By Rev Kenneth Mtata
Today's Readings:
Psalm 19; Isaiah 61:1-7; Romans 7:1-6 7:1-6
Verse of the day
The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners" (Isaiah 61:1).
There are many tasks God has called us to become and to do. Some of the key and foundational ones are presented in Isaiah 61.
These were also so important that even our Lord Jesus Christ that he adopted them as the manifesto for his mission on earth (Luke 4:18-19). What are these issues and why are they so important?
The first foundational issue is the power that must propel us. This is the anointing by the Spirit of God. As children of God, we find clarity and energy of mission when enlightened by the power of the Spirit of God.
Disciples must get their instruction and mission mandate to respond to society from Spirit of God.
The second foundational task is is to "bring good news to the oppressed" (Isaiah 61). People maybe spiritually, economically, politically and ideological oppressed. Good news for such oppression is liberation. We are the bearers of such good news if God's Spirit is upon us.
The third responsibility is to"bind up the brokenhearted". People get extremely overwhelmed and hopeless if they cannot see any possible way out of their oppressive situation. The responsibility of God's people is to provide hope and healing of brokenness. If the Spirit is upon us, we become healers of broken hearts and channels of hope.
The fourth task for God's people is "to proclaim liberty to the captives." Proclamation of liberty creates faith that anticipates liberation. Our task is not only to accurately describe the state and pain of captivity. Yes, that is important. But we must move on to providing compelling visions and language of liberation. Through the Spirit of Christ, we can give those under oppression a foretaste of the fully liberated life.
The fifth mission mandate for God's people is action that lead to the "release to the prisoners". Language is important to allow imagination of freedom. But action is the one that realises the release of the prisoners. It is our calling to make sure that those in chains are free.
Prayer
God I pray that your Spirit may anoint me afresh so that I can assume the mission of good news for the liberation of your people. AMEN.
No comments:
Write comments