Message not the messenger
[12]At that time Berodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.
[13]And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and shewed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.
[14]Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country, even from Babylon.
[15]And he said, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All the things that are in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them.
[16]And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD.
[17]Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD.
[18]And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.
[19]Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?
[20]And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
[21]And Hezekiah slept with his fathers: and Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.
MEMORISE: And Hezekiah was attentive to them, and showed them all the house of his treasure-the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and all his armoury- all that was found among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them (2 Kings 20:13)
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EXPOSITION
Every believers is commissioned to witness for Christ. He is not the message but only a witness, the subject of witnessing is Christ, the story of His birth, ministries, suffering, death, burial, resurrection and His second coming, it is the GOSPEL the message of salvation. Christ is to be introduced to unbeliever not the messenger. It is the MESSAGE not the MESSENGER.
Gospel is revealing God through Christ telling man the whole purpose of God for him. It is unveiling God's redemptive plan; it is reflecting God to man through Christ mirror's. It is unfortunate today that the witness has turned himself to the message. He talks all about self achievements: travelling, education, popularity, marriage, etc, but not Christ - the True Gospel. The only thing today's preacher forgets to talk about is the message. He has usurped the message. The credentials of the gospel belong not to you but the Master. What do you have that is not given? He is the source of our achievements as Christians.
Apostle Paul should be an example to the end time Christians and preachers. We are expected to use every opportunity to witness Christ. He presented Christ to King Agrippa through his defence. Acts 26. He preached Christ in Rome to a multitude.
King Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20:12-17 had a great opportunity to show God of Israel to the envoys of King of Babylon. Instead, he showed his wealth, strength, influence, encounter and power. He talked about self not about God. He never enjoyed the consequences.
Gospel is not about us but Him, His story and His salvation power. If we are going to make any impact in the area of evangelism and get people to cross over to Christ, today's preachers must stop introducing themselves to unbelievers but Christ who they need.
Christians should focus everyone's attention on God, rather than using every situation to make us look good. We should turn every situation to a powerful witness for the Lord. We must have courage to speak for Him whenever the opportunity arises.