The 2024 annual Global Mandate Conference came to an end on Sunday, February 25 with a charge from the convener, Rev Toyin Kehinde to missionaries on how they could slay their giants.
The four-day event started on Thursday, February 22. It attracted about 200 missionaries from across Africa including city pastors. At the closing event, Rev Kehinde told the missionaries to work towards eliminating the remaining giants in their lives.
He spoke on the topic, “the remaining giants” while noting that, “We all have giants we have to face in our lives and in our ministry lives. There are certain lifestyles that do not glorify God that we are yet to conquer. And there are aspects of our ministry that stand like giants to us that we need to conquer.”
Drawing lessons from the life of the biblical David, Rev Kehinde said it got to a point in the life of David that he could no longer go to war, yet there were many more giants left unconquered.
“David at a point in his life was tired and weary. He was advised not to go to war again so that the light of Israel would not be extinguished. But yet the giants have to be slayed.” He said.
For the missionaries to conquer their giants Rev Kehinde who is also the founder of Agape Generation International Church said they will need great friends, great faith, and great focus.
He explained that it was the people around David who helped him when he was weak and could no longer go to war.
“You cannot be strong for 24 hours for the whole of your life. You will need people and great friends who can be an encouragement to you and help you in your vulnerable moment. You will need people who will love you when you are not around and support you.”
He said further that the missionaries will need great faith to carry on the work of missions. “It is not the weight of the work that matters. No matter the size of the giant in our lives, look up to God. We walk by faith, not by sight.” The GMC convener said while pleading with the missionaries not to lose focus.
He said “If God has called you to missions, remain there. Do not be distracted. There will be the temptation to be distracted but stay focused. Leave every other person to do what God has called them to do, you remain focused on your assignment. We are all going to give an account of our stewardship”
NEMA South West
Earlier at the closing session, The South West Coordinator of the Nigeria Evangelical Missions Association, Samson Oyekale Oyesola noted that the allegiance of many ministers of God has shifted away from what God called the church to do which is evangelism and missions.
Read also: How to support missionaries:https://churchtimesnigeria.net/many-missionaries-are-suffering-silently-they-need-support-pst-toyin-kehinde/
He said, “Many of us are like the elder brother of the prodigal son. The elder brother of the prodigal son was never worried about what worried his father. The younger brother was missing but the elder brother was not bothered. We give priority to things that are not essential whereas there are souls that are perishing. Missions is the church’s enterprise. It is the mind of God for the church. The earlier we return, the better for us as God’s children.”
Commenting on the conference theme, “put in the sickle” he said, “God is depending on us as his children to go to work and bring in the harvest. It is the foolish son who goes to sleep during harvest.”
He said Christians exist to harvest souls. “It is important we go and harvest souls for the kingdom. There are 43 unreached people groups in Nigeria. Globally we have 8 billion souls, and only just about 2 billion are Christians. An average of 47,000 people die daily, some of them to a Christless grave. This is time for us to put in the sickle and help to harvest lost souls”