SPIRITUAL PACESETTERS
Memorise: Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of
Christ. 1st Corinthians 11:1
Read: Hebrews 6:9-15, 9 But, beloved, we are persuaded
better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus
speak.
10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour
of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to
the saints, and do minister.
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| pastor E.A Adeboye |
11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the samediligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who
through faith and patience inherit the promises.
13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could
swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and
multiplying I will multiply thee.
15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the
promise.
Bible in one year: 1st Samuel 18:17-20:42, Proverbs 6:28-7:9
There are certain spiritual pacesetters in the Church who
when a conscientious Christian takes time to emulate, heaven would be his
limit. It is unfortunate, however, that these spiritual pace setters are very
few nowadays unlike in the days of old when an apostle wrote:
“And ye become followers of us, and of the Lord, having
received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost. So that ye
were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.”
1st Thessalonians 1:6-7
When were the outstanding Christian living standards that
the early disciples lived by? Some could be deduced in the above quoted
scripture: Firstly, they received the Word with joy despite the fact that it
was hard. Today, Christianity has become a ‘bread and butter’ affair. Any New
Testament injunction that brings about a slight affliction is thrown away as it
comes from the pulpit. This has made many post-modern preachers not to bother
about preaching the hard truth any more. They see it as an exercise in
futility, so you hear them say, “don’t preach such things; they won’t accept
that from you!” At the beginning of this apostasy, it was the modern day
Christians who picked and chose what they would accept, while they threw the
rest back at the preacher. These days, it is the preachers who ‘carefully’
select the message that will be ‘offensive’ to their congregation. These are no
spiritual pace setters. I will like to warn a preacher using this devotional
with the Words of the Lord in Ezekiel 33:7-8
“So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the
house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them
from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if
thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die
in his iniquity; but his blood will I required at thine hand.
”Apart from warning
the evil-doers and sinners against wickedness by word of mouth, a spiritual
pace setter must practice what he preaches. A Christian, and particularly a preacher,
must live as a light in this world. The Bible says:” … of all that Jesus began
both to do and teach” (Acts 1:1). This exactly was the pattern of life of the
early apostles; the reason they were able to admonish brethren to be followers
of them as they were of Christ. In transparent faithfulness, Christians should
set the pace for the unbelievers. In godliness, believers in Christ must be
spiritual pacesetters and perfect examples of their generation. Jesus Christ
said:
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your
good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 5:16
Prayer Point
Father, please make me a spiritual pacesetter so that
millions may come to Your Kingdom through me.
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