Sunday May 28th 2017 – ANY FRUIT OF REPENTANCE?

OPEN HEAVENS 2017

ANY FRUIT OF REPENTANCE? –

 Sunday May 28th 2017

Memorise: Bring forth therefore fruit meet for repentance. Matthew 3:8

Read: Matthew 3:1-10 (King James Version)

1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,

2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

4 And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.

5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,

6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Bible in one year: Acts 14-15, Jeremiah 37, Hymn: Sing Hymn 6

MESSAGE

“Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:” Joel 2:12

asting can be used to demonstrate genuine repentance before God. Exemplifying the above scripture, Prophet Daniel embarked on a fast to show repentance for his sins and the sins of the children of Israel in Daniel 9:3-20. All through the Old Testament, when individuals or a group of people fell into sin and judgement was imminent, they returned to God in fasting and mourning, expressing sorrow for sins committed. How truly sorrowful are you when you sin against God? Is there any deep sorrow for sin anymore? Today, when you see a believer asking God for pardon over a wrong he or she has committed, you will be amazed. A few seconds after he or she has apologised, he or she is seen carrying on as if nothing ever went wrong. Sunday 27 May 2017 Open Heavens Devotional 2017:-any fruit of repentance? There is no manifestation of godly sorrow. People do not see offending God as anything anymore. They hide behind grace to cover up their evil lifestyle. However, can God be fooled?

The “repentance” of some people today is highly questionable. True repentance must be backed up by godly sorrow. 2nd Corinthians 7:10 says

“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”

Genuine repentance must exhibit the fruits of humility, confession, brokenness, a desire for restitution where necessary and a commitment to never return to the evil act. Take King Ahab as a case in point. Open Heavens Reflection May 28 2017. He was a wicked king with a satanic wife, Jezebel. The wickedness perpetrated during his reign for exceeded that of other regimes (1st King 21:25). Yet, when God spoke to him about an impending judgment, he immediately readjusted, tore his royal robe, wore sackcloth, humbled himself and fasted (1st Kings 21:27). When God saw the fruit of repentance in him, He deferred His judgement till the next generation. When you say to God “Father, I’m sorry, please for me”, is there any fruit of repentance to back it up? Some leaders get involved in terrible sins, and after whispering, “Father, I am sorry”, they continue as if nothing ever happened. Is that genuine repentance? People hardly weep or mourn over their shortcomings anymore. They hardly set themselves apart in fasting and prayer to reach out to God for mercy. No wonder they continue in their sins. If you are sorry, you will bring forth fruits consistent with repentance through your actions. Do you have such fruits?

Key Point

Repentance goes beyond just saying, “I am sorry”. Your comportment and inner resolve go a long way to validate or discredit claim.

Sunday May 28th 2017 OPEN HEAVENS 2017 WRITTEN BY PASTOR E. A  ADEBOYE 

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Saturday May 27th 2017 – SOUL-WINNING: A MARK OF LIFE

OPEN HEAVENS 2017

SOUL-WINNING: A MARK OF LIFE –

 Saturday May 27th 2017

Memorise: Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. John 15:2

Read: John 15:1-6 (King James Version)

1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

Bible in one year: Acts 12-13, Jeremiah 36:20-32, Hymn: Sing hymn 13

MESSAGE

Just as it is needful to pray and fast, it is also needful to win souls to God’s Kingdom regularly. Don’t just win one, two or five souls and stop, continue to win souls at all times. John 15:16 says,

 “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.”

Do you know that regular evangelism can keep you in shape spiritually? If you belong to Christ, you are like a living tree that produces fruit (Psalm 1:3). Any tree that produces good fruit will definitely be appreciated by its owner. Bearing spiritual fruit is one obvious sign that you are still spiritually alive. If you are winning souls often, it shows you are growing spiritually. It takes obedience to the Holy Spirit and partnership with Him to win a soul and to give life to the spiritually dead. If you are not bearing fruit, it could be because you are dead or separated from God. A dead fellow cannot be used as an agent of life. Moreover, in the course of soul-winning, there are some ideas, teachings and abilities that the Holy Spirit will endow you with which you may not easily access through any other means.

The truth is that those who go out for evangelism never go out alone. Why? Since they are out to obey the Lord’s command. Which is so important to the Godhead, the Trinity works with them (Mark 16:20). The Lord sees to it that the word of the evangelist does not fall to the ground (Hebrews 2:3-4). The evangelist is a true fellow-worker with God. On the other hand, the fellow who does not win souls is not bringing joy to God’s heart and is also not showing signs of spiritual life. If you continue your Christian life without leading others to Christ, you may be cut off from your Source (John 15:2, Luke 13:7). It therefore fellows that if you want to grow spiritually, you must make soul-winning a regular activity. You must win souls and continue to win more souls. If you are actively winning souls, you will experience God’s special love and attention. God will also answer your prayers more easily, and increase your capacity to be fruitful by taking away hindrances to fruitfulness from your life. Using your attitude to soul-winning as a benchmark, are you dead or alive?

Action Point

To catch up on the number of souls you should have won in the past, launch an aggressive personal evangelism outreach drive to bring in at least 100 souls to God kingdom.

Saturday May 27th 2017 OPEN HEAVENS 2017 WRITTEN BY PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

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