PRESS TOWARD THE MARK OF THE HIGHER CALLING


By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi
Phil 3:13-14 KJV “ Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
  The word ' press '  used in the above scripture is the Greek word ‘ Dioko ‘ and it means to flee, to pursue , to persecute .”  the believer in Christ is engaged in a spiritual warfare by virtue of the fact that he or she operates by a system that is diametrically opposed and mutually exclusive to the world’s system or popular worldview .
     We have been called by Jesus Christ and given the power of attorney to represent him on  earth while propagating the gospel of his kingdom . This calling is sacred , it is described as a holy order or calling in
2 Timothy  1:9 KJv  “ Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,” it is not a religious calling as some suppose it to be but a calling by grace . You do not need a theological degree to be qualified to answer the call but a good understanding of scriptures is a priority to be effective in answering this call . It will be to your advantage to have a basic course and understanding of  Christian apologetics ( the logical approach to faith ) and hermeneutics ( the art of understanding scripture while considering the original language in which a text is written basically the Greek and Hebrew  ) A good Christian bible dictionary is of great importance , I recommend the Strong Biblical concordance and dictionary .
        There are bible dictionary applications that can be downloaded from the Google play store such Mysword, AndBible these are very good mobile tools that makes studying scriptures much easier . You should be able to defend your faith when it comes under attack from the enemy . It is the ability to defend your faith that makes you worthy for the master’s use  2 Thess 1:11 KJV says   “ Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power:”
      This involves making a commitment in your local church to protect the unity of the church by acting in love towards others (1Pet.1:22) refusing to engage in gossip (Eph 4:29) and to follow the leaders to whom we are assigned to ( Heb.13:17)
    We are also expected by  the lord to share in the responsibility of our church by showing good and warm hospitality to visitors ( Rom.15;7) and inviting the unsaved to attend church gatherings (Luke14:23) and praying for the pastor  2 Thessalonians  3:1 AMP says  “ FURTHERMORE, BRETHREN, do pray for us, that the Word of the Lord may speed on (spread rapidly and run its course) and be glorified (extolled) and triumph, even as [it has done] with you,”  We are also expected to daily pray for the healthy increase of the church (1Thesselonians 1:1-2) while we attend faithfully and actively (Heb.10:25) and demonstrate a godly lifestyle  before our neighbours (Phil.1:27 ) and be committed to giving our time and resources ( money ) regularly in accordance to  the scriptures (1Cor.16:2, Gal.6:6, Gen14:20)
     We are also expected to play active roles in the local assembly by discovering our gifts and talents and using them to God’s glory (1Pet 4:10) and be ready to serve alongside our pastors with a servant’s heart (Phil 2:3-4,7, Ephesians 4:11-12) by so doing we are better positioned to keep pressing against the tide of the ungodly world system towards the mark of the heavenly calling in Christ .
Prayer : Heavenly Father forgive me of my sins against you , I  believe Jesus Christ died and was raised again for my salvation , I receive him as lord and savior and receive grace to press towards the mark of the heavenly calling in Jesus name.
+2348098536911, +2348098536911 email:michaelbensonajayi@gmail.com
 

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