Monthly Devotion - December 2022
Staying firm in fulfilling the call to Evangelism in the End Times
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.“ (Matthew 24:14, NIV)
Praise be to God, by the help and grace of God we have reached the end
of 2022. Our theme throughout 2022 is “Becoming a stronger and fruitful
church” (Luke 6:47-48; John 15:8). Through all the preaching of God's
Word that has been conveyed throughout most of this year, we are all invited
to walk to achieve the goals that He has set. These purposes were applied
by the early church in Acts 2 and described by Paul in Ephesians 4, but
they can all be summarized in Christ's Great Law (Mark 12:30-31); Christ's
Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16) and Christ's Great
Prayer (John 17). These are God's purposes for us His church, which can
be summed up in 7 things below:
1. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart”: We were created
to glorify God, so the purpose of our lives is to love God through worship.
2. “Love your neighbor as yourself”: We are called to serve,
so our goal is to show love to others through service.
3. “Go, make disciples of all nations”: We are sent on a mission,
so our goal is to proclaim God's message through missions and evangelism.
4. “baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit”: We are built to be God's family, so our goal is
to relate to His church through fellowship.
5. “teach them to do all things…”: We are destined to be
like Christ, so our goal is to grow to maturity through discipleship.
6. “sanctify them in righteousness”: We are sanctified to righteousness,
so our goal is to do all things for righteousness through sanctification.
7. “that they may be one, as We are one”: We are united to proclaim
the oneness of God, so our goal is to reveal to the world the oneness
of His church through unity and unity.
This strong commitment to be able to carry out the Great Law, Great Commission
and Christ's Great Prayer will make us His evangelical and missionary
disciples. Worship activities, Prayers (HOPE Local & Global), Bible
Studies (KOMPAK), cell groups (KOMPAS), family groups (PERAK) and comrades
among friends (PERKASA) which are held in GMI, all of which is intended
so that all congregations can build mutual faith that is not limited and
can realize it in this life. It is not easy, but it is our collective
responsibility as followers of Christ who want to live more firmly and
bear fruit for the glory of His name. We must progress to become more
and more like Christ. For this reason, it is very important that each
individual can be truly embedded in the local congregation that has been
set by Him by following all the activities in it, and by periodically
evaluating spiritual health, spiritual progress, and passing on to others
what has been received and experienced personally. And we must also remain
steadfast in fulfilling the evangelistic call in these end times, because
that is the last target towards the end of this world (Matt. 24:14). If
we are committed to doing so, then we will share in the fulfillment of
Christ's Great Commission. Let us further strengthen these goals in entering
the year 2023 to come. Finally, Merry CHRISTMAS 2022 and Happy NEW YEAR
2023! IMMANUEL, GOD WITH US!
By Pastor Silwanus Obadja M.Th.
...Monthly
Devotion - January 2023