By Dr. Afolabi Olajuwon
On Sunday, March 1, 2026, the sanctuary was filled with reverence, hope, and spiritual intensity as worshippers gathered for the first service of the month under the theme, “The Mandate: Our Compassion and Commitment.” It was a moment of renewal, expectant hearts united in worship and anchored in the conviction of God’s unfailing faithfulness.
The service was officiated by the Senior Pastor and Wuse District Overseer, , whose message, titled “Be Involved,” drew from 9:36–38 and 28:19. He described the Christian calling as possessing a “circular and spiritual intensity”, a continuous cycle in which compassion leads to prayer, prayer births commitment, commitment produces action, and action renews compassion.
Seeing as Jesus Sees
At the center of the sermon was Matthew 9:36–38:
“When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.”
Rev. Idowu emphasized that the mandate begins with vision. Jesus first saw the people. His compassion was not abstract sympathy but a deep, visceral response to human suffering. The Greek term rendered “moved with compassion” conveys an inward stirring, an emotional and spiritual reaction rooted in divine mercy.
The conditions described in the text remain strikingly relevant:
Weary and harassed, battered by life’s pressures and systemic burdens.
Scattered, spiritually disoriented and socially fragmented.
Like sheep without a shepherd, lacking guidance, protection, and moral direction.
Rev. Idowu noted that this portrait mirrors contemporary society, emotionally exhausted, spiritually disconnected, and morally uncertain. “Commitment and compassion cannot take root,” he stated, “until we see people the way Jesus sees them.” To be involved requires spiritual perception that transcends superficial observation.
Prayer: From Observation to Participation
Jesus’ response to the multitude culminated in instruction:
“Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:38).
Prayer becomes both diagnostic and mobilizing. Rev. Idowu explained that prayer aligns believers with God’s redemptive agenda. It opens spiritual insight and prepares the heart for participation. The harvest is plentiful; the shortage lies in laborers.
By commanding His disciples to pray, Jesus subtly invites them into the answer. Prayer shifts the believer from criticism to commissioning. One who prays for laborers may well become the laborer.
Thus, prayer is not passive withdrawal but preparatory obedience. It transforms observers into participants in God’s mission.
The Authority of the Mandate
The message then turned to Matthew 28:19:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.”
Rev. Idowu explained that this command rests on Christ’s prior declaration of authority in Matthew 28:18, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” The mandate flows from divine sovereignty. It is not optional; it is authoritative.
The imperative “Go” signifies active engagement. Mission is not confined to geography but expressed through intentional outreach. The scope, “all nations”, underscores the global and inclusive reach of the gospel.
To speak of a “mandate,” Rev. Idowu clarified, is to speak of an order from a superior authority. Christ, vested with universal authority, entrusts His followers with a redemptive commission. Obedience is therefore an act of covenant faithfulness.
Christ as the Way: The Content of the Mission
To define the message believers are commissioned to proclaim, Rev. Idowu referenced John 14:6:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
This declaration anchors the mandate in Christological centrality. “The way” signifies access to God; “the truth” embodies ultimate reality; “the life” promises eternal fellowship with the Father.
Rev. Idowu stressed that the mandate is not merely humanitarian. While compassion addresses immediate physical and emotional needs, commitment directs people toward eternal reconciliation. Mission integrates mercy and message, relief and redemption.
Laborers in the Harvest
Revisiting Matthew 9:37, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few”, Rev. Idowu challenged the congregation to adopt the identity of workers rather than spectators. Harvest imagery conveys urgency; crops left unattended spoil.
To “look at this mandate as a laborer” is to embrace responsibility. Rev. Idowu outlined practical pathways of involvement:
Physical Mobilization, engaging in evangelism, outreach, and missions.
Digital Engagement, leveraging technology to spread the gospel globally.
Monetary Participation,supporting kingdom initiatives financially.
Project Sponsorship, investing in mission-driven programs and community transformation.
This multi-dimensional model ensures inclusivity. One may go physically, digitally, or financially but all are called to participate.
Movement as Obedience
“We must move,” Rev. Idowu emphasized. In Scripture, divine encounters often precede commissioning. Movement signals trust and obedience. Within the Great Commission, “go” implies crossing boundaries, cultural, social, and digital.
Compassion without movement becomes sentiment. Movement converts compassion into impact. Inaction, he warned, contradicts the authenticity of discipleship.
Communion and Commissioning
The service concluded with Holy Communion and prophetic prayers for the month of March. The sacrament embodied the theological core of the message: Christ’s sacrificial compassion.
In partaking, congregants reaffirmed their covenant identity and participation in His redemptive work.
Communion thus became both remembrance and recommissioning, binding believers to Christ and propelling them into mission.
The congregation departed not merely inspired but commissioned. Rev. Idowu’s exposition integrated Matthew 9’s compassion, Matthew 28’s command, and John 14’s Christ-centered truth into a coherent theology of mission.
The mandate remains ongoing. Compassion perceives. Prayer aligns. Commitment acts. Movement fulfills.
In a fragmented and weary world, the message rang with clarity: to see as Jesus sees is to become involved in what Jesus is doing.
Dr. Afolabi Olajuwon is a freelance writer and Christian educator based in Abuja, Nigeria, who documents faith-based initiatives and their community impact.