Topic: Ps. Sydney Igbokwe
Text: Luke 19:11-27
As we continue our walk with Jesus, it is of great importance for us to reflect on the mandate for us as believers as we await the coming of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, often times in the Busyness of life and daily grind of life’s routine we tend to lose sight of the words of Jesus to us His servants which he spoke to his disciples as he approached Jerusalem to be tried and crucified. These words we will be seeking to reflect on in this Study- Occupy till I come.
Jesus was about to go through the most trying time for His ministry and the fate of Humanity, Jerusalem posed a lot of travails for Jesus even His death and subsequently His resurrection but He rode in triumphantly into Jerusalem, prior to that He decided to communicate to His disciples about what was the core of this Journey through a parable. Parables where great instruments in the Ministry of Jesus and even today they help us understand clearly the focus of Jesus and the Spiritual insights Jesus wanted his disciples to understand.
Jesus describes a man in the Passage as a nobleman- nobility describes –righteous, virtuous, good, honourable, moral, ethical, reputable. “12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.”
From the Scriptures we see that Jesus was indicating that this Man(Himself) was on a journey to obtain a Kingdom and He calls His Servants ten of them and gives them money with instructions to Occupy, in come versions it says engage, Do Business till He comes. Occupying is not just filling up a space but actively being engaged to maximise full potential of time and resource. He gives each of the ten Servants a pound 13 So he called ten of his servants, and gave them ten minas [one apiece, each equal to about a hundred days’ wages] and said to them, ‘Do business [with this] until I return.’
Jesus was depicting to the disciples that they all have received same Gospel message, One Spirit, One faith and his command to them was to engage with this to produce results, To Occupy till He comes, Jesus has obtained this Kingdom and Like He promised he is coming back again for His church, A church Occupying, A church engage in the Business of God, A church fully committed to the Purposes of God. Jesus Knew they will face Citizens who did not Like the Master, the world will always find the message of Jesus and the Person of Jesus Christ as Savior difficult to accept but as servants will must continue to pursue the Business of God seeking gain for the Kingdom
God has placed great abilities in us as servants and desires that we do business in his vineyard and bring many to His Kingdom
To Occupy as Servants
- Discover what the Master- Jesus has delivered unto us.
- Understand that every deposit of God in your life is of Value
- Let there be an urgency and awareness that the King is coming Back to establish His kingdom on earth
- Recognise the Command to the Church is Occupy till He comes
- Understand that there is no room for Vacuum in the Spirit
- We must be fully engaged in the Business of God
- Use your talent in the Service of Jesus
- Use Allocation to enhance His Kingdom
- Engage in Serving through the Local Church
- Engage in Serving in your community to enhance the Kingdom of God
Jesus in a nutshell was describing himself to his disciples on the purpose of His journey to Jerusalem and he desire for them to carry this Gospel passionately and expect his reward at the end, don’t be distracted by the negativity of the world, Jesus will come for His Occupying Church, A church in service of Jesus,
15 When he returned, after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these servants, to whom he had given the money, be called to him, that he might find out what business they had done.
As believers it is important that we invest our all into the business of our God, get committed to God’s assignment for your life, Bringing in Sons and daughters into the Kingdom. Jesus is coming back to find out what Business we have done. I encourage us as believers Occupy in Prayer, in word, in exhortation, in Giving in all areas of service, giving your all for His Kingdom.