Open Heavens 24th February 2018 Saturday daily devotional by Pastor Adeboye
Memorise: “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” – Luke 9:23
Read: Matthew 28:18-20 (KJV)
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Bible in One Year: Leviticus 25; 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:16
MESSAGE
A disciple is a disciplined follower of Jesus Christ, committed to the life and principles of God’s kingdom which Jesus Christ came to teach and demonstrate on earth. When He was leaving the earth, the Lord Jesus Christ instructed those who were already His disciples to make disciples of all nations of the world. Why is it necessary to make people Christ’s disciples, and how do we make disciples of people? What does the kingdom of God stand to gain when people are made disciples of Jesus Christ? These are questions worth our consideration. We are to make disciples of all nations of the world because it is the Lord’s commandment. The Lord commanded us to do this because He wants to reconcile all mankind back to God. 2 Corinthians 5:19 says,
“To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.”
After a lost soul has experienced the new-birth in Christ, God expects that a systematic teaching of His word will follow in order to transform the new believer into the image of Jesus Christ. For this reason, the Holy Spirit in Isaiah 28:9-10 says:
“9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. 10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:”
One characteristic of a genuinely born-again fellow is the desire to grow through God’s word (1 Peter 2:2-3). Such a person should therefore not be starved of the sound teaching of the word. If you have led a person to Christ, it should be your desire to see that person grow into the stature of the Son of God (Ephesians 4:13-15).
The Church and the world stand to gain peace as the number of the disciples of the Prince of Peace increases. Terrorism will be eliminated. There would be no Al-Qaeda, ISIS or Boko Haram sects. Murder, drug addiction, homosexuality and other acts of sin will become unpopular. Police stations and prison yards will perpetually be on holiday. The earth will become a paradise. This will come to fulfillment, because the Lord Jesus Christ, in Matthew 6:10, taught us to pray thus:
“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”
Action Point: Put up a soul winning outreach in your locality; arrange an effective house-fellowship where your potential converts will be taught the rudimentary tenets of the Christian faith and begin to disciple people.
Hymn 15: Nearer My God To Thee.
Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee;
E’ en though it be a cross
That raiseth me,
Still all my song shall be
Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee.
Though, like a wanderer
The sun gone down,
Darkness comes over me,
My rest ua stone;
Yet in my dreams I’d be
Nearer, my God, to Thee
Nearer, my God, to Thee
Nearer to Thee.
There let me see the sight,
An open heaven;
All that thou sendest me,
In mercy given;
Angles to beckon me
Nearer, my God, to Thee
Nearer, my God, to Thee
Nearer to Thee
Then, with my walking thoughts
Bright with Thy praise,
Out of my stony griefs
Bethel I’ll raise,
So by my woes to be
Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee
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