Let Your Yea Be Yea

Bible Reading:  Matthew 5:33-48

Key Verse: Verse 37- “But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil."

Key Words: let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay

In Jesus’ day, like today, people think very little of keeping their word.  In fact, in our text the people would even take an oath and swear by heaven, or by earth, or by Jerusalem that they would fulfill their vows or promises; but, of course, they didn’t.  I marvel at how parents do this with their children.  They make promises that they never keep.

The following is taken from a group of ten year-olds at Brookside Community School in Brookside, New Jersey.  Here is what ten year-olds said about grown-ups.

1. Grown-ups make promises, then forget them or never carry them out.
2. Grown-ups make us do what they don’t do, like “clean up your room.”
3. Grown-ups are not good listeners.  They have their minds made up even before they let you talk.
4. When a grown-up makes a mistake, they won’t admit it.
5. Grown-ups interrupt children all the time; but if we interrupt them, we are rude.
6. Grown-ups make threats that they don’t carry out, like “if you do this again, I’ll punish you.”
7. And last of all, grown-ups tell you how important you are, then do other things rather than spend time with you.

While children should respect authority, authority should also be respectable.

 

                                                                                                                Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

✞While we, as adults, detest being corrected, I would advise you to read and heed.  Children spell love T-I-M-E and L-I-S-T-E-N-I-N-G.

Just a Baptist

Bible Reading:  James 1:22-27

Key Verse: Verse 27 - “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”

Key Words: Pure religion

Today there are religions on top of religions, and most of these religions are not good.  Religion doesn’t change a man, only Christ can change man; but most people are turning to religion as “their god.”

Several years ago, an evangelist was returning with his family from a meeting in Miami, Florida.  They stopped to spend the night in Valdosta, Georgia.  After checking into the motel, they stepped across the street to a restaurant.  The fifteen year-old daughter of the owner was their waitress.  While serving the meal, she accidently spilled the entire tray of food in the middle of the floor.  A busboy came and rather half-heartedly cleaned up the mess, but the floor was still slippery from water, salad dressing, and mustard.  Just then, the waitress returned, this time with coffee.  The busboy warned her of the slick spot, but not in time!  Coffee went flying everywhere.  Crying, she ran for the sanctuary of the kitchen.  Instead of exploding, the evangelist left a kind note and a tip.

The next morning when he stopped for coffee at another restaurant down the highway, another customer asked, “Ain’t you the fellow who got soaked with coffee in Valdosta last night?”  Then he added, “If I would have been you, I would have given her a piece of my mind.  How could you have been so tolerant?”  The evangelist replied, “I’m a Christian and we try to treat others the way Jesus would.”  Whereupon, the questioner dropped his head and said sheepishly, “I’m just a Baptist.”

If your religion hasn’t changed you then maybe you ought to change your religion.

 

What to do:

✞ Be more than just a Baptist, be a Christian.

                                                                                                                    Dr. Mike Rouse

Thanking God for Your Church

Bible Reading:  I Corinthians 1:1-10

Key Verse: Verse 10 - “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”

Key Words: Now I beseech you, brethren...that ye all speak the same thing

The church at Corinth was not a model church.  As a matter of fact, I Corinthians is not a book of praise but of correction.  Let me show you.

• Chapter One - Paul is correcting their use of human wisdom, verse 22.
• Chapter Two is correcting their thinking in regard to spiritual things, verses 14-15.
• Chapter Three – Paul is attempting to correct their carnality, verse 3.
• Chapter Four – They are being corrected because of their stewardship, verse 2.
• Chapter Five – The church is refusing to deal with immorality, verses 1 and 7.
• Chapter Six – They are taking one another to court, verse 1.
• Chapter Seven – Paul is correcting them in their thoughts on marriage, verses 2-3.
• Chapter Eight – Paul deals with offending others, verse 13.
• Chapter Nine – Paul is correcting them because they question his apostleship, verse 1.
• Chapter Ten – Paul is correcting their attitude and actions toward communion, verse 31.
• Chapter Eleven – Again Paul deals with communion, this time in regard to drunkenness at communion, verse 29.
• Chapters Twelve & Thirteen – There is the problem of misuse of spiritual gifts, chapter 12, verse 1, and chapter 13, verse 1.
• Chapter Fourteen – Paul deals with the misuse of speaking in tongues, verses 1 and 40.
• Chapter Fifteen – Paul corrects their theology in regard to the resurrection, verses 13-14 and 17.
• Chapter Sixteen – Paul deals with their lack of financial giving, verse 2.  (Particularly note the words let every one of you.)

Now, I must confess to you that I will occasionally review all the problems which the church at Corinth experienced and as I do so, I can’t help but thank God for our church.  Oh, Lord, thank you for our church and may we always seek to please you, not self or man.

 

What to do:

✞ Pray daily for your church, the pastor, and his staff.

                                                                                                                    Dr. Mike Rouse

Why We Write About Church Attendance

Bible Reading: John 14:1-15 

Key Verse: Verse 15 - “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

Key Words: If ye love me

By now I am sure you realize that we stress the importance of church attendance.  We do believe it is a vital part of every Christian’s life.  There are a number of reasons why we believe that our church attendance is of the utmost importance.

First of all, church attendance is a demonstration of my Christianity.  In Acts 11:26 we are told that the followers of Christ were called Christians first in Antioch, and the reason for that was because of their steadfastness in attending church. 

Secondly, church attendance is a way I can demonstrate my desire to grow spiritually.  Certainly the church is a place where I can be fed the Word of God, and it is that Word which produces spiritual growth in my life (I Peter 2:2).  

Thirdly, church attendance is a way of sharing my life with others.  1) Acts 2:42 – we have fellowship with others, 2) Acts 2:42 – we can pray for others, and 3) Acts 4:32-35 – we can share with others.

Fourthly, church attendance is a demonstration of my obedience to the Word of God.  We are told in Hebrews 10:25 not to forsake “the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is….”  This verse is not a request by God, but rather a command.  

Fifthly, church attendance is a demonstration of my love for God.  Church attendance, as we have already seen, is a command of God; but it goes beyond that.  We are told in John 14:15, “If you love me, keep my commandments.”  So my church attendance (along with other things) is a demonstration of my love for God.

So why do we stress the importance of church attendance?  Because it is the right thing to do and, besides that, we are concerned about you spiritually!

 

What to do:

✞Remember, your church attendance is a living message to others.

                                                                                                                    Dr. Mike Rouse

Why Churches Have Problems

Bible Reading:  I Corinthians 3:1-9

Key Verse: Verse 3 – “For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?”

Key Words: For ye are yet carnal

Have you ever considered why churches have problems?  Now, I don’t know that I know all of the reasons, but let me name a few of them for you, using the church of Corinth as an example.

First of all, they loved to use human wisdom (I Corinthians 1:22).  Human wisdom has three ingredients.  According to James 3:15, it is earthly (not spiritual).  It is sensual, pleasing the flesh rather than pleasing God, and devilish (deceitful rather than honest).  So the church at Corinth reached conclusions and made decisions, not based upon heavenly wisdom, but by using human wisdom.

Secondly, the church at Corinth had a sin problem because they focused on themselves rather than others.  They were taking one another to court for selfish reasons (I Corinthians 6:1, 7).  They were focusing on their liberties rather than their testimony (I Corinthians 8:9-10).  You see, I am free to go where I want to go; but I need to be cautious that my freedom doesn’t enslave my testimony.  They were only concerned with their individual gain, not the gain of others (I Corinthians 10:23-24, 33).  They all wanted to speak in tongues while leaving out the other spiritual gifts (I Corinthians 14:1-4).  They were selfish in their financial giving (I Corinthians 16:1-2).

Lastly, the church at Corinth had a sin problem because they did not live to please God.  They refused to deal with sin in the church because of sin in their individual lives (I Corinthians 5:1-2).  They made a mockery of communion (I Corinthians 11:28-29).  They did little to bring glory to God (I Corinthians 10:31).

So the church had numerous problems because of human wisdom, focusing on self rather than others; and because they did not live to please God.  The church members at Corinth sacrificed their testimony on the altar of lustful pleasure.  I trust that will never be the case of our churches.

What to do: 

✞Every church member should dedicate themselves to be a peace-maker, not a trouble maker.  A problem solver, not a fault finder.

                                                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse

The Church and Sunday school

Bible Reading: II Timothy 2:1-15

Key Verse: Verse  15 – “ Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Key Words: the word of truth

During the last half of the 18^th century, many communities in England dreaded Sundays.  It was the only day the children who worked in the factories had off and, not surprisingly, they let off rowdiness as well.

Robert Raikes, owner and printer of The Gloucester Journal, had great concern for these young ruffions who were finding all types of mischief to get into.  Raikes knew that most of the kids causing the problem had little or no parental guidance.  He also knew that unless something was done that these kids would end up in prison or, even worse, would either kill or be killed.

Since the kids had to work all week and had little education, Raikes decided to establish schools for these children to attend on Sunday.  He hired women from the neighborhoods to teach these ruffions to read.  With the help of others, Raikes soon was able to enroll hundreds of the kids in what was known as “Sunday School.”  They met in the local churches and used the Bible as, not just the primary textbook, but the only textbook.  The kids learned to read and write, learned the fundamentals of math and they were taught history, all from God’s Word.  The excitement of those ruffions spread and the children who were of a more “stable” family environment began to complain because they wanted to go to Sunday School as well; and go they did!  This idea of Sunday School caught on and spread like wildfire.  Thousands of children were now attending.

In 1785 Raikes began to publish Sunday School material – Spelling books, History books, Math books, English books, all based upon God’s Word.  It became so popular adults began to sit in on the classes and eventually, around 1788, they “demanded” their own Sunday School classes for adults.  So it was that Sunday School had “caught on.”  Today there are Sunday School classes all around the world, thanks to the vision of Robert Raikes and his concern for some ruffions who desparately needed the Word of Truth.

 

What to do:

✞Sunday School is not a place for planning activities, but rather a place for being active in the Word of God.  See you in Sunday School!

                                                                                                                Dr. Mike Rouse

The Perfect Choice

Bible Reading: Hebrews 10

Key Verse: Verse 25 - “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

Key Words: Not forsaking...so much the more

As you read our text, we find that we are to assemble ourselves together, not less and less as seems to be the trend for our day, but more and more.

We read in Acts 2:42a, “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship...”

We are told in Psalm 122:1, “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.”

Now, someone is going to point out that Psalm 122:1 was Old Testament and to the Jews under the law, and I say you’re absolutely right; but I refuse to let a Jew under law be more spiritual than I am while under grace.

The point being, we are to be faithfully assembling ourselves together.

Years ago, a boy by the name of Eric Liddel made a vow to God that he would honor the Lord on His day.  As the years passed, Scotland’s greatest athlete, Eric Liddell, under intensive and unreasonable pressure, brought great honor to the Lord Jesus Christ because he determined to honor the Lord on the Lord’s Day by refusing to run on Sunday, choosing rather to be in the house of God with the people of God.  Although the 1924 Olympic Games have long since been forgotten, the courage and faithfulness of Eric Liddell still shines brightly.  Oh, how we need more modern-day Eric Liddells!

Someday when we stand before the Lord, how do we ever expect to hear that “good and faithful servant” if we haven’t even been faithful in the basic matter of church attendance?  The very basic meaning of the New Testament word for church is ASSEMBLY.

I think you have the point.  I trust you will apply it.

 

What to do: 

✞Always remember, all the ability on earth without availability is useless.

                                                                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse

Reaching and Impacting Others for Christ

Bible Reading:  Psalm 126

Key Verse: Verse 6- "He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”

Key Words: He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

 A black pastor of a Baptist church was speaking to a group of college students one day and said, “Children, you are going to die!  One of these days they are going to take you out to the cemetery, drop you in a hole, throw some dirt on your face, and go back to the church and eat fried chicken and potato salad.”

When you were born, you alone cried and everyone else was happy.  The important question is, when you die, are you alone going to be happy leaving everyone else to cry?  The answer depends on whether you live to get titles or live to get testimonies.  When they lay you in the grave, are people going to be reciting the fancy titles you have earned, or are they going to stand around giving testimonies of the good done for God’s glory?  Will you leave behind just some newspaper column telling people how important you were; or will you leave behind weeping people who tell what a friend you were to Jesus?

Now, there is nothing wrong with titles.  Titles are good to have but if it ever comes down to a choice between a title or a testimony, go for the testimony.  You see, we live on after death in two ways.  We live on in eternity with Christ, and we live on in the lives of those we have touched for Christ.

Jesus, as of today, has never ruled a nation, or never led an army; yet the message of Jesus lives today in every corner of the world.  This hasn’t happened because Jesus was a master of mass communication techniques, or management skills, or leadership training seminars; but because He gave His life for others.  He invested His life and message in people.

Today we get all caught up in numbers, or how large this ministry is, and how many this church has.  Well, since we are so numbers driven, let me share some numbers with you.  If you reach one person for Christ over the next calendar year, and you teach them to reach one person, and they teach one person, so on and so forth; do you realize that over a thirty-year period, the world could be reached three times over?

Blaise Pascal once said, “The present is never our goal.  The future is our goal.  What joy it would be for us one day to look back on our lives and realize that it didn’t end with a sermon, lesson, or a few years in the home, but our work lives on in the lives of those we influenced and continues to multiply through them.”

 May God bless you as you reach your family, your class, your friends, your fellow employees for Christ so your message of Jesus Christ can live on in and through them. 

What to do:  

✞Set a goal for reaching people for Christ.  All of us have an impact on someone, either good or bad.

                                                                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse

Faithfulness to Christ

Bible Reading: I Corinthians 4

Key Verse: Verse 2 - “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”

Key Words: a man be found faithful

The word faithful in the Greek means trustworthy, dependable.  So a faithful Christian is one who is trustworthy and dependable–a person you can count on to be where they are supposed to be and do what they are supposed to do.  

We are told in I Corinthians 4:2 that faithfulness is a requirement, “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”  We are encouraged in III John, verse 5, to be faithful, “Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers.”  We are told in Revelation 2:10 that God rewards faithfulness, “Fear none of these things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”

Now, it is true that a person doesn’t have to be faithful to be a “Christian,” but in all candor, not being a faithful Christian in attendance and service of your church would be like having...

• a car without gas,
• a church without members,
• a lawn mower without a blade,
• a teacher without students,
• a house without a roof,
• a letter without postage,
• a bell without an anvil,
• a ballgame without a ball,
• a light bulb without electricity, or
• a husband without a wife.

 In other words, useless!  So can you be a “Christian” without being faithful?  Yes, you would just be a useless one.  Now, I know you would never desire to be useless to God; so why not begin today being faithful so you can turn your uselessness into faithfulness, trustworthiness, and dependability.

What to do:

✞Set your standards high.

✞Dedicate yourself not to miss a service in God’s house.

✞Win at least one soul to Christ and disciple them in the things of God.

                                                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse

Revival

Bible Reading: Psalm 85

Key Verse: Verse 6 – “Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?”

Key Words: Wilt thou not revive us again

Have you genuinely considered what a real revival really is?

• Revival is not a week of meetings.
• Revival is not the stirring up of the emotions that fades away after a few days.
• Revival is not people being saved.
• Revival is not many being baptized.
• Revival is not building a new building.
• Why, revival is not even the sending out of missionaries.

The above is not revival, but these are the results produced by a genuine revival.

The word revival is a fire term.  It means to rekindle the flame, so revival is when the person or persons who are born again are on fire for God.

With that in mind let me ask, “Do you need revival?  Are you genuinely on fire for God?”  If so, read on!

As we read Psalm 85:6, I see three things that leap out at me in regard to revival.

First of all, revival must come from God, “Wilt thou not revive us again?”  

Secondly, we must desire revival.  Again notice Psalm 85:6, “Wilt thou not revive us again?”   When is the last time you asked God to revive you spiritually?

Thirdly, you see the results of revival, “...that thy people may rejoice in thee?”  Revival is when we are continually rejoicing in God.

When we rejoice in God, souls will be saved and baptized, buildings will have to be built, the church will then send out missionaries because we are rejoicing in God.

My prayer, even my plea, for each of us is that we will genuinely ask God to send a great revival in our soul.

When we individually have revival, then our church will have revival as well.

 

What to do: 

✞Pray for revival.

✞Let revival begin with you.

                                                                                                                Dr. Mike Rouse

The Church and Prayer

Bible Reading: Acts 4:23-37

Key Verse: Verse 31  - “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.”

Key Words: And when they had prayed

Have you ever considered that every good thing accomplished in and through the church always comes through prayer?

Time and space do not allow me to mention every prayer and its results, but let me name just a few for you.

• Acts 4:31 – the power of God came as a result of prayer.
• Acts 6:6 – Stephen’s witness is a result of prayer.
• Acts 8:15 – Samaritans received the power of God through prayer.
• Acts 9:40 – Tabitha (Dorcas) arose from the dead through prayer.
• Acts 10:31 – Cornelius’ salvation came through prayer.
• Acts 12:5 – Peter was freed from prison because of prayer.
• Acts 13:3 – Paul’s and Silas’ missionary journeys began with prayer.
• Acts 16:13 – the church at Philippi is a result of prayer.
• Acts 16:25 – Paul and Silas were freed from prison because of prayer.
• Acts 22:17 – Paul was spared because of prayer.
• Acts 28:8 – Publius’ father was healed through prayer.

Every good thing that happens in our church can be directly traced to someone’s prayers.

James Gilmour, a missionary to Mongolia, was once asked to treat some wounded soldiers.  Although he was not a doctor, he did have some knowledge of first aid, so he felt he could not refuse the request.  He dressed the wounds of two of the men, but a third had a badly broken thigh bone.  The missionary had no idea what to do for such an injury.  Kneeling beside the man, he asked the Lord for help.  He didn’t know how God would answer his prayers, but he was confident that his need would be supplied.  He couldn’t find any books on physiology in the primitive hospital, and no doctor arrived.  To complicate matters, a crowd of beggars came to him asking for money.  He was deeply concerned about his patient, yet his heart went out to those ragged paupers.  Hurriedly, he gave them a small gift, plus a few kind words of spiritual admonition.

A moment later he stared in amazement at one weary beggar who had remained behind.  The half-starved fellow was little more than a living skeleton.  The missionary suddenly realized that the Lord had brought him a walking lesson in anatomy!  He asked the elderly man if he might examine him.  After carefully tracing the femur bone with his fingers to learn how to treat the soldier’s broken leg, he returned to the patient and was able to set the fracture.  Years afterward, Gilmour often related how God had provided him with a strange yet sufficient response to his earnest prayer.  When we raise our petitions, we too can be certain that the Lord will help us – even though the answer comes by way of those who “have no power.”

Could it be that your church’s powerlessness is a result of your prayerlessness?

 

What to do: 

✞Pray for your church – for revival, for God’s power, spiritual growth, and yes, even numerical growth.  If your church has a prayer time, don’t miss it, or run from it, or shun it – join in with it; because every good thing in the church is directly associated to prayer.

                                                                                                                    Dr. Mike Rouse

Listening in Church

Bible Reading:  I Samuel 3:1-10

Key Verse: Verse 10 - “And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

Key Words:  Speak; for thy servant heareth

Most of us were born with the ability to hear, but none of us were born with the ability to listen.  Listening is a skill and an art to be cultivated.

Dr. Ralph Nichols, considered by many to be an authority on the subject of listening, believes that we think four times faster than we speak.  This means that if a speaker speaks one hundred words a minute, the audience or class thinks about four hundred words a minute.  The difference offers a strong temptation for the listener to take a “mental break” to think about the ballgame last night or the one tonight, to think about the spend-the-night party the girls are having, to think about problems on the job, or to think about the bills that must be paid, etc.  This brings up the seldom-mentioned secret of successful communication.

There are two keys to successful communication whether in class or from the pulpit.  First, the one speaking must speak well and be well-prepared.  Second, the one who listens must listen well.  Both are hard work and not automatic.

Some keys to successful listening would be...

1. Don’t assume the subject is dull, (Often where a topic is concerned, we automatically assume that the subject doesn’t apply to us and we turn the speaker off.)
2. Don’t criticize before hearing the speaker out, (All speakers have faults and if you focus on them, you will miss something which profits you.)
3. Don’t let your prejudices close your mind, (For example, if a pastor preaches on tithing and you do not tithe, you automatically shut him out by saying, “He doesn’t understand my financial plight.”) and
4. Don’t be a “bad” spiritual listener.  Good spiritual listening requires three things.

1. First, see if you can guess where the speaker is going.
2. Secondly, require something of yourself to make yourself listen, i.e. take notes.
3. Listen for personal application.

I Samuel 3:10, “And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel.  Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.”

Now, go to church and be a good listener.  Amen?

  

What to do: 

✞Apply the principles listed in the devotion.

                                                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse

Sleeping in Church

Bible Reading: Acts 20:1-12

Key Verse: Verse 9 – “And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.”

Key Words: Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep

I really do feel sorry for Eutychus.  It was bad enough that he fell asleep in church while Paul was preaching; he even fell out of the window to his death three stories below.  Dr. Luke included the incident for all the world to read.  Think of it, the only time Eutychus got his name in the Bible, he was sleeping in church.  Dr. Luke tells us about it in Luke 20:7-9, “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.  And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together.  And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.”

Now, Eutychus is not the only one to fall asleep in church.  I have watched couples nod off in magnificent rhythm.  I mean perfect timing.  Why, there are our spiritual church sleepers: they fall asleep, wake up long enough to say amen, and then doze back off into never-never land.  Then there was the lady who had the strangest wheeze and smile while she was snoring, it reminded me of a chattering chimpanzee.

Why do people fall asleep in church?

• Training: That’s right, we were trained as small children to stretch out on the pew beside our parents and sleep away.  Habits are hard to break.
• Physical Factors:  Medicine we are on.
• Indifference:  Some people would rather sleep than be fed the Word of God.
• Boredom:  Let’s face it, some messages can be boring.

So much for the diagnosis, what about the remedy?

• The Service:  Must be conducive for worship, good music and a few good, hearty amens every now and then help congregation involvement.
• Physical Preparation:  Get a good night’s rest on Saturday night; get up on Sunday morning in time to get ready without a lot of helter, skelter.
• Spiritual Preparation:  Take time to have prayer for the service before coming to church.
• The Speaker:  Should be alert and ready, have his message well-prepared.   We are not in the entertainment business but each message should be interesting.

Are you ready?  Let’s have a great service, not just this week but every week.

  

What to do: 

✞Apply the principles listed in the devotion.

                                                                                                                Dr. Mike Rouse

The Priority of the Church

Bible Reading: I Thessalonians 1

Key Verse: Verse 8 - “For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.”

Key Words: For from you sounded out the word of the Lord

The priority of every church should be the souls of men, women, boys, and girls.  Every one of us should be soul-winners.  The word you in I Thessalonians 1:8 refers to the entire church.  No excuses – we are all to be witnesses for the Lord.

Years ago Dr. R. A. Torrey, the well-known evangelist and successor of D. L. Moody, was preaching about the need for every person in Christ, to reach those who are out of Christ.  That night, after preaching about the responsibility of every believer to be an active witness for Christ, a woman came to Dr. Torrey and said excitedly, “Dr. Torrey, you are wrong; you are dead wrong!  Until tonight you were my favorite preacher, but no more.”

Dr. Torrey sought to calm the woman down.  He said, “Why are you so upset over the message tonight?”  She said, “You said every Christian ought to be an active witness for Christ.  I thoroughly disagree with that!”  Dr. Torrey asked, “Why?”

This woman, who had been a Christian for several years said, “I am a widow with three young boys.  I spend all day and part of the night slaving behind my sewing machine seeking to eke out a living for me and my boys.  I hardly ever leave my apartment.  Dr. Torrey, how do you expect me to be a witness and soul-winner when I have to spend most of my life behind a sewing machine?  I have no time for visitation, etc.”  Dr. Torrey asked, “Did you ever witness to the milkman or iceman?”  The woman bowed her head in shame.  The Lord convicted her; she asked Dr. Torrey’s forgiveness for the way she acted, and prayed and set out by God’s grace to be an active witness for Christ.  She realized that even though she spent most of her time behind a sewing machine she could still be a witness for Christ.

The next day her iceman, George, came to the door bright and early.  She had on her best dress, the best table cloth on the table, and a large open Bible on the table with a bouquet of beautiful flowers.  (She did all this so George would ask some questions in order that she could talk to him about the Lord.)  As George was leaving, he said, “I’ve never seen that open Bible before, and the place looks so nice.”

The woman said nothing as George left.  She realized she had failed to witness to George as she had set out to do.  She ran to the door and called, “George!  George!”  He came back to the apartment.  She said, “Sit down, please.  George, I have known you for several years and you have been in this home many times delivering ice, yet I have never spoken to you about your soul.  George, if you died today where would you spend eternity?”

George, with tears in his eyes, said, “I have just come out of a two-week revival meeting and although I knew I should have gone forward, I didn’t have enough courage.  I was just hoping that someone would somehow take the Bible and show me how to be saved today.”

That day the widow woman, although a Christian for many years, led her very first soul to Christ.  Many of us are like this woman.  Although saved for many years, we are so slow in catching the soul-winning vision.

How many souls have you led to Christ?  Are you a part of your church’s soul-winning program?  I certainly hope so!

  

What to do:  

No better day than today to begin witnessing for Christ.

                                                                                                                    Dr. Mike Rouse