The Sunday News
Kilton Moyo
I pray I will not be misunderstood by my very own in the Body of Christ as I share on this crucial issue. I do not seek to downplay anything but just to try and inspire us believers towards a “one accord, one mind” attitude or place where we can demonstrate the exceeding greatness of His power towards believers.
The current situation in the country is not surprising considering that we are in the world. The world does its own things in the ways of the world. What matters the most is for the Church not to only know that we are not of this world but to demonstrate it even in the manner we respond to the provocations of the world.
In the world, sin is a lifestyle. Sin is regarded as business and development. In the world, sin is regarded as human rights and democracy. The world’s order or systems are such that it must remove the meaning and the power of the word of God in human living. The engagements and dealings in the world are anti-Christ. This is one reason the Bible would say loving the world is enmity to God. You cannot live by both. I desire to see the Church being clear on this so that it can remain focused on its mission and purpose without committing political, economical, social, cultural and spiritual adultery with the anti-Christ.
If we are not careful, like we are right now, we will end up engaging the world in its own terms and bringing shame to the name of our Lord. We are living in perilous times where the world no longer has a conscience and sin is promoted as Human and National development agendas. The increase in sinful activities around our nation is a clear indication of the spiritual status of the world. It is in responding to this that we might miss the point.
I just want to highlight a few of our engagement systems. The way we should respond should bring about the rule of God which the Bible refers to as the Kingdom of God. I am sure we all realise this rule does not depend on the activism of the world. The Kingdom has its own ways and we should be engaging by those ways. We have a duty that no one can take away from us, and that duty is to engage, advocate, confront and seek justice, but the question is how? I seek to answer this here.
Preach the word
This sounds foolish, doesn’t it? But this is our number one assignment. It is the word of God that can overcome sin and sinfulness in humanity. It’s not our demonstrations on the streets. It is the word that purifies people. It is the word that searches the intentions of the human heart. It is the word that convicts. Remember God watches over His word to perform it.
It never returns to Him void. In a time such as this, let us preach the word in our work places, in Parliament, at school, on the streets, and everywhere. Lead people to repentance. Disciple the believers who should live for Christ and not conform to the patterns of the world. The world enjoys sin but we hate sin. We are now ambassadors of a Kingdom of God culture. This we must demonstrate in times such as this.
Pray without ceasing
Prayer is the most powerful tool that we have. We can shut brothels through prayer. We can cause them to repent and receive Christ through our prayers. It boggles the mind when we abandon the place of prayer for worldly activism. Prayer is not a political tool like we see these days. Every Jack and Jill is calling and organising prayers just to be seen to be involved. This is where we miss the plot.
There are two major levels of prayer in a time such as this: The individual level, where believers can come into their closets and bring the Kingdom of God into reality. This level we have seriously abandoned. Then the national level which, if it has to be impactful, must be presided over by Church leaders who have the apostolic mandate to do so. My misgiving now is that everyone out there can mobilise prayer on behalf of the Church and nation. Some of the organisers are dubious characters who openly dine with the devil.
May those who are supposed to lead, please lead. Prayer that would bring principalities and powers of darkness on their knees would require a pure heart and mind agreement and pure unity and not just political gatherings. It is surprising that we are praying so much on social media rather than in real prayer.
Advocate
We speak out as the Church. We confront principalities, powers and rulers. We confront sin and expose it. Our advocacy is based on love and seeks justice for all humanity. Our advocacy calls people unto repentance. We show them the dangers of sin and we show them the work Jesus has accomplished for them on the cross. My challenge with our current approach is that our advocacy has become a money-making programme. We have too many groups coming up in the name of the Church, doing this and that but all for wrong reasons.
When we do it like this, we are portraying a wrong picture of the Church of Jesus Christ which strives on unity and oneness.
We have many highjacking this ministry of the Church for personal glory and benefit. This makes the Church appear weak. If we were a united Body as we are supposed to be, in this country, we would be having only (Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations) ZHOCD spearheading our advocacy and engagements with rulers everywhere. Now am I in trouble? You heard me; we do not need a dozen church groups talking to the Government and all that. We are powerful with one voice of advocacy. While the ZHOCD is engaging, the rest of us are supposed to be in our prayer closets.
Hear me beloved. I do not think we have any business being activists as church. We cannot team up with the world to fight the world. That is strange. We have our own kingdom ways of doing these things. Let us do them. I do not think we have to go and protest by the gates of a brothel. We just have to go to our prayer closets and shut the brothel, unless you are telling me prayer has lost its power in this generation. We just have to visit the Council offices and order them to recall the permits. To me it is that simple. Are there no believers in that council department? Who is dishing out these permits? Let us not abandon our kingdom systems for the activism of the world.
Stay focused. The kingdom of God is at hand. Now He calls on everyone, everywhere to repent. Beloved, Jesus is coming again, whether you believe it or not. He is coming for a winning bride, the Church. Maybe, we need to be in prayer right now seeking His agenda for this season and His prophetic timetable. Do not miss out Church. Zimbabwe, do not miss out on the hour of your visitation. May Believers stand out and bring Heaven on earth. It’s now.
Kilton Moyo is creator of Fruitful Marriages, a renewal and enrichment programme and is a pastor, counsellor and author of The Sex Trap. Call or WhatsApp on +263775337207, +263772610103 or [email protected]
