From The CITY CHURCH To The DESERT CHURCH: THE HEAVENLY MANDATE – THAT’S ONLY POSSIBLE BY HUMILITY!
“Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I WAS NOT DISOBEDIENT UNTO THE HEAVENLY VISION: 20 but shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judæa, and then to the Gentiles, that they should REPENT and TURN to God, and do WORKS meet for REPENTANCE” Acts 26:19-20
The CITY CHURCHES and DESERT CHURCHES are not numbers, but people of God’s CREATION that are WORTH every resource of the heavenly. Sometimes, in the CAUSE of OBEDIENCE to the heavenly mandate, our absolute dedication and commitment to excellence in the Kingdom service are pruned to justify our ESSENCE – motives, in the service of God and to increase productivity in God’s terms [John 15:1-16]. And your ability to RESPOND and not to REACT in God’s terms and perspective thus indicates the assurance and faithfulness one has without prejudice, sentiment, or dissimulation (hypocrisy) TOWARD God’s mandate upon one, in doing LIFE and GODLY LIVING in His grace. And God’s terms could be in ratios, for example 1:1000 or 1000:1, meaning it’s not by human calculation, even as it said in this scripture:
“But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that ONE day is with the Lord as a THOUSAND years, and a THOUSAND years as ONE day” 2 Peter 3:8.
There are many people today who, when they are relocated from their CITY CHURCH placement of glamour and multitudes to a more modest DESERT CHURCH of no glamour and few multitudes, will swiftly resign from the services. They may either kick-start their own ministry as a sign of rebellion and not of necessity, or REACT by complaining, murmuring, and contending throughout their time away from their CITY CHURCH glamour and multitudes per excellence, while at the DESERT CHURCH placement – if they eventually make a move – as in this holy writ:
“Some indeed PREACH Christ even of ENVY and STRIFE; and some also of GOOD WILL: 16 the one PREACH Christ of CONTENTION, not SINCERELY, supposing to ADD AFFLICTION to my bonds: 17 but the other of LOVE, knowing that I am set for the DEFENCE of the gospel. 18 What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in PRETENCE, or in TRUTH, Christ is PREACHED; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice” Philippians 1:15-18.
You see this same scenario above also in MATTERS of life when there is a shift in life rankings, positions and placements to a very different place outside our comfort zone of glamour and excellence. Some go through such moments cursing and attributing it to witch-hunts and all manner of assertions. Others begin legislative sessions to gang up and stage a scene in order to win support and authenticate their spirituality to the placement. And they ensure they stay in a particular spot all through life without craving to be innovative or creative – which, in essence, would have helped them initiate and explore beyond walls, and become more mature and humbled.
God is the only One who determines times and seasons by His own counsel- Acts 17:24-31. And He is not subject to any human factors of any sort, nor does He consult any opinion to ascertain what is good for His purpose and will in any man – Romans 8:28-30; Ephesians 1:11. And in God’s intent to process and prune us so that we become more effectual, productive, and result oriented, His CHANGE in us on His terms is a NECESSITY so that we can be meaningful and able to fulfill His PURPOSE and ESSENCE in us – 1 Corinthians 9:15-17; He may sometimes, and most times, shift our place for His Kingdom advancement and to keep the ENEMY and his COHORTS at bay as He prunes us into bearing much more fruit from a place of no fruit-bearing on His terms – John 15:1-16. If you don’t know and understand what it means to be obedient in the heavenly mandate, you will be fighting and wrestling with God and with men, thinking someone else is undoubtedly undoing you in order to bring you down and rob you of who you’ve claimed you are called of God to be in Him.
However, if you want to eat the good of the Kingdom, you must humble yourself in OBEYING THE HEAVENLY MANDATE shift as Evangelist Philip did with God, irrespective of his placement in a glamour CITY CHURCH. He, in OBEDIENCE to God’s PURPOSE and CAUSES, RESPONDED instead of REACTING to the ministerial shift, from a glamour and joyful SAMARIA CITY CHURCH to a lone one member Ethiopian man DESERT CHURCH. Acts 8:1-40. Only eternity can and would be able to explain in full details, the implications of that mission to the DESERT CHURCH from the CITY CHURCH. Can you do that TODAY? Can you respond and say – YES LORD, to that next shift in your life and or Ministry? Can you afford to change job or allowed to be transferred to a less glamour place to work and do life? Have you ever question while God has PLACED you in certain places that naturally you would not have wish or want to be? Have you come to terms with your life with God, that wherever He leads, you are willing to be OBEDIENT and to say – YES LORD, and follow? These and such like you need to THINK wisely about, before you can WORTH the saying of YES to: “OBEYING THE HEAVENLY MANDATE” as Evangelist Philip of Acts 8:1-40.
God is raising an ARMY today that will take the GOSPEL beyond walls of denomination and land. He’s not just raising people only into the MINISTERIAL calls but into SECULAR and CIVIC duties. And it may not likely be in the place of your CHOICE sometimes. And God’s intent and essence is that through your profession you can TAKE the Gospel to the reach of all – from the CITY to the DESERT. You are that CHURCH that God is building and raising. It’s not the denomination or cathedral architectural building as some may purport. The DESERT CHURCH is that Local and Community assembly near you, that VILLAGE and DEPRAVED PLACE where your presence is a goldmine and precious stones, a missionary to the people there. You don’t have to be only in Ministerial outfits to OBEY the heavenly mandate. Your skill and talent are an absolute opportunity, and your AVAILABILITY is all that God needs so that He can lavishly pour His ABILITY in you and through you to make the difference and to make all things good in every respect. It’s all about becoming the MISSIONARY to meet the MISSION need in your time – either by direct ministerial calling of God or through your professional skills and trade – that is, if you can envision as Apostle Paul foresaw in the Apostolic days, being fully committed and dedicated to advance the cause of God’s Kingdom and to keep the enemy at bay – Acts 16:8-10
“And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas. 9 And a VISION appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, COME OVER into Macedonia, and HELP US. 10 And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to PREACH THE GOSPEL unto them”
I pray that you take time to examine your life very closely in order to ensure you know and understand God’s intent for you in LIFE and GODLY LIVING in His grace and BLESSEDNESS in Christ Jesus stead. Amen; this is very important, and it’s graciousnesss and gracefulness for your wellbeing is beyond description. This knowing and understanding is good for you in context and essence, before you start legislating spirituality in ignorance through some unwarranted and uninformed PRAYER acts as many have done and live unfulfilled.
SELAH – PAUSE AND THINK
SCRIPTURAL THOUGHTS WORTH PONDERING IN CONTEXT:
“Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I WAS NOT DISOBEDIENT UNTO THE HEAVENLY VISION: 20 but shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judæa, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance” Acts 26:19-20.
“If they OBEY and SERVE him, they shall SPEND their DAYS in PROSPERITY, and their YEARS in PLEASURES. 12 But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge” Job 36:11-12.
“If ye be WILLING and OBEDIENT, ye shall EAT the GOOD of the land” Isaiah 1:19.
“You will SHOW me the PATH OF LIFE; In Your PRESENCE is FULLNESS of joy; In Your RIGHT HAND (RIGHTEOUSNESS) there are PLEASURES forevermore” Psalms 16:11 (Emphasis Mine).
“HUMBLE yourselves in the SIGHT of the Lord, and he shall LIFT you up” James 4:10.
“Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and BE CLOTHED WITH HUMILITY: for God RESISTETH the proud, and GIVETH grace to the HUMBLE. 6 HUMBLE yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may EXALT you in due time: 7 casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” 1 Peter 5:5-7.
“By HUMILITY and the FEAR (REVERENTIAL FEAR) of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life” Proverbs 22:4 (Emphasis Mine).
“He that REFUSETH instruction DESPISETH his own soul: but he that HEARETH reproof GETTETH understanding. 33 The FEAR (REVERENTIAL FEAR) of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before HONOUR is HUMILITY” Proverbs 15:32-33 (Emphasis Mine).
“. . .5 Then PHILIP went down to the CITY OF SAMARIA, and PREACHED CHRIST unto them. 6 And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 7. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. 8 AND THERE WAS GREAT JOY IN THAT CITY . . . 26 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and GO TOWARD THE SOUTH unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is DESERT. 27 And he arose and went: and, behold, A MAN OF ETHIOPIA, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, AND HAD COME TO JERUSALEM FOR TO WORSHIP . . .” Acts 8:1-40.
“They that DWELL in the WILDERNESS shall BOW before him; and his ENEMIES shall lick the dust” Psalms 72:9.
“But I have used none of these things: neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me: for it were better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying void. 16 For though I PREACH THE GOSPEL, I have nothing to glory of: for NECESSITY IS LAID UPON ME; YEA, WOE IS UNTO ME, IF I PREACH NOT THE GOSPEL! 17 For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a DISPENSATION of the GOSPEL is COMMITTED unto me” 1 Corinthians 9:15-17.
SUMMARY:
This message is a prophetic charge plus teaching on obedience to God’s placement and purpose. The core argument: God’s mandate is fulfilled through humility, not position, glamour, or human calculation.
- Central ThemeplusScripture Anchor
The whole message is anchored on Acts 26:19-20: “I WAS NOT DISOBEDIENT UNTO THE HEAVENLY VISION…”
Thesis: The CITY CHURCH and DESERT CHURCH are not buildings or crowd sizes. They are people — God’s CREATION, WORTH every heavenly resource. God’s mandate is to take the GOSPEL “from the CITY to the DESERT” through you. Humility is the only pathway to OBEY.
- God’s Sovereignty in Times, Seasons & Placement
– God alone determines times and seasons by His counsel — Acts 17:24-31. He is not subject to human factors or opinions — Romans 8:28-30; Ephesians 1:11.
– Pruning is a NECESSITY — John 15:1-16. God processes us through CHANGE on His terms, so we become effectual, productive, result-oriented, and bear much fruit.
– God’s math is not human math — 2 Peter 3:8. A Day is as 1000 years and 1000 years as a day. Placement shifts may look like 1:1000 or 1000:1, but His terms are perfect.
- The Test: CITY CHURCH vs DESERT CHURCH
The message contrasts 2 responses when God shifts you:
– REACT = Rebellion, murmuring, complaining, kicking up your own ministry, legislating spirituality through uninformed PRAYER acts. Some PREACH from ENVY, STRIFE, CONTENTION — Philippians 1:15-18. This comes from ignorance of the heavenly mandate.
– RESPOND = Humble obedience like Evangelist Philip. He left the glamour + GREAT JOY of SAMARIA CITY CHURCH to obey God’s shift to a DESERT road to reach one Ethiopian man — Acts 8:1-40. Only eternity can explain the impact of that one-man mission.
Warning: If you don’t understand obedience, you’ll fight God and men, thinking someone is undoing you and robbing your calling.
- God is Raising a New Kind of ARMY
God is not just raising MINISTERIAL calls. He’s raising people into SECULAR and CIVIC duties. Your skill, talent, and AVAILABILITY are your mission field. You ARE the CHURCH God is building — not a denomination or cathedral.
The DESERT CHURCH is the local, community, VILLAGE, DEPRAVED PLACE near you where your presence is a goldmine. You don’t need ministerial outfits to OBEY. Through your profession you TAKE the Gospel to all. Be the MISSIONARY for your time like Apostle Paul who said “YES LORD” to Macedonia — Acts 16:8-10.
- The Call to Self-Examination plus Humility
– Examine your life closely to know God’s intent for you in LIFE and GODLY LIVING in His grace and BLESSEDNESS — “Christ Jesus indeed”.
– Humble yourself under God’s mighty hand — James 4:10; 1 Peter 5:5-7. God RESISTETH the proud but GIVETH grace to the HUMBLE. Before HONOUR is HUMILITY — Proverbs 15:33.
– Obedience = Prosperity — Job 36:11-12; Isaiah 1:19. “If ye be WILLING and OBEDIENT, ye shall EAT the GOOD of the land.” God will SHOW you the PATH OF LIFE — Psalms 16:11.
- Final Charge/Questions to the Reader
The message ends with piercing questions:
Can you say YES LORD to the next shift? Can you change jobs or accept transfers to a less glamour place? Have you questioned why God PLACED you where you are? Are you willing to be OBEDIENT wherever He leads?
Like Apostle Paul: “NECESSITY IS LAID UPON ME; YEA, WOE IS UNTO ME, IF I PREACH NOT THE GOSPEL!” — 1 Corinthians 9:15-17.
In one line: God is calling His people to drop the craving for CITY glamour/multitudes, embrace humility, and OBEY the HEAVENLY MANDATE — whether in a CITY CHURCH or DESERT CHURCH, in pulpit or profession — because your obedience, not your position, determines Kingdom fruit.
REV. CHUKIE MORSI
Leave a Reply