Church in the Mind of God - A Provoked People

INTRODUCTION
Sometimes the problem isn’t that we’re too busy, it’s that we’ve forgotten why we’re doing what we do. In his message Church in the Mind of God: A Provoked People, Rev. Dominic De Souza challenges us to rediscover the cause that fuels our vision. Drawing from the lives of Nehemiah and the Apostle Paul, he shows how deep, holy concern can ignite action, turning mundane routines into meaningful assignments.

THE POWER OF THE “WHY”
Rev. De Souza begins with a simple picture: shovelling dirt into bags without reason is exhausting and joyless. But if the same act is to protect your home from flooding, it becomes purposeful. The task hasn’t changed—only the cause has. When we understand the why, even hard work can be embraced with passion.

David captured this truth in 1 Samuel 17:29 when he asked before facing Goliath, “Is there not a cause?” Without a cause, vision remains an abstract idea. With a cause, it becomes a fire in the bones.

NEHEMIAH’S TEARS
Nehemiah’s vision to rebuild Jerusalem didn’t start in a strategy session. It began with tears (Nehemiah 1:1–4). Upon hearing of Jerusalem’s ruined walls, he wept, mourned, fasted, and prayed for months. Rev. De Souza calls this “holy discontent”—that refusal to accept brokenness as normal. Vision was birthed in a burden.

PAUL’S PAROXYSM
In Acts 17:16, Paul arrives in Athens, sees a city overflowing with idols, and is “greatly distressed” (Greek: paroxyno). This wasn’t irritation—it was a paroxysm, a surge of holy love and indignation. Paul felt God’s heartbreak over misplaced worship and was compelled to act.

From Paul’s example, Rev. De Souza highlights four steps:
1. What Paul Saw – He observed deeply with spiritual eyes, discerning idols in their cultural packaging.
2. What Paul Felt – A holy ache for God’s glory to be restored.
3. What Paul Did – He engaged three spaces: the synagogue (religious), the marketplace (everyday life), and the Areopagus (intellectual elite).
4. What Paul Said – He began with connection, affirmed their spiritual hunger, then proclaimed the truth of Jesus.

MODERN IDOLS, SAME CHALLENGE
Idols today may not be carved stone, but they’re just as real—status, consumerism, self, pleasure, control. Until we see with heaven’s lens, we won’t feel heaven’s ache, and without heaven’s ache, we won’t step into heaven’s assignment.

CONCLUSION
The Church God envisions is a provoked people—not by culture wars or outrage, but by a holy burden for God’s glory and human flourishing. Rev. De Souza’s challenge is simple yet piercing: What ruins have you grown accustomed to? What idols have you accepted as normal?
When we truly see, we will feel. When we feel, we will act.


A Provoked People - Devotional

Scripture: “When I heard these things, I sat down and wept…” – Nehemiah 1:4
Speaker: Rev. Dominic De Souza – Maximise Life Convention 2025

REFLECTION
Nehemiah’s burden began with bad news: Jerusalem’s walls lay in ruins. Others had walked past the rubble for years, but Nehemiah couldn’t. His tears became the birthplace of his vision.

Paul’s story in Acts 17 mirrors this. In Athens, surrounded by idols, he didn’t just admire the city’s culture—he grieved over its misplaced worship. His grief moved him to act, engaging people in every sphere with the truth of Jesus.

Rev. De Souza’s message reminds us:
- Seeing clearly precedes feeling deeply.
- Feeling deeply precedes acting boldly.

We live in a world full of “modern idols”—things elevated above God. They may be wrapped in progress, success, or personal freedom, but they compete for our hearts. The Church in the mind of God is not passive—it’s a people provoked by love and truth to step into God’s assignments.

PRAYER
Lord, open my eyes to see the ruins I’ve grown used to and the idols I’ve accepted without question. Give me a holy discontent for what breaks Your heart. Stir in me a burden that moves me from complacency to action. Help me to speak truth in love, to build bridges like Paul, and to carry the light of Christ into every sphere You place me in. May I be part of Your provoked people—seeing, feeling, and acting for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.