In the use of carts and horses for the transportation of goods, the traditional, reasonable and workable arrangement is, “putting the horse before the cart”, so that the former could pull the latter. To do otherwise is to stall the desired movement.
But this is exactly what many in the Church are now doing, in that they are now putting the things that accompany salvation (e.g. healing, deliverance and other diverse miracles) first and foremost, and almost forgetting salvation itself.
These days, because of the manifestation of the Spirit and power of God in our midst, knocking off (on continual basis) those terrible health, economic and spiritual situations in the people’s lives, the majority of the people – the pastors, their flocks and the rest have thrown overboard the golden rule – “seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). The people no more realise that God allows these painful situations in their lives as one means of drawing them to Himself ( cp John 6:44 ,65 ).
As they are drawn to Him, He removes their predicaments, so as to work out in them repentance from sin (Romans 2:4 ; Luke 5:5-8 ); faith in Him (cp. Exodus 14:21 ); love for Him ( cons. Luke 8:2 with Jn. 20:1,11 ); continuity in His Word (Lk. 8:35) and service to Him ( Jn. 9:1,6-7, 17,24-33 ).
Unfortunately what we see today is, multitudes of people coming, receiving and going back to their sins, and to their religious norms that could not yield them anything hitherto.
On the part of Church workers and leaders, it is obvious that not much premium is attached to the salvation of the souls of these ‘coming-receiving-and-leaving’ folks, as is attached to their healing, deliverance and other needs of their lives. This is the reason underlying the lack of result – oriented follow-up work on the people (cp John 5:5-9,14 ; 9:1-7,35-38 ).
The question is: how many people among the multitudes are sure of going to heaven if they should drop dead today, having been genuinely born-again and living for Christ who died for them? (cp. 2 Cor. 5:14-15).
All that have been faulted in this matter must repent and those who need to seek salvation first must seek it (see Matthew 6:33).