COMMUNICATING THE GOSPEL 2

“Then Elisha said, Hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the LORD: 'Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria. So an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, "Look, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, could this thing be?" And he said, "In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it…” 2 Kings 7: 1-20

Note: The fact that you doubt God’s word does not mean it won’t come to pass, it simply means it won’t come to pass in your life. Your experience is a product of what you choose to believe.

When the prophet gave the word about an unimaginable thing that would happen in Samaria, it seemed farfetched that it would take place. When times like these show up, it is only the prophetic word that can bail anyone/people/nation out.  In this case, it was lepers that God used as instruments to bring about the fulfillment of that prophecy. 

“Then they said to one another, we are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent. If we wait until morning light, some punishment will come upon us. Now, therefore, come, let us go and tell the king's household” 2nd Kings 7:9.

"And it came to pass as the man of God had spoken to the king..." verse 18. If God could use lepers, He can use you also, so stop putting limits on yourself and never look down on yourself. 

The lepers knew they owed others this news and they knew it may become a punishable offence if they kept the good news to themselves. Don’t keep what you can and should share with others to yourself. “The liberal soul shall be made fat”. Prov. 11:25. Ordinarily, lepers could not come into the midst of the people, but the lepers had access to where they never had access hitherto because they had good news to share. 

If the lepers were not quiet, we have no reason to be quiet and not share the good news with others. The lepers carried the burden of the nation; the encounter was too much for them to keep to themselves. There is a mandate over our lives to rescue people and generations, to carry the good news to everyone and places we have access to.

Many times, we have inadvertently put limits to why we cannot preach the gospel because we have become so self-centred that we do not look at others nor consider others. A lot of times, we have what can take us, yet we still hinge on ourselves, we use our faith for self alone. We still so need conscious, self-centred, self-seeking. But we have to come to the understanding that human needs can never be satisfied, they are insatiable.

Hezekiah had an opportunity to share the goodness and faithfulness of God when envoys came from Babylon to see him upon his recovery but he showed them his treasuries and everything he had in his kingdom. See 2 Kings 20. Every time, people have access to you, it is an opportunity to share the gospel, to reveal Christ. We are to spread the fragrance of the gospel all round.  2 Cor. 2:15. Apostle Paul declared, “…woe is me if I preach not the gospel” -1 Cor. 9:16.  We were left here on earth to share the gospel of Christ.  In Luke 10:17-20, the disciples were joyous at the works, signs and wonders they were able to do but Jesus pointed them instead to the fact that their joy should be in their salvation: that their names are written down in heaven. 

Let’s not forget that our greatest testimony is that we are saved and that heaven rejoices even when one soul is saved.

The gateway to the kingdom of God is Jesus. You must not hold back the preaching of the gospel/good news. The lepers did not hold back the amount of spoil that they came across to themselves alone; they made up their mind to take the news to the king’s palace. The goal of the lepers was not for themselves alone. 

With our mouths, let us tell others of the Lord's faithfulness. 

“I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever; with my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations”. Psalm 89:1.

 
As long as you are in Christ, you have a testimony, the testimony of a saved life. The lepers simply fulfilled the scripture that says not to withhold more than you need. *If you are waiting for a perfect state to share with others, you will never have the opportunity*. The lepers acted in a haste to share with others their findings, we also need to have this mindset whenever anyone, comes within the scope of our influence.

When we are silent about Jesus, it means He’s not real to us.
“Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, What do you seek? They said to Him, Rabbi (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), where are You staying? He said to them, Come and see. They came and saw where He was staying and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour). One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, We have found the Messiah (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas (which is translated, A Stone)…” John 1:35 - 42

Looking at these verses, you will notice that as each person found Jesus, they went and called others to come and see Him. The question is who has found Jesus because of you? If you have seen Jesus clearly, your heart will be burning to share Him with others because your heart will burn for Him and your mouth will speak of Him. If you are not calling anyone, it means you have not found Him.

"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD." Luke 4:18-19

The same anointing that was upon Jesus to carry out His mandate is upon us also. You may not have a special feeling, but, it is there, it is upon you, just do it. You are anointed to preach the GOSPEL. When you begin to function as you ought, you will walk in authority and have access. Rise up and take your place, do not let anyone take your place.