During this sermon, members of the Ocean in Dar welcomed Pastor Jimmy Abrams (a returning Pastor) back to the Ocean Community. Simultaneously, members were also met with the unexpected news that Pastor Ephraim Musiba would be leaving the Ocean for further studies within a year. Curiously enough, this unexpected news tied in well with Pastor Jimmy Abrams’ sermon which challenged members of the church to ask themselves whether they are currently advancing the church.

Historically, God has always used people to Advance the Kingdom. 

God instructed Abraham to move to a distant land. In the book of 1st Samuel, David was anointed King at a very young age but only took up the mantle later on, in the process however, David delivered the Israelites from the clutches of the Philistines.  Similarly, despite serving in a distant land, Nehemiah was called to rebuild Jerusalem so that the Kingdom of God could advance. With each of these situations, God’s servants heeded God’s call to Advance His Kingdom. God did not reveal the entirety of the plan as He first wanted their complete obedience first. The Advancement of the Kingdom does not take place without the Advancement of God’s people.

The Kingdom of God advances:

Through Jesus

 This Biblical truth is embodied in the book of Matthew Ch. 16 vs. 13 -18 which states: “When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” “.,. And I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

As shown in this verse, Jesus clearly explains that He is the Head of the Church and so long as He sits on the throne, Satan (Hades) will never be able to overcome the Church. Jesus Christ is the primary vehicle through which the Kingdom of God advances. This is why any form of leadership or service to the church is essentially a service to Christ and no one else. He ultimately drives the Advancement of the Church. Jesus finds us wherever we are and reshapes our lives so that our purpose is reoriented towards serving Him. Along the way, we also discover that His plans for our lives are far greater than our dreams for ourselves.

Through A Power and a Plan

This too is embodied in the Bible in the book of Acts 1:8 which states: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

The Kingdom of God cannot advance without the power of the Holy Spirit. As Christians, we cannot advance on our own. We can only advance with and through the Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit, we are provided with direction, strength, guidance, while our hard areas are soften and our imperfections smoothed over. Should we be empowered by the Holy Spirit, we will be empowered to reach distant parts of the world starting from our own communities, to the greater city, and distant parts of the world.  If we are well and truly empowered by the Holy Spirit, we cannot remain satisfied where we are, we should heed His call to be His witnesses in Judea, Samaria and all the ends of the earth

Through A Promise

Jesus promised His followers that He has gone to prepare a place for them and that He will eventually return. He has promised to Advance the Kingdom to eternity for all who would believe. As Christians, we play a part in reaching all who would believe.  They are our responsibility. Just like we would not knowingly let our most loved and cherished ones fall by the wayside, so too should we show concern for all who have not yet heard of the Kingdom but are willing to believe. The present challenge however, is that many of us are following Jesus straight to the point where we are comfortable and stop right there.  We like to remain in our comfort zone. To reach the unreached we need to move beyond our own individual comfort zones. This too is where we access Jesus’ promise for our lives. 

Attending the Ocean and going to Church should not be relegated to a mere 2hr weekly commitment. This is only the starting point. It should not be where we finish. We need to pull together to Advance the Kingdom to the eyes that have not seen, ears that have not heard and to minds that cannot comprehend what the Lord has in store for those who love Him.  

“Serve one, attend one, connect, grow, serve, and go.”