The Agenda

Read: Malachi 3:1-4

Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness. Malachi 3:3, NIV

IN WORD

God has an agenda. It isn’t a selfish or manipulative agenda, like many of ours are. It is, however, relentless and unfailing. God will not be denied fulfilling the purpose of His creation. He will have fellowship with and be worshiped by those made in His image, and He will not stop until His mission is accomplished. Contrary to the opinions of the hosts of hell, His plan cannot be thwarted.

Every creature ought to be aware of that. It’s literally a crying shame that many people around this world are oblivious to the necessary direction of history. God gave us a perfect object lesson in His Word when He purified the Levitical priests through captivity and judgment. But that was not a comprehensive, permanent cleansing, and it certainly wasn’t the end of God’s purifying work for Israel or for this world. All of history is hurtling toward the ultimate cleansing and a totally pure eternal Kingdom. When Jesus comes again, there will be no going back.

In Christ, we are a royal priesthood in this world—a purified royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9)—and it’s our responsibility to inform our world of its destiny. Those who are on board with God’s agenda in God’s way will enjoy the perfect Kingdom forever, and those who are opposed to God’s agenda will not. And for those who are opposed, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. They will see the staggering difference between the Kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness, and they will realize that the small choices of today have determined on which side of that difference they’ll stand. Truly, the mission of the royal priesthood is a sobering mission.

IN DEED

Are you sobered by the thought of your mission? Is your agenda the same as God’s—to see people bring offerings in righteousness to the King of all creation? To rescue those outside of God’s Kingdom and to celebrate with those inside of it? If not, line up with destiny. There’s no better place to be.

ADDITIONAL READING: Revelation 22:10-15

Christian mission is the only reason for our being on earth.

ANDREW MURRAY