Page 17 - Testify 15 Oct 2020

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The Nature of Commitment

The Nature of commitment, my friend, is Thirdly; ‘Your depth will be tested’ The dis-
‘Alone’! ciples were threatened and commanded not
to speak in the name of Jesus(Acts 4:17-
Child of God, brace-up your courage in your 18). Satan has a way of bringing fear into
commitment today. Your feeling of ‘alone- a person of commitment. Except your roots
ness’ is not peculiar to you, nor a prophecy are deep and firm, when life calls many cave
of doom. The promised rain fell in the days in. Queen Esther said ‘If I perish, I perish!’
of Noah and the flood swept away everyone This is where the strength of our commit-
else. Just as the Apostle Paul kept his day in ment is proven - It is all or nothing; the de-
Rome and fulfilled his mandate, your recom- cision is easy for some, however, it lingers
Genesis 6:13-14 “God said to Noah, ‘The pense shall come to pass too. in some as well. The core of commitment is
end of all flesh has come before Me, for an ongoing decision to abide, especially at
the earth is filled with violence through Impact of commitment crossroads:
them; and behold, I will destroy them
with the earth’. Make thee an ark of go- Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness Five lessons we can learn about the Pastor Wale Olulana is the Senior Pastor
pher wood…” of Peter and John, and perceived that they crossroads of commitment: of Harmony Christian Centre, UK and Ni-
were uneducated and untrained men, they geria. He was commissioned by God to “re-
One word to describe ‘Commitment’ is marvelled. And they realised that they had store and raise a people above all limits” in
‘Alone’. Group work is great, but when we been with Jesus. 1996 (As stated in Isaiah 58:12).
stand before God to give an account of our
commitment to Him, we cannot hide behind The world reacts in several ways to people He is an Apostle of God, challenging Be-
other people’s influence, disobedience, or who are committed: lievers in Christ to rise up in the market-
reluctance. It is human nature to stand with place. Through his international crusades
the crowd, but it is divine to stand alone. In Firstly; The world takes notice of our com- and Beyond Limits Media Outreach, he
today’s text, Noah was chosen by God to mitment. Given the public trial and humiliat- reaches thousands annually with the Word,
build an ark through which He will preserve ing death meted out to Jesus, the temple rul- leadership training, free medical services,
His people. By faith, Noah built the ark in ers and Sadducees could not imagine why food and clothing. There are many testimo-
anticipation of a flood. Not only was the idea any person acted in His name. They soon nies of the power of Christ at work through
of a flood ludicrous in the absence of rain, took notice of the boldness and commitment him.
but God tested him further as the rain ap- of the Apostles.
peared delayed. Still, Noah was not discour- 1. They offer clarity: Anyone can shout in a Having received victory over a decade of
aged. Secondly; Your Commitment will be called mob, but when faced with choices, sitting on barrenness with two miracle children, Pas-
tor Wale and his wife carry a message of
to question. The world will question your au- the fence is not an option. Crossroads helps
Paul the Apostle was a crowd puller and thenticity to trip you up. (Acts 4:7). This is the us to remove the vagueness and polarity of hope and restoration. He believes that,
never short of company. When his commit- point when an ‘easier alternative’ becomes our faith. “there is enough left in the mess for God to
ment to Jesus brought him to stand accused available. The enemy asks questions on our mold a better you!”
before a biased judge, he looked around for health, finance, family - can God do this for 2. They are personal: Others may care or Contact: admin@hccentre.org.uk
friendly voices, but none showed up. A battle you? Paul answered this in 2 Timothy 1:12 offer advice, but the decision will be yours www.hccentre.org.uk + 44 208 597 1110
weary Paul lamented - “No one supported …He is able to keep what I have committed alone. You will have to live with the outcome.
Mailing Address:
me, but all deserted me” (2 Timothy 4:16). to Him until that Day. Even though Naomi appealed to both Orpah Harmony Christian Centre
Concord House,
23-27 Kemp Road
Dagenham RM8 1ST
and Ruth, one kissed her goodbye
and the other cleaved to her even
more.

3. They are costly: If commitment
was free, it would be worthless. Your
decision to make a commitment will
always cost something. The apostles
were flogged, jailed, and some even
beheaded. Sometimes, your com-
mitment to serve God may cost you
a friendship, and people may ridicule
you.

4. They are effective: The world
awaits the manifestation of the sons
of God. Our decisions at crossroads
always affect other people. We may
make the decision alone, but we nev-
er make an important commitment
that does not affect other people.

5. They are where God’s glory is
revealed through us: How will the
world know the greatness of God
without committed Christians? We
know of His miraculous power but
sometimes we lack an unflinching
commitment to God.

I pray as you have chosen to stay
committed to Christ; may He fight
your battles, come through for you
as you stand believing, and lift you
above oppositions gathered against
you.