In this sermon, Pastor Musiba goes into extensive detail on how it is our responsibility as Christians to take the gospel of God to those who do not know Him. Within the sermon, Pastor Musiba explains how his own first encounter with God arose after a good friend who had become a believer did not give up in bringing him to the Ocean Church.  Through this one act of advancing the Kingdom, Pastor Musiba’s friend ensured that God planted a seed which eventually blossomed into Pastor Musiba being one of the Pastors at the Ocean Church. Through this powerful illustration, Pastor Musiba demonstrates the promise and power of reaching out to members of our own community. In fact, the sole reason that we exist as Christians is to advance the Kingdom of God.

To provide greater Biblical context on advancing the Kingdom, the sermon relied on the book of John 1: 35-51. 

John 1: 35-51

“The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”…..Jesus said, “You believe] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” He then added, “very truly I tell you,youwill see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’] the Son of Man.”

Through this scripture, 3 standout messages and principles are conveyed to Christians who are looking to advance the Kingdom.

• Our role is to point people to the true King

As shown in the text, John the Baptist’s first instinct after seeing Jesus was to point his followers to Him as the true Messiah. Despite the fact that he had amassed a following of believers, he immediately deferred authority and provided direction to Jesus as the true King of Kings.  This provides the clearest example that our role (even as church leaders) is never to bring followers to us but to the one true King. 

• We should bring our loved ones to Jesus

Andrew, a previous follower of John the Baptist became so passionate about Jesus that one of his first acts of spreading the word was to introduce Simon Peter (his own brother) to Jesus. This was the same Peter who ended up being one of the forefathers of the church. Yet, he would not have learned about Jesus had Andrew not passionately committed himself to spreading the good news to his own family. 

Within our own communities, we are surrounded by loved ones from close family members (siblings, parents, cousins etc.) who have not yet connected to Jesus. This should be one of our first stops in connecting people to Jesus and eternal life. 

How excited are you about Jesus? Are you willing to invite family, friends, and loved ones to Jesus? 

• Leave the transformation to God

When Jesus found Phillip, one of his first acts was to introduce Nathaniel to Jesus. At first, Nathaniel was skeptical, but after the personal encounter, Jesus transformed him to the extent that Nathaniel left everything behind to follow Jesus immediately. Jesus transformed Nathaniel’s skepticism into devoted adherence. All that Phillip did was to invite Nathaniel to come and see.  Do you believe that Jesus is worth knowing? Do you believe that Jesus is the Messiah, Savior of the World, and person who can transform lives?  If yes, then point others to Him and leave the transformation to God. Our only obligation is to invite people to come and see. We should leave the rest to God. 

God wants you to use your relationship to help point people to Jesus. This is one of the precise opportunities where they can meet the Lord. You can do it through inviting someone to church, a connect group meeting, or through the prayer sessions that are held regularly.  A simple act of invitation can change people’s lives.  If every one of us brought an additional member, this could have a transformative impact on people’s lives. 

May the Lord make us uncomfortable with having people that surround us who do not follow Jesus (as they would be destined for eternal condemnation)? May God convict us to bring people to Him now and for the rest of our lives.  For the rest of our lives, may we heed the examples of John the Baptist, Andrew, and Phillip in pointing people to the true King, starting with our loved ones, and spreading it to all those who need to know the Messiah. In fulfilling this basic task, we would have done our parts in advancing the Kingdom as God ultimately does the rest in transforming the lives of followers.