Sept 16
Praising the Lord, o my Soul! This is the day, He has made Alleluia! His goodness and mercies shall follow me all the days of my life, Amen! Glory be to the Lord in the Highest! Alleluia! Hosanna in the highest, blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!
Wonderful Redeemer, I worship You! You are the Living God. All glory, all honour, adoration to You forever and forever!
Beloved, what an awesome opportunity to sit at the Lord‘s Feet to get ministered. Father, we do not take it for granted for we know that it a privilege unto to them that fears You, to access the inner courts of the Lord. Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked (Ps 1:1).
The Lord is searching for those men and women of F-A-I-T-H. Are you one of them? Can God count you among those whose faith is unshakable, reliable? Someone is not very sure. Alright, come with me to consider the messages before us today, maybe it will guide you into all truth:
God Is Looking For Men And Women Of F-A-I-T-H
FAITHFUL — There are a lot of people out there proclaiming how good they are, but few who actually deliver the goods.
“Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find?“(Proverbs 20:6)
AVAILABLE — Many of us are so overcommitted, we resemble a person skiing down the hill in front of an avalanche: There is no margin for error and disaster is imminent.
Are you emotionally available to God so that if He were to speak to you, you would be able to hear and respond to His gentle voice?
“He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets… And after the fire came a gentle whisper… Elijah heard it… “(Isaiah 42:2; 1 Kings 19:12b, 13a)
INTERDEPENDENT — Some of us parallel the fierce independence of Rambo, wanting to be and do the whole show. Over the long haul however, loners don’t make it spiritually. A study of 1 Corinthians 12-14, and related passages, clearly teach and illustrate the principle of interdependence, rather than independence. The fact is that we need each other.
TEACHABLE — Tell me, as you mature and gain in stature, are you still willing to learn from the most humble of sources?
“Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to take warning.“(Ecclesiastes 4:13)
HOLY — The reality is that God uses clean vessels:
“In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.“(2 Timothy 2:20, 21)
Are you one of them?
Is so important that you answer the above question before going into the second message or let say you are finding it too difficult to answer the next message will guide you. God need you and I to get His kingdom establish here on earth. Having considered the above points, are you available to be use of God? Or you are yet to make up our mind? I believed the next message will explain the urgency of the time we are in:
The Second Reformation
“The first reformation put the Bible in the hands of laymen; the second reformation will place the ministry in the hands of laymen.” – John R. Stott
Ever wonder why we are so sluggish in reaching the world for Christ? If so, consider this:
A few years ago I was attending a conference of Christian leaders, when a businessman stood up and asked, “How many of you came to Christ through a ‘full-time‘ Christian worker?“Out of the 5,000 delegates, (98% of whom were “full-time” Christian workers) about 50 people stood up.
He then asked, “How many of you came to Christ through a layperson?“The rest stood up.
Historian K. S. Latourette observes that throughout the history of the church, whenever the Word of God was put into the hands of laymen, the Gospel tended to spread like a prairie fire. When however, the Word remained in the hands of the clergy, evangelism ground to a near halt.
It is significant to note that Jesus’ primary approach to world evangelization was to selectively invest His life in 12 laymen for three years. When He had completed His task of discipling, He then commissioned them to go out and repeat the process. The command of course applies to all of us:
Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you… “(Matthew 28:19-20a)
They obeyed, and that next generation of believers “turned the world upside down.“(Acts 17:6)
So, which method, do you think would prove more effective in impacting the world with the Gospel: (1) 20 Billy Grahams daily reaching 20,000 people for Christ, or (2) One layperson discipling another for a year, after which the two of them would split off and each disciple another, etc., etc.?
The answer: In 30 years the Graham method would reach 2.9 billion people with the Gospel, while the one-to-one approach would reach 8.5 billion.
QUESTION: So, tell me, are you, as a lay person taking Christ’s “Great Commission” seriously by investing your life in others with a view toward their salvation and/or spiritual maturity? If not, what explanation do you plan to give your Heavenly Father the day you face Him in eternity? (Adapted FOTM)
Beloved, are you still there? Having known that no excuse is tenable before God, start from where you are, your immediate family, pray and bring them to Christ. Your mechanic, your domestic worker, show them the way to Christ. Your neighbor, your customer, your boss and friends they all need Christ, hum it into their ears and the Holy Spirit will take over from you when you have done the background work. He brings salvation to man not you.
Don’t forget that as you labour with the Lord, there is a reward awaiting you too many to mention (1 Cor 3:9; Matt 6:8 Jas 2:22; 1 Tit 5:19; 1 Cor 15:58; Col 3:17; Jer31:34; Rev 2:10). When you walk before God blamelessly, you will prosper (2Ch 31:21; Ps 30:5), but if not (2Cho 9:6a).
Remain blessed in the Lord.
