Bring them All in

It is a painful experience to organize an event that would be at least entertaining if not positively
educative for friends, loved ones and esteemed personalities, and not find them at the occasion on
the said date. That is, after having done the needful in terms of planning and invitations. It is
disheartening.

In such instances, we are somehow comforted by God when we surprisingly see some unknown or
uninvited guests filling up the space, or even making comforting contributions to our efforts, in a
way that we begin to feel encouraged at the end of the day. We feel relieved that there are at least
people available to benefit from or make use of whatever we have made available, instead of letting
them all go to waste. Notwithstanding though, there are some delicacies or special benefits that we
have put aside which we would not give out to just any unknown or ad-hoc guest if our preferred
guests are not present; unless, the new guest(s) displayed some special quality behavior, or met
some/all of our expectations.

In the same vein, the King that prepared a marriage feast for His son in Matthew chapter 22 verses
1 to 14, was greatly unhappy to find his preferred guests unwilling/unavailable to attend the
wedding of his son, despite the lavish preparations that he has made for them. They even displayed
arrogance and unworthiness by going as far as discouraging others from attending the party. They
furthermore killed some of his messengers. As a result then, the king commanded that any individual
that is found on the streets/highways, who is available and/or willing to attend the party should be
invited in, to fill up the empty space, and enjoy the goodies of the party. However, the king refused a
particular individual the privilege of enjoying the special benefits in the feast because the individual
did not meet the basic requirement for attending feasts. That is, to at least dress appropriately.

This illustration that was told by Jesus Christ to His disciples, the Chief Priests/Pharisees, and others
present was used by Him to explain the nature of the Kingdom of God, and the criteria for becoming
a part of it. This special kingdom was prepared originally for the Jewish people. That is the children
of Israel. However, the gates of the kingdom was later thrown open to everyone else when the
Jews/Israelites repeatedly undervalued it, rejected it and fought to discredit it by their actions
towards the laws of God; towards the messages of the prophets, and their outright rejection of Jesus
Christ as the way/the Son of God. These actions are documented in the accounts of Exodus,
Numbers, Leviticus, Deuteronomy; Joshua, Judges, through Kings/Chronicles, on to Isaiah, Jeremiah,
Ezekiel, and so on; till the books of the Gospel, the Acts and the new testament letters. See Romans
11.

Consequently, God directed that everyone else that is willing and available from all walks of life
should be brought in. A few emphasis on this directive of God are as follows:

1. God commands that we should bring them All in.

“Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.So
those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found,
both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.” Matthew 22:9-10 KJV.
 Entrance into the kingdom of God begins with a door and a stairway that winds up into
heaven. Although the steps are many, the very first one is to hear about God’s invitation and
simultaneously get invited into one of God’s houses on earth (the churches of God). After
which the door to officially ascend the stairs and climb up becomes open to the individual
after baptism. As faithful servants of God, our utmost priority should be to speak about
God’s invitation to everyone that we can find, and get them to come to church. This can be
done by way of bringing the church to them through door to door evangelism, outdoor
services and crusades; in the streets, communities, online platforms, etc. It does not matter
immediately whether they have accepted Jesus Christ or not, just get them to hear
constantly God’s invitation and come to church.

2. Try all you can to bring them in and keep them.

The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 9 verses 16 to 27 explains the relevance of this to
us. He says that we should do all we can (that is everything morally right within our powers)
to bring as many people as we can unto God, and into the church. We should also try to
ensure that the people we bring in are encouraged enough to remain in church. For
example, we should be charitable, friendly, tolerant, enduring, long-suffering, etc towards
them. See Romans chapter 1 verses 15 to 18.

3. Teach and encourage them as babies and occasionally give them the hard truths.

To keep the newcomers and your congregation in church, try as much as possible to teach
and encourage them gently and firmly simultaneously. Let the hard truths of the kingdom
come in between pampering if necessary to keep them encouraged. See 1 Peter 2:2, 1
Corinthians 3 :2, Isaiah 28:9.

4. Endeavor to make them understand that there is a prize to be won.

It is the value attached to a thing that makes people willing to strive or put effort towards it.
Teach the congregation to know that there is a major prize to be won at the end, and
smaller prizes to be picked up along the way. Help them to understand that without a
garment, they cannot enjoy these prizes and benefits of the feast or the kingdom of God. It
is the knowledge of the prize and respect for the prize that enables us to get a garment. Our
efforts along the way, helps us to acquire more special garments. That is garments that gives
the wearer access to more reserved privileges. Just like we find in the different uniforms of
the military or armed forces. See 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, 1 Peter 2:1-5, 9-12, etc.

5. You need a garment to remain in the feast /Kingdom of God, and to keep enjoying the
privileges of the kingdom.

As garment is a clothing that covers/beautifies the body. In this context, it is a special

clothing/cloth that is befitting for an important occasion. To go further, it is what identifies
us in the spirit realm.

As children of God or those worthy of dining with Him, we ought to be clothed in clean,
bright, perfumed, white, and royal garments spiritually; if we are to keep enjoying the
privileges of associating with Him. Failure to do this, will keep us at a distance from where
the good things are; or cause us to be taken out of the palace/Kingdom, if not an outright
refusal to allow us in.

Recall the response of God to the man without garment in Matthew 22 verses 22 to 14. We
would loose out completely because we will be treated like trash by the devil and his forces
on earth. We would also get to spend eternity in hell at the end if we do not make efforts to
get the right garments. We would loose out both ways because there would be no
prizes/benefits for us, and no royal authority/privilege. See Revelations 2:7, 17, 26; 3:5, 12,
17-21; 22:12 - 13.

I urge you to accept God’s invitation and visit a church this Sunday. As you visit, try as well to
continue to attend. If unsure of where to worship God, please put a call or message to me,
and I will gladly recommend one to you.

I pray that the Spirit of God will direct you, help you stay on track, and enable you not to be
cast out in the end, in Jesus Mighty Name.

For inquiries, call or message

07080714946 (calls and messages) , 07018158903 (WhatsApp only)

Do have a great day.