KINGDOM ADVANCEMENT THROUGH SHARING THE GOOD NEWS

KINGDOM ADVANCEMENT THROUGH THE SHARING OF GOOD NEWS

2Ki 7:1-10 KJV 1 Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria. 2 Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof. 3 And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die? 4 If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die. 5 And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there. 6 For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us. 7 Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life. 8 And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it. 9 Then they said one to another, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king’s household. 10 So they came and called unto the porter of the city: and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied, and the tents as they were.

There was famine in Samaria such that in the previous chapter two women planned and arranged to eat their children. They did it on the first day with the son of the first woman but on the second day the other woman hid her child and the other lady felt cheated so she ran to the king. The king was alarmed that such abomination was happening and put the blame on the prophet Elisha.

The reason for the famine was because of the siege of Syria that would not allow movement of goods and services through the borders. 

2Ki 6:25 KJV And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass’s head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver.

They had closed it in on every side, and reduced it to the greatest necessity. 

They wanted to frustrate the Samaritans people until they would come out begging and be taken captive. 

When there is a siege, nothing goes out or comes in, no help is received, everywhere is stagnated and the result is lack. To the Samaritans it was lack of food To some people in our modern day, it could be lack of business, job, growth for business or church or organization, wife or husbands and material things. Whenever there is a siege, the end result would be lack and insufficiency.

Every siege that is surrounding anyone here shall be broken in Jesus name.

In the text we read, Elisha began to prophesied that there shall be abundance in the land in less than 24 hours. The king’s prime minister challenged the word of Elisha and Elisha told him that he will see it but will not partake in it. May the good fortune of our land be experienced in our days in Jesus name.

In order for the prophecy of Elisha to come to pass, there were four lepers at the gate of Samaria who sat themselves down and said look if we continue to sit here we will die of hunger and if we go into the city which is not even permitted they said we will die because there is hunger there too. The only option is to go to the camp of Syria, the enemy. If they kill us no issue and if we are kept alive it will be better.

Sometime, we need to do self debating, introspective activity, and self examinations on our issue and as we meditate on the word of God, solutions will be proffered. Sometimes we need to confront our enemies. Just do something. Don’t sit down like that. Resolve to act. If it is prayer, engage in it stronger than ever before, ask prayer bands and men to join you, share ideas and talk about but just don’t keep quiet about. apply the law of repeated and sustained ministration.

They acted out their resolution. Please act on your faith.

The lepers very early in the morning went into the camp of Syria but by the time they got there, God had pursued the Syrians in a mysterious way. After this encounter your adversaries shall run helter skelter in Jesus name. When they got into the tents, they saw plenty of food, raiment, gold and silver, they packed and packed. Suddenly people that were hungry a few hours ago  and in need suddenly became rich. May such be our experience in Jesus name. May the Lord turn the situation around for good in Jesus name.

After they were tired of packing things they came together again and said something that is wonderful:

2Ki 7:9 KJV Then they said one to another, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king’s household.

They said we are doing well at all. They said that day was a day of good tidings. 

The Hebrew word for “good tidings” is “beśôrâhh”

Phonetic: bes-o-raw’

It means : news, good news, tidings, reward for good news, good tidings. It is equivalent to the word used for gospel in the new testament called “euaggelion”

Phonetic: yoo-ang-ghel’-ee-on

Thayer Definition:

a reward for good tidings, good tidings, the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.

This week, may good tidings be your portion in Jesus name.

They said that they should not keep it to themselves alone. Why? Other people are suffering, in need, lacking in the town even the king is lacking. They resolved to go back and let others know about the abundance that was in the camp of the Syrian. That was how the prophecy was fulfilled and how the famine was brought to abruptly end.

What are the lessons we learn from them?

They were not selfish and self centered people that keep good things to themselves

They had others in mind. They were concerned with other people’s state of affairs.

They were the means by which the prophecy was made to come to pass and lastly they were the means of abundance.

 It is evidence that God can use anyone to solve anybody’s problem. We should never look down on anyone.

The question is today and everyday is a day of good tidings, good news. Are you going to keep it to yourself? Today’s Christians do not act like these lepers. We keep good news of salvation to ourselves, the salvation that Jesus brought is not shared. We are satisfied with the fact that we are born again and going to heaven, others may die and go to hell, it does not concern us. That is the reason why in our prayers it is reflective there. it is all about us, wife, husband, children, car, house, career, job, selling and buying. We hardly pray for the salvation of lost souls around us, we are not even mindful that anyone is perishing, so far we get our own needs met. The welfare of the house of God does not bother modern christians, a christians is comfortable not seeing the four walls of the church for days and weeks and will have enough excuse to justify it. We do not do well. It is not a condemnation but a challenge for us to act like the lepers.

There are many Christians that God had done something for, your family member but we keep it to ourselves so that witches and wizards will not know. And that news would have enlarged the kingdom. Many people would have come to the Lord because of that testimony.

Most people are satisfied with just passively following Jesus. When blind Bartimeaus was healed he followed Jesus 

Mar 10:52 KJV And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.

But when the madman of Gadarene was healed he wanted to follow Jesus but this is what Jesus told him:

Luk 8:38-39 KJV 38 Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.

Mar 5:18-20 KJV 18 And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. 19 Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. 20 And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.

Jesus sent him back to his house and to his friends. This man, according to extra Biblical material, established ten mega churches in ten cities now called Decapolis. 

The story of the leper

There was a leper that was healed by Jesus. Jesus warned him not to tell anyone but he directed him to the priest because they were under the law in the days of Jesus. They were not yet under grace.

Mar 1:45 KJV But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.

Began to publish it much [ ε ρ ξ α τ ο κ ε ρ υ σ σ ε ι ν π ο λ λ α ] . Luk 5:15 puts it, “so much the more” [ μ ? λ λ ο ν ] . One of the best ways to spread a thing is to tell people not to tell. It was certainly so in this case. Soon Jesus had to avoid cities and betake himself to desert places to avoid the crowds and even then people kept coming to Jesus [ ε ρ χ ο ν τ ο , imperfect tense]. Some preachers are not so disturbed by the onrush of crowds.

May your story become glory and may that glory change lives in Jesus name.

In John chapter four, there was an encounter between Jesus and the woman of Samaria. She went into the city to go and tell people about the encounter, the word of Jesus, the message and because of that something happened

Joh 4:39 KJV And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.

How many messages we have heard that we do not deem them fit to be shared with other people. But this woman went to share the message of the word of knowledge given to her and the whole city came to hear Jesus. Kingdom advancement.

Zec 8:23 KJV Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.

Share the good news, talk about it, tell others, pray for the lost should, be a labourer in the vineyard, be about what concerns God.

2Ti 4:2 KJV Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

May the Lord gives you a resounding success