelise will be where you are; right here in YOUR Jerusalem (in your town or city) or wherever you are presently fellowshipping with Jesus.

3. The next place is the surrounding villages, towns and cities.

4. Then move out to the next Province.

5. Then the rest of YOUR country. After you have completed these steps you are ready to finally move to another country.

 

In the Old Testament, God separated Israel as the example nation, for the world to see what happens when a nation obeys God’s word ~~ they are blessed and peace reigns upon their nation.

 

It also shows what happens when a nation disobeys God’s word ~~ there is drought, famine, disease and wars, even captivity befalls the nation.

But in The New Testament God also showed what happens to Christians when they obey God’s word, or disobey God’s word. The pattern of God has not changed!

 

Philip, the Evangelist, got the message, that God held every Christian accountable to His word. Each Christian is “called to be an evangelist” wherever he/she works, or interacts with people.

 

So Philip went out and preached the gospel that the Messiah has come ~~ Jesus was his name, and many believed, and signs and wonders followed him in his ministry.

 

It even got the attention of “the Church in Jerusalem” and they sent out Barnabas to investigate, and he reported back to the church what he had seen and heard.

 

But let us see what happened to the Church in Jerusalem, when they did not obey God’s word.

 

About 7 years after Jesus ascended, and the church in Antioch has been already established, the church in Jerusalem became “very comfortable”.

 

They did not preach in the streets of Jerusalem (even though the word of God tells us to “go into all the streets and lanes” and bring people to Jesus.)
 

So God had to act, to cause His Divine plans to be implemented. Steven was captured and stoned to death. Persecution reigned down upon the church in Jerusalem, because of their disobedience to God’s word.   Saul started arresting “followers of Jesus” and having them imprisoned and even killed.

 

In fear of their lives, the Christians in Jerusalem fled out of the city, to Judea, Samaria, and to other countries for their own safety. This is confirmed in Acts 8:1.

 

Interesting ~~~ in Acts 1:8 God says Go and preach! They refused, so in Acts 8:1 God causes them to go to the very places that they were supposed to go in the first place!

 

If they had been obedient, many lives would not have been lost!
 

General Booth followed this pattern spoken of in Acts 1:8 and evangelised in the villages, towns & cities in Britain, and then he sent the first overseas team to the Indian Capital (at that time it was Lahore, which is now in Pakistan), then “to the ends of the earth” ~~ Australia).

 

Because General Booth, and his congregation members obeyed God’s word, the Salvation Army was blessed “and the Holy Spirit added to the church daily” those called to follow Jesus Christ.

 

Now do you think you will escape the wrath and anger of God if you refuse to follow His commandments?

Some will say; “Oh but God’s mercy endures forever, no worries, she’ll be right mate.”
 

• It was not alright for the Jews in Jerusalem.

• It was not alright for the people in many nations over the last 2,000 years,

• There were people who refused to obey God’s word and then refused to listen to the warnings of “the modern day prophets”, who got their revelations from the Lord, exactly the same way as the Prophets of the Old Testament, through dreams, visions, from angelic beings, and the audible voice of the Lord Himself.

 

In John chapter 4, Jesus said to the woman at the well “that the time is coming “and now is” (2,000 years ago) when those who worship Jesus Christ must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.”

You cannot worship Jesus Christ “in Spirit and in Truth”, if you are:

 

1. Not obeying his word by going out of the church building and witnessing to people in the streets and lanes and leading people to Jesus. This is because you have the “spirit of rebellion” in you, not the Spirit of God!

2. You cannot worship Jesus in Truth if you are refusing to “obey His commandments”, because you have the “spirit on lies” in you.

3. You are fulfilling an end time prophecy, because you will “have a form of Godliness”, but no fruits of salvation!

 

In the Book of Revelation, Jesus was very specific in what He dictated to Apostle John to write down, so that “the Angel of each church” could relay that information to the Body of Christ.

Those who have seriously studied the 7 church types in the Book of Revelation will know that only two church types are acceptable “in their present format” before the Father, to be acceptable as the Bride of Christ.  The other 5 church types have to have serious “makeovers” to be acceptable as a part of the Bride of Christ.  This means that according to Jesus (not me) 71% of all Christians alive today are not acceptable to Him in their present spiritual forms. Major spiritual makeovers are necessary. 

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That is why Jesus told Apostle Paul to give details of how that correction can be achieved, by using the “Special Gifts” that Jesus has given to the Church (Ephesians chapter 4), so that THE WHOLE BODY OF CHRIST CAN BE IN UNITY AND ADVANCE TO A HIGHER LEVEL OF SPIRITUAL MATURITY.

Now I am telling you all this because I see the problem and the scripture says that if I do not speak up about it, then Jesus will hold me accountable for the blood of these people who have fallen away (who have backslidden) and turned their backs on Jesus, through the “spirit of rebellion.”  But Jesus also says that if I tell you and you refuse to listen and correct your ways, as defined in Revelations chapters 2 & 3, then the blood of your rebellion is now on your own heads.  It is a hard word to deliver, but 2019 is a year of change & we must be prepared to change and come back to the WHOLE WORD OF GOD, not just the “nice” bits.
 

It is time to start out 2019 with a National Day of Repentance, for every Christian Nation on earth, a time of acknowledging our individual and national faults, and to ask the Lord for forgiveness.  If we come before Him in humbleness, to seek His face, in prayer, and promise “to turn from our wicked ways”, God has promised that He will hear from Heaven, forgive our sins, and heal our lands.
 

A good way to start 2019!!!

Be Blessed. 

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