It's the Relationship!!

Have you ever heard someone say, I don’t want to listen to the “all-blessing” gospel?  I’m just fed up with people saying come to Jesus He will heal you, you’ll receive a miracle, you’ll get the financial miracle.  Well, just this week I heard this from a sister during my conversation with her.  This person is a believer in Christ.  She has a deep longing and yearning to know what exactly Jesus did by dying on the cross. 

This made me think deeply and intently.  Well, I am not a person who has diluted the Gospel and by God’s immense and sustaining Grace and Power will never do it.  God gave me this vision and burden -“to empower lives for a closer walk with God,” primarily focusing on the relationship with God rather than just the blessing of God.

When we minister to people, there are different kinds of audiences.  Some people look for solutions to life’s problems such as healing, finance, the blessings in life, etc.  Some look for solutions to their emotional and spiritual needs.  No matter what the need is, the only solution is God.  In Him and through Him all things are satisfied and made complete.

When Jesus was preaching the Kingdom of God on this planet, there were different kinds of people around Him.  Some came for healing, some for deliverance, some for other kinds of miracles, and some for hearing His sensational speech and His teachings, which were eye-opening and liberating.  Some were His close followers who had renounced their worldly work and occupations to be with Jesus. Some were fault-finders, always looking for ways to trap Jesus and put an end to Him.

Jesus after His 40 days of fasting began His preaching saying“Change your mind (repent), turn to God for the Kingdom of God has arrived” Matthew 4:17 (paraphrased).  Those who changed their minds and followed Jesus closely became His disciples.  In the four Gospels of the New Testament, we see that Jesus did not share everything with everyone in all situations.  He shared the parables with all but expounded the deeper meanings with His disciples and answered all their questions to bring clarity to their minds.  Many of His teachings were not openly expounded to all.  He shared them exclusively with His disciples.  For example,

Luke 17

²⁰ Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He replied to them by saying, The kingdom of God does not come with signs to be observed or with visible display,

²¹ Nor will people say, Look! Here [it is]! or, See, [it is] there! For behold, the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you].

²² And He said to the disciples, The time is coming when you will long to see [even] one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see [it].

He shares very little with the others, but He takes pain to explain the whole matter and reveal the hidden with His disciples starting from Verses 22 through to 37.

Jesus gave the commission or the authority granted for a particular action or function to His disciples who were His close followers and who were with Him during His 3-1/2 years of ministry on earth.  He says “All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and earth has been given to me.  So my well-trained close followers go and make others also close followers of me like yourself by teaching them God’s Kingdom and God’s Kingdom Principles.

Matthew 28: 16- 20 (Amp)

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed and made an appointment with them.

17 And when they saw Him, they fell down and worshiped Him; but some doubted.

18 Jesus approached and, breaking the silence, said to them, All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.

19 Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

20 Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and consummation of the age. Amen (so let it be).

Therefore, as the Ambassadors of His Kingdom, we need to have a living, active, and growing relationship with our King, growing in the knowledge of Him and His Kingdom. The Lord God reveals Himself in our daily walk with Him through His Word and through our situations and circumstances.  So, shall we walk in the progressive revelation that comes through the ever-growing and progressive relationship with the Lord and King Jesus Christ?

Hope this post has been a blessing to you.  What motivates you to come to Jesus daily? Please feel free to share.

Written by Shanta S. Daniel

[Copyright@ Permission is granted to duplicate this article in its entirety, but only without additions, alterations, or omissions of any kind, including the author and ministry name at the end]