Today’s church is crying out for men and women who are burdened for God. We are in desperate need of people who have a single passion and will be dedicated to pursue their God with all of their being. The eyes of the Lord are roaming the earth; they are searching for those who are resolved to stand in the gap behalf of the nations. In other words the Lord is searching for burdened souls. The world needs men and women who are burdened for God, His word and His glory. People who are burdened about the gospel and lost souls. People who will with a sense of urgency proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to the perishing world.
Is the church of Jesus Christ full of burdened people? Are we as Christians passionately pursuing our God and His glory with all our hearts, minds, soul and strength? Are we moved with compassion by the millions who do not know and therefore worship our God that we are desperately pleading with them to turn to Christ in repentance? These are the questions that have been disturbing my soul lately because I fear we have become double minded as Christians. I sense a Luke warmness in the church today towards God, His word and His glory. I sense a casualness with the gospel and the plight of sinners. Indeed I fear that one will have more success finding an oasis in the desert than finding people with a real burden for God. I fear that Bible Colleges and Seminaries are more concerned about producing students who have conformed to a system of theology than are passionately burdened about God’s work, lost people and God’s glory. I fear that the church is more burdened about investing in more, bigger and fun programs than we are investing in knowing God and proclaiming the gospel to lost people. I fear we are more burdened about our entertainment and social media such that we are more concerned about the next football match, next series and updating Facebook and our twitter feeds than we are about pleasing God with our lives so that He may be glorified in all things. Oh that God would raise up an army of burdened Christians who will passionately be zealous for Him among us.
What does the bible say about the need for burdened people? There is no better place to begin than the amazing account in Ezekiel 9 where the Lord is abhorred with the idolatry of the people and priest alike and in the midst of all that he looks for those who “sigh and groan” over the wickedness of the nation. This chapter and the preceding one say at least two things; God wants his people to be burdened about his glory and he takes the absence of a burden among his them seriously. It was this same burden that made Nehemiah do great exploits for God (Nehemiah 1:4). The oracles of the prophets are referred to as burdens (Isaiah 13:1, 14:28, 15:1, etc., Nahum 1:1, Habakkuk 1:1, Malachi 1:1). It is the same burden that lead Paul be passionate about lost souls to the extent that he was willing to tread his own salvation (Rom 9:1-3). We also see Jesus’ example in Matthew 9:36 were His burden for the people moved him with compassion.
If a burden for God is essential why is it that some people lack the burden and others have lost it? The first reason people are not burdened is a lack of an eternal view. They are only consumed by the affairs of the world and all their energies are directed at amassing wealth, being entertained and getting more educated that they soon lose sight of the majesty of God and forget the reason for their existence. In other words they are living as though the things of this world are all that matter in life. They do not store treasure in Heaven. The second is a sinful life. When you are living in sin you lack the desire to know God and do His work nor do you have the enablement to carry it out. And all you do is go through the motions like a lifeless corpse. The third is when people are detached from the work of the ministry. Whenever someone is not exposed to the needs, frustrations and blessings of the ministry, they lack the burden. When all you have are theories in your head of what should be done, and lack the exposure of what actually on the ground, you will lack the burden that comes with such exposure.
What does the church desperately need today? Conrad Mbewe summed it up perfectly in a lecture he gave on ministry.
“Men of the time, who discern the signs of the time, the possibilities of the time, the potentials of the time, as well as the seasons, movements, and dangers of the time become God’s prophets to His people and the world. Instead of being cast into the mould of history they make history. Instead of being frustrated by the storms of the times they ride the crest of the waves triumphantly for God and His cause. Thus the question is whether we are tradition bound or anchored fearlessly in such a time as this. Men of the time are urgently needed. While others may survive, these will triumph and lead the cause of Christ in the triumphs of our Lord”[1].
[1] Mbewe, Conrad. Church based ministries and missions. Seminar address. 2012
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