Glory – Page 18 – Prince Chimaobim

TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS PARTNERSHIP (8): PERSEVERE AND BE PATIENT

#WordForTodayDevotional

Sunday April 23, 2023

TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS PARTNERSHIP (8): PERSEVERE AND BE PATIENT

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Galatians 6:9 (KJV)

There is no other work that require so much patience and perseverance like the kingdom business of soul winning. This is because people are not usually won to Christ in a day. There is the process of planting the seed of the Word of God, watering the seed and time for it to grow. Then in growth, there are different stages and they require time and efforts. The soul-winner needs to continue doing well because in due season, he/she will reap. To be successful therefore, in soul-winning, patience and perseverance is none negotiable. The devil does not have power but what he does is to try to weary you into abandoning the course you are pursuing. No wonder, patience is part of the fruit of the recreated human spirit because you need it in your confrontations with Satan and the gates of hell. Satan will throw many things at you to weary you. Daniel 7:25 says, ‘And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.’ If you understand the way the devil operate, you will know that patience is a vital weapon against the wearing out ministry of the devil. The devil is always seeking to wear you out. You must understand that.

TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS PARTNERSHIP (7): BE COMPASSION DRIVEN

#WordForTodayDevotional

Saturday April 22, 2023

TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS PARTNERSHIP (7): BE COMPASSION DRIVEN

But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
Matthew 9:36 (KJV)

Compassion was the energy that drove our Lord Yahushua HaMashiach (Jesus the Christ) into soul-winning. Compassion is what causes the virtue to flow and brought the people both the Word of God and healing in the ministry of the Lord Yahushua (Jesus). Compassion is coming to a deep awareness of another’s suffering and out of sympathy and empathy doing something about it. Understanding the eternal position of the unsaved soul is something that will drive any humane soul to doing something to help. Even though you are tired and needed rest, you go in search of a new convert or to share a tract or word with someone because you understand that the person can exit life at any time and then face eternity unprepared. The understanding of the state of the unsaved evokes compassion and compassion drives gospel campaign. To be successful in soul-winning therefore, compassion is very vital. You want to function in the healing anointing, then you must be compassion-driven. Matthew 14:14 says, ‘And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.’ The unction flows in the direction of compassion and the preaching of the gospel is unction-driven. ‘For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance;’ (I Thessalonians 1:5).

TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS PARTNERSHIP (6): POSSESS ETERNITY DESTINATION CONVICTION

#WordForTodayDevotional

Friday April 21, 2023

TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS PARTNERSHIP (6): POSSESS ETERNITY DESTINATION CONVICTION

when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
II Corinthians 1:7-8 (KJV)

For you to be successful in soul-winning, you must have a firm conviction that anyone that does not obey Jesus and His gospel is lost in eternity in the lake of fire. That is what our opening text is saying in essence. Jesus Christ is the way to eternity in heaven. There is no alternative whatsoever. You must be fanatical to this conviction that the gospel is the only escape route from the destruction that awaits every unsaved soul. If it is, then you hold the key to someone’s eternity in heaven. That is a grave realization. It is that understanding that drives one to attack the task of the gospel with reckless abandon. Think about it, all the people you know now that do not obey the gospel are hell bound unless they repent and obey the gospel. And to think that this same gospel of salvation has been committed to your trust is so sobering to think about. No wonder Apostle Paul said that he was made all things to all people so that he might by all means save some (see I Corinthians 9:22). See what Apostle Paul says in II Corinthians 5:11, ‘Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.’ He understood that humanity is lost without the gospel. This gave him the temerity to persuade men into the Kingdom of Yahweh.

TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS PARTNERSHIP (3): BE COMMITTED

#WordForTodayDevotional

Tuesday April 18, 2023

TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS PARTNERSHIP (3): BE COMMITTED

And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Luke 9:62 [KJV]

It was Che Guevara who said, “We cannot be sure of having something to live for unless we are willing to die for it.” Martin Luther King Jr. says, ‘A man who does not have something for which he is willing to die is not fit to live.’ Until you are willing to die for something you are not worthy to live. We are talking about commitment to the gospel. Commitment is the trait of sincere and steadfast fixity of purpose. It means that you focus on a purpose steadfastly no matter what comes. To be successful in soul-winning you must be committed. It would take your time to pray, preach, follow-up and your money too. Everything you have got must be involved in order to see success. First, recognize that this is kingdom business. Like every other business, you must plan, budget, execute, evaluate outcome and restrategize. Which group of people are you aiming at reaching out to? The group will inform your strategy. For instance, if you are reaching out to teenagers, then you will have to think and behaviour like a teenager yourself to be able to reach them. You must be very patient and a good listener. No matter the group you are reaching out to, commitment is a must. If you give the gospel 30% of the attention you give your career/business, you will see such result that will amaze you. The results that have eluded us is only a function of lack of commitment on our part.

TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS PARTNERSHIP (1): BE SURE OF YOUR SALVATION

#WordForTodayDevotional

Sunday April 16, 2023

TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS PARTNERSHIP (1): BE SURE OF YOUR SALVATION

The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,
Romans 8:16 (KJV)

From today to the next couple of days, we shall be examining what it takes to be successful at soul-winning. There are certain ingredients that must be in place for us to make a success at our soul-winning drive. Today we shall be considering assurance of salvation. Assurance of salvation means that you are sure of your salvation. The person that must be successful in winning souls must be very sure that he/she is genuinely saved. You must have had that encounter yourself. There is no substitute to that. You are called to be a witness. How can you witness to what you never saw or knew? Being a witness presupposes that you have experience of what you are talking about. You can never appear in court as a witness of what you never knew anything about. The soul-winner must be a person that had encountered the Lord Yahushua genuinely with evidence of a changed life. Like the blind man in John 9, your testimony should be “I was blind but now I see. I used to do this and that, but now I do not.” One of the outstanding thing about Apostle Paul was his conversion testimony. It was so profound that at the slightest chance he recounts how he became the man he had become.

PARTNERING WITH THE LORD INVOLVES (6): LIVING OUT THE GOSPEL

#WordForTodayDevotional

Saturday April 15, 2023

PARTNERING WITH THE LORD INVOLVES (6): LIVING OUT THE GOSPEL

Then, even if some are disobedient to the word, they will be won over without a word by the way you live, when they see your pure and reverent conduct.
I Peter 3:1B-2 (KJV)

Everyone of us has the privilege to live out the gospel in our day to day operations. With most people that are close to you, lifestyle evangelism is normally the most effective. It is normally a contradiction when you see one that is vocal about the gospel but whose lifestyle is directly the opposite. There is nothing that turns off children than to see parents that proclaim the gospel in words but their lifestyle at home is opposite the gospel. This is the reason so many children from Christian homes turn away from the Lord as soon as they left home. You have parents that are Christians in the Church but devils at home. No matter what you tell children, what they see you doing is what they are going to imbibe. Lifestyle evangelism is so critical at home, office and with close associates. People that relate with you on a daily bases will be drawn to the Lord more with your lifestyle than with words. When you have shown Christ-like character, it is easy to preach and be heard. So, as a Christian, your lifestyle is critical to the success of the gospel in your sphere of contacts. Your colleagues are watching you. You cannot take bribe, lie and cheat and then turn around to preach Yahushua to them. It is not possible to take such a person seriously. You will regard the person as a religious fanatics. But when someone has challenged you with a solid life of integrity, and the person talks to you about Yahushua, you are quick to listen.

PARTNERING WITH THE LORD INVOLVES (5): GIVING TO THE GOSPEL

#WordForTodayDevotional

Friday April 14, 2023

PARTNERING WITH THE LORD INVOLVES (5): GIVING TO THE GOSPEL

But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
II Corinthians 9:6 (KJV)

The Lord Yahushua commanded us to preach the gospel to all the peoples of the nations of the earth. Nobody is exempted from hearing the gospel. By all means, we are to reach everyone with the gospel. The gospel is a very capital intensive enterprise. It require money to do even the least venture in respect to the spreading of the gospel. As we reach each person, materials to help them grow in the Lord Yahushua are made available which include tracts, handbills, booklets, pamphlets, books etc. Outreaches require public address systems, musical equipment, medical aids and equipment, etc. In the missions field, there is need to build churches, build houses for missionaries, provide amenities for the community, build schools, hospitals, etc. All these aforementioned are capital intensive projects that goes with preaching the gospel. Even in the urban areas, when you go out for evangelism, you will be met with real-time needs of people that needs to be attended to. In hospital evangelism, there are hospital bills of people who are well but couldn’t go home because they have not been able to come up with the hospital bill. These are real life needs we see in the harvest field. Beloved, Yahweh has put money into your hands not for you to live luxury lifestyle, but for the gospel. There are places you cannot go because of your engagements that your money can send someone to preach there. Missionaries are being sponsored. There are people in the most remote areas of India, China, Saudi Arabia preaching the gospel as missionaries. It takes huge finances to do all those.

PARTNERING WITH THE LORD INVOLVES (4): FOLLOWING THE NEW CONVERT UP

#WordForTodayDevotional

Thursday April 13, 2023

PARTNERING WITH THE LORD INVOLVES (4): FOLLOWING THE NEW CONVERT UP

And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do.
Acts 15:36 (KJV)

This is called follow-up. Do you know you can collect the forms of those that gave their lives to the Lord during Church services and go to follow them up? Yes, you can do that. There is need for every new convert to be established in the Lord Yahushua and in the Church. However, for that to happen, work has to be done on them. Someone has to follow them up to ensure they attend Foundation Classes and get baptised in water. You can come in to check on them and ensure that they are established. You see the process of soul-winning is same like giving birth to a child. Whereas it is one person that labours and births a child, it takes the community to train that child. Same applies for each new convert. Whereas it is one person that preached and get that person saved, it takes every member of the Church to see that the new convert is established in Church. All hands must be on deck to ensure the soul is firmly established. Follow-up is very critical to this establishment.

PARTNERING WITH THE LORD INVOLVES (1): SOUL-TARGETED INTERCESSION

#WordForTodayDevotional

Monday April 10, 2023

PARTNERING WITH THE LORD INVOLVES (1): SOUL-TARGETED INTERCESSION

Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
Colossians 4:12 (KJV)

We are going to see how the individual believer can be involved in the gospel successfully. There is what each one can do on daily basis to see that people in his/her world are brought to the obedience of the gospel. Standing aloof on the sideline would be your choice not because you cannot be involved but because you have chosen to be irresponsible to your primary assignment. Today, please understand that you can be involved in soul-targeted intercessions. This is making a list of people who are unsaved in your sphere of contacts, and then taking them up in intercession. Why is interceding for the unsaved necessary? Every unsaved is a prisoner of the strong man. The Lord Yahushua says that you cannot go into a strong man’s house and plunder him without first binding him (see Matthew 12:29). The unsaved brother/sister is a prisoner of the strong man Satan and He would never let go his captives except a stronger than he comes and binds him. Glory to the Lord, in Yahushua HaMashiach beloved, you are the stronger man than Satan because greater is He that is in you (see I John 4:4). The least born again person if there is anything like that, is stronger than the devil because the born again person has the power of attorney to use the ever conquering name of the Lord Yahushua against Satan and he must bow.

WHAT IS PERSONAL EVANGELISM/SOUL-WINNING?

#WordForTodayDevotional

Sunday April 9, 2023

WHAT IS PERSONAL EVANGELISM/SOUL-WINNING?

And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.
Acts 16:13 (KJV)

Personal evangelism is One person talking to another person about his need for salvation from sin found only in the Lord Yahushua HaMashiach, with the purpose of bringing him to a decision. Soul-winning is all activities geared towards bringing someone to a decision for the Lord Yahushua HaMashiach (Jesus the Christ) and helping that person to be established in a local church. Evangelism is going into the field to harvest the soul and all the activities that ensures that the soul is established in Church is soul-winning. Soul-winning is a personal work which include:

Discussing the gospel or studying Yahweh’s word with a friend.

Giving someone a tract on a particular subject.

Telling and showing your neighbour the happiness of being a Christian.

Inviting someone to services with you (compelling invitation).

Canvassing for a gospel meeting.

Teaching a Bible class in someone’s home.

Visiting the home of a visitor to worship services (follow-up).

Gathering your neighbours into your home for a Bible class.

Bringing a friend to the church’s Bible classes.

Telling a fellow-worker (or student) about the Lord Yahushua, the way to heaven.

Planting the word in someone’s heart.

Writing a letter to a loved one expressing your interest about his/her soul.

Having someone with whom you are studying or with whom you would like to have a study into your home for a meal.

Encouraging a new member.

Exhorting one another to assemble in the scheduled services of the church.

Teaching, reproving and rebuking the worldly, the indifferent and the wayward among those who claim to be Christians.

Encouraging and strengthening the faint-hearted and comforting the bereaved among the family of Yahweh.

Visiting and admonishing those who forsake the assemblies.

Bringing cheer to and helping meet the needs of those who are elderly, sick, hospitalized or shut-in.

Volunteering for tasks that need to be done within the congregation: building maintenance, lawn care, etc.

Seeking and saving the lost.