OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL TUESDAY 17th OCTOBER 2023

Topic : ARE YOU A FRESH OR STALE CHRISTAIN? 1

MEMORISE:

And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 18:3

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*BIBLE READING : MATTHEW 18:1-6*

1 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,

3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.

6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

*MESSAGE*

When there is an evangelistic outreach, the most beautiful part of the Scripture is usually preached so that unbelievers in attendance can be won for Jesus. The preacher would typically tell the congregation that when they come to Jesus Christ, they would find healing, deliverance, freedom, promotion and so on, and indeed, all these are true. Once they give their lives to Christ, they become fresh Christians. Fresh Christians are however, required to remain fresh at all times, just as we see in our Bible reading today. Yes, new converts are baby Christians who should grow into spiritual maturity, but they must never lose their freshness in Christ as they constantly renew their minds (Romans 12:2).

There are many distinct characteristics of fresh Christians. The very first thing is an insatiable hunger to know the word of God (1 Peter 2:2). People who just genuinely gave their lives to Christ don’t go late for fellowship. They even usually sit in front where there would be no distractions because they just have this strong desire for the word of God. Unfortunately, you see many people who have been born again for a long time forgetting this desire they once had. When you mature, you are supposed to advance to strong meat, but many fail to do this and rather become stale though they usually claim they have become mature. A Christian becomes stale when he or she stops feeding on the word of God daily.

Beloved, if you no longer spend quality time studying your Bible daily, you are becoming a stale Christian. Unless that hunger returns and you begin to feed on the word of God daily again, you are a dying Christian.

Another distinct characteristic of fresh Christians is that they cannot stop talking about Jesus. They are not ashamed of Christ at all. A Christian who has become stale however, will see himself or herself as too big to preach the gospel to everyone, forgetting Jesus’ command in Mark 16:15 and His warning in Matthew 10:33.

Freshness or staleness in Christ is not determined by how long you have been born again, but by your attitude towards the things of God.

*Reflection:*

When was the last time you won a soul for Christ?

*BIBLE READING IN ONE YEAR:*

MARK 10-11

*AUTHORS:*

PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE 

*HYMN 12 – ONWARD, CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS*

1. Onward, Christian soldiers! Marching as to war, Looking unto Jesus, Who is gone before; Christ, the Royal Master, Leads against the foe; Forward into battle, See His banners go.

*CHORUS *

Onward, Christian soldiers! Marching as to war, Looking unto Jesus, Who is gone before.

2. At the name of Jesus Satan’s host doth Ilee; On then, Christian soldiers On to victory! Hell’s foundations quiver At the shout of praise: Brothers, lift your voices, Loud your anthems raise.

3. Like a mighty army Moves the Church of God: Brothers, we are treading Where the saints have trod. We are not divided, All one body we One in hope and doctrine, One in charity.

4. Crowns and thrones may perish Kingdoms rise and wane; But the Church of Jesus Constant will remain: Gates of hell can never ‘Gainst that church prevail; We have Christ’s own promise- And that cannot fail.

5. Onward then, ye people, Join our happy throng; Blend with ours your voices In the triumph song: “Glory, praise and honour, Unto Christ the King”, This, through countless ages, Men and angels sing.