Fulfil His will today

Introduction by Andrew Love

It struck me this week that we have today, we don't know what tomorrow brings; we may not have tomorrow, but we have today. Today the call of God is to fulfil His will today, not next week.

I just want to introduce Apostle Odia again. There are some people in life that you just make a connection with and I think God orders all things and some of the connections you make will influence your future. I don't know what that connection is going but I do think a connection has been made between this church and his work in Ghana. I don't know where it is going but I'm thankful to God for Apostle Odia's encouragement and example.

By Pastor Francis Odia

I want to confess that London has not been part of my agenda this year. And so for me to get a Visa in ten days and to be standing before you today is a miracle.

This morning I want you to turn with me to Luke.

Luke 10:29-37

The Priests saw and they passed by but the Levite saw and had compassion. May your hearts and souls be filled with compassion.

In the story we just read, the lawyer asked Jesus who was his neighbour. Jesus answered that our neighbour is anyone we have the opportunity to help, regardless of whether they are a Christian or not. There are six things I want this house to take note of:

1. The lawyer saw the wounded man was a (something)

2. The robbers saw the wounded man as someone to exploit.

There is a difference between a thief and a robber. A thief can steal from you when you are not aware of it, but a robber can steal from you when you are. God said in Malachi, if you take my (something) you are a robber because God is watching you while you are stealing His money. But Jesus described these people as thieves.

3. The religious men saw the wounded man as a problem to be avoided.

4. The innkeeper saw the wounded man to serve for a fee.

I don't know where you find yourself today.

5. To the Samaritan the wounded man was a person worthy of his compassion.

I want to explain this: the Jews and the Samaritans don't agree because the Jews are the pure descendants of Abraham, whereas the Samaritans are not, they are the Jews who have intermarried with the Gentiles. So the pure Jews hate the Samaritans. But the Samaritan saw the wounded man worth being cared for and loved.

6. To Jesus all of them and all of us are worth dying for.

I want to encourage you here that we have been called to reach the dying world. The Bible says that when we were yet sinners He loved us and offered Himself, so that through His death, the Chinese, the English, the Canadians can be reconciled back to God. To Jesus the wounded man was worth dying for.

All around us, from Brentwood to London to Ghana there are people who have been wounded by thieves. Some of our children have been wounded by drugs, some of our husbands and wives have been wounded by the devil. Everyone that is wounded needs attention. No religion in this world has an answer for mankind's need, except through Jesus Christ. Men and women in Trinity we are God's people called by Him, washed by the blood for God's work to be accomplished on earth. The reason why God has allowed you to be here to hear this message is so you can reach the wounded world. Your wounded world begins from your Jerusalem. The devil is a liar; everyone that is wounded will be reached through Christ.

I want to say again that religious leaders don't have the answers. No religious organisation has the answers for wounded souls. No religious leaders have answers for the world that we live, in except Jesus. God will use people in each generation to help the wounded souls. If anyone will avail Himself unto God, He will use that person. You can be a Jew, a Gentile, a Samaritan, but if you say Lord 'use me', He will. Not all are called to preachers, but all are ministers of God. If you sweep a house in Ghana you use a broom but here you use a Hoover. When you turn the Hoover on in your house you are a minister in that house. All the singers here, all those who give out leaflets on the streets, you are ministers to the dying world. If God can find people who are willing to go the extra mile, the wounded world can be reached.

Christians everywhere tend to be so self-focused. The wounded man needed attention. The Samaritan was on his own journey, he had his own plans for the day. But because this man saw a need he allowed his programme to be disrupted. There is nothing wrong if your plan is disrupted by God for a divine course. I am here to announce to you that if you really want God to make use of your life, you must avail yourself. The Samaritan got down from his animal and bandaged the man. No one in this life can be rich without God using somebody.

I want to make two statements: God is sovereign. Sometimes He can visit somebody as He visited Saul, without any human involvement. God is still doing that in the Muslim world today, supernaturally giving them dreams they have no answers for. Anytime God won souls in the Bible, by revealing Himself to them, people became blind, for example, Saul. The moment Jesus said, 'I am He', he became blind. So God doesn't reveal Himself to people for soul-winning, He uses people.

There are two things I want to say today:

1. The world must be rich by us having oil in our hands. Oil stands for the anointing. The Bible said the Samaritan took the man to the inn and poured oil in his wounds.

Without the power of God what we have would be religion, but when we have the anointing yolks will be destroyed.

2. The Samaritan gave the man some wine, which stands for the blood of Jesus.

The Bible says there are three things that bear record in heaven and on earth: the spirit, the water and the blood. The three are one. Every child of God must have enough wine in his hands. You must carry the power of the blood in your life. You must also have the oil in your hands.

Revelation 6:6

When you read from verse 1 you see four horses: red, pale, black and white; each representative of something. This chapter is revealing the economical struggles in the last days that everything we see will be shaking except two things: the angels that will bring death, famine and economic hardship, have been commanded not to touch the oil and the wine. Everyone here who has the oil and the wine, Satan will try to bring down, but because of the oil and the wine, God will take the glory at the end.

The angels of God commanded the ones that sat on the horse that they could touch everything but the oil and the wine. You see when you become a Christian family, or a church, that respects the blood of Jesus and the oil so much, whatever the devil does, it will work for your good. In Judges it says that out of the strong came (sweetness?). The lion that was designed to kill, God made it to produce honey. Everything that had been designed by the devil to destroy you, will work for your God. God will cause the lion's carcass to produce honey for your enjoyment. Everything Satan has plotted to destroy: this church, your homes and this world, because of the workings of God everything will be turned around to produce good to His glory.

Abraham asked God whether He would destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if He could find ten righteous men and God said no. I am here to tell you that there are more than ten righteous people in this church. By the Spirit of God I announce that every power that has conspired to destroy what God has begun, out of it shall flow honey and sweetness because you cannot destroy what God has established with the blood of His son. The church was purchased by the very blood of Jesus. The grave cannot hold His blood. The gates of hell cannot stand against the finished work of Christ. What God has put together, no man can pull asunder. Our lives are so precious in the sight of God. Why? Because it took the blood of His own Son to bring you this far. You are not here by chance; you are here because heaven has signed your presence to be here now. You are in the hands of God, and when you are there no enemy can snatch you out of the hands of God; it is impossible.

Today, God is looking for men and women with a compassionate heart. All God is looking for is people who know that this dying world needs attention. If you are hurt in any way in your life, this is the time to allow God to heal you because there are many people who are wounded and are ready to die, and how can you save a dying world if you too are dying? As God is speaking to you today I want to challenge you to start a revolution in this church. I want us to make a problem for the leadership. Before you give your family Christmas presents this year, give the family of God one soul. The Bible says that when one sinner comes to Christ heaven rejoices. So before you make your children rejoice, make heaven happy first. Then by Christmas time, there will be so many souls added to the family of God that this church will have to two services on Sunday.

If each one of you would say that my life on earth is meaningless unless I become like Jesus - a soul-winner, souls would be added to the church. Jesus is a teacher, preacher, healer, and soul-winner. The Bible says: as He is, so are we in this world. That's why I am convinced that as long as I live, this Gospel must be preached every day, everywhere.

I will close with two things: it is a mystery when you came into this world, you don't know the day or the hour, and when you leave this world it will be a mystery too. But there is one thing we can be sure of: you can prepare your home up there by what you do in this life. I want to encourage the family of God here so that everyone will not end this year without having added a soul to the church. People can't be saved unless they are preached to.

I want to end with a story. I was going to chase a woman and I found Jesus. I didn't find Jesus in a church, I found Jesus in a girl's aunt's room. I told you already that I wasn't from a Christian home but, when I was in polytechnics, I went to Nigeria by bus and supported myself with the business of trading between Ghana and Nigeria. In two months I met a lady many times on the same flight. So I thought she would be good for friendship. God can take the foolish things in this life and use it for His glory. This girl directed me to her house. So I went on 4th November 1983; I will never forget that day until I am laid to rest. When I went there the girl I was looking for was not there, but her aunt was. So for almost two hours this Holy Ghost-filled aunt had the opportunity of talking to this girl-chasing sinner. I did not go to church and I didn't even believe that God could bless.

After two hours this girl had not come back, but the aunt had talked to me about Jesus, His love and the plan of God until I yielded to her invitation of sanctimony. That day I went to church and when I heard the Gospel I surrendered to Jesus. Since that day I have not regretted giving my life to Jesus once. This woman was not a preacher, just a church-goer like us. But she found the opportunity, given by God, for her to minister to me. We have only 6 billion people in this world, you will not meet all of them, but you will meet some, and they are the people God wants you to touch with His Gospel. This woman saw that this boy, that had been sent to chase a girl, was a candidate for heaven. Today, here I am. If that woman had closed her mouth, would I be standing before you today? The more we close our mouths and don't reach out to the wounded souls, the more we allow people to die and go to hell.