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God’s Top Priority For The Church
God’s Top Priority for The Church
What is God’s top priority ? What is the one thing that He desires more than anything else ? This one thing is something that God desires for all people. That is why it is God’s top priority.
To understand God’s top priority and desire, you need to understand God’s heart. God has a great love for all people in His heart. Because God loves everyone so much, He wants all people to have a restored personal relationship with Him.
“God wants all men to be saved, and come to a knowledge of the truth.” – 1 Timothy 2:4
God also wants everyone to be close to Him and have close fellowship and intimacy with God. And God wants everyone to have abundant life, full of meaning and purpose. God also wants everyone to have eternal life in heaven with Him once their life is done here.
Why Don’t We Have A Personal Relationship With God ?
The Bible tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Because of our sin, we all have a broken relationship with God. God’s Word also tells us that our sin cause us to be far and separated from God.
“But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.” – Isaiah 59:2
If someone does not help us with this problem of sin, then we will forever be far and separated from God. And we will all be under the punishment for our sins, forever.
“For the wages of sin is death…” – Romans 6:23
How Much Does God Want This Top Priority of Everyone Being Saved ?
If someone does not help us with our problem of sin and a broken relationship with God, then we will forever be separated from God and under the punishment for our sins. But God sent the answer. Because it is God’s top priority for us to be saved and have a restored personal relationship with God, He send His own son Jesus to fix our problem.
God needed to send His own son Jesus because it took a perfect sacrifice to pay the price for all of our sins. Religion cannot fix our sin. Going to church cannot fix our sin. Doing good things cannot fix our sin. Only Jesus can fix this problem we all have.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” – John 3:16
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 6:23
Jesus’ Top Priority And Mission
When Jesus was here on earth, before he died on the cross, He had a ministry for 3 years. Jesus was always laser focused on the important mission that His Father God gave him. What was His mission ?
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” – Luke 19:10
Jesus was always going out to seek lost people and tell them about God’s love and the wonderful gift of salvation and eternal life. He was driven by His love for God and His love and passion for lost people. Driven by “agape” love, which is selfless and sacrificial love for others.
Who Would Continue Jesus’ Mission & Top Priority ?
Jesus knew that He was going to die on the cross for everyone’s sins. Then he was buried and later on He want back to heaven. Was God’s top priority and the mission of saving people going to die when Jesus left ? No.
God had a plan to continue His passion and top priority of seeking and saving lost people. God’s plan involved His followers (Christians) and His church.
“Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.” – Matthew 4:19
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.” – Matthew 28:19-20
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” – Acts 1:8
The Early Church Was Faithful to God’s Top Priority & Mission
The early disciples of Jesus and the early church in the book of Acts was always faithfully doing what Jesus told them to do. Being fishers of men. Being faithful witnesses and sharing the Gospel with as many people as they could.
“And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.” – Acts 2:47b
Even with a lot of persecution and danger, the early church faithfully did their part in fulfilling God’s top priority and mission. Many of the apostles and disciples were killed following Jesus’ command to fulfill God’s top priority and mission. But they kept on faithfully spreading the Gospel.
“On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria… Those who had been scattered preached the word (the Gospel) wherever they went.” – Acts 8:1,4
God’s Top Priority Was The Apostle Paul’s Top Priority
The apostle Paul was one of the most faithful and passionate followers of Jesus. He was true to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And he was faithful and true to God’s top priority and mission. Paul went through a lot of persecution, opposition, and suffering to follow and serve Jesus.
“imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. 24 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren. I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.” – 2 Corinthians 11:23-27
“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the LORD Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” – Acts 20:24
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” – 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
The Church Today Needs to Have The Same Top Priority
Sharing the Gospel with as many people as possible was Paul’s first and top priority. Another part of his ministry was to make disciples after people believed in Jesus. Paul also planted churches so the new believers would grow and become faithful and fruitful disciples.
And sharing the Gospel was the early church’s top priority. Because it was God’s top priority.
And it still is God’s top priority and desire. God has not changed. Neither has His heart’s desire for all men to be saved. So the top priority of sharing the Gospel with as many people as possible needs to be our top priority today. And making disciples once people place their faith and trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior.
What we see in many churches today is a completely different emphasis and priorities. The top priority in many churches today is to attract as many people to the church. And to have a large church full of people. Then the church will have a lot of resources, so it can have many events and conferences. Which will in turn attract more people. As part of this modern mission the modern church has adopted, their needs to be messages that do not offend people. The messages are positive and easy to listen to messages that will get people to feel good and want to come back. Is this what God really wants ?
Pursuing Intimacy With God Ministry
Pursuing Intimacy With God is committed to helping you with the most important thing in your life… your intimacy with God , your fellowship with Him, and your partnership with God in His Kingdom work & mission.
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