11-20-2020, 11:36 AM
OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL.
FRIDAY 20TH NOVEMBER, 2020.
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST
MEMORISE: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Romans 1:16
READ: Acts 2:14-42
14. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words;
15. For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
16. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
17. And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;
18. And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy;
19. And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke;
20. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come;
21. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
22. Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know;
23. Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain;
24. Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death; because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
25. For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved;
26. Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope;
27. Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
28. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.
29. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
30. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
31. He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
32. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
33. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
34. For David is not ascended into the heavens; but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
35. Until I make thy foes thy footstool.
36. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
37. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38. Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call.
40. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
41. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized; and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
42. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Acts 13-14
MESSAGE
The world today is full of sorrow, pain and agony. More people are going into depression nowadays. Suicide rates have gone up, there are wars and rumours of wars, fights and even more violence.
The only people living peacefully are those who are connected with the Prince of Peace, those who have Christ living in them. When a person becomes born again, the first thing he/she experiences is peace.
Believe me, the gospel of Christ is the only way out of all the chaos in this world. If you have not yet embraced the gospel of Christ, I would advise that you do so right away so that you can begin to live a peaceful and joyful life.
If you already know Christ and you don’t share His gospel with people around you, then it is clear that you don’t love them. The Gospel of Christ is good news to the broken-hearted, joy to the depressed, strength to the weary and life to the dying (Luke 4:18). Don’t keep it to yourself, share it with the world.
Jesus wants to save, heal and deliver them, but He needs you to introduce Him. Whenever I hear about someone who committed suicide or did something terrible because they were experiencing depression, I hurt deeply within me.
I always wish I had the opportunity to share the gospel of Christ with them before the issue got out of hand. Some of them are with you in the office, your neighbourhood and there are no restrictions in your meeting with them.
Sharing the gospel of Christ goes beyond just words, it also involves your actions. It entails how you smile when you see them, asking about their wellbeing, caring for them genuinely as Christ cares for us. Don’t just preach the gospel, show love to them practically.James 2:15-16 says:
“If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?”
Are you sharing the gospel of Christ to the brokenhearted?
ACTION POINT
Share the gospel of Christ with someone this weekend.
HYMN 26: STAND UP! STAND UP FOR JESUS.
1. Stand up! stand up for Jesus,
Ye soldiers of the Cross!
Lift high His royal banner;
It must not suffer loss.
From vict’ry unto vict’ry
His army shall He lead,
Till every foe is vanquished,
And Christ is Lord indeed.
2. Stand up! stand up for Jesus,
The trumpet call obey;
Forth to the mighty conflict,
In this His glorious day;
Ye that are men now serve Him
Against unnumbered foes;
Let courage rise with danger,
And strength to strength oppose.
3. Stand up! stand up for Jesus!
Stand in His strength alone;
The arm of flesh will fail you,
Ye dare not trust your own:
Put on the gospel armour,
And watching unto prayer;
Where duty calls, or danger,
Be never wanting there.
4. Stand up! stand up for Jesus!
The strife will not be long;
This day the noise of battle,
The next the victor’s song;
To him that overcometh,
A crown of life shall be;
He with the King of glory
Shall reign eternally.
FRIDAY 20TH NOVEMBER, 2020.
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST
MEMORISE: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Romans 1:16
READ: Acts 2:14-42
14. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words;
15. For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
16. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
17. And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;
18. And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy;
19. And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke;
20. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come;
21. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
22. Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know;
23. Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain;
24. Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death; because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
25. For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved;
26. Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope;
27. Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
28. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.
29. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
30. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
31. He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
32. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
33. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
34. For David is not ascended into the heavens; but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
35. Until I make thy foes thy footstool.
36. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
37. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38. Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call.
40. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
41. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized; and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
42. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Acts 13-14
MESSAGE
The world today is full of sorrow, pain and agony. More people are going into depression nowadays. Suicide rates have gone up, there are wars and rumours of wars, fights and even more violence.
The only people living peacefully are those who are connected with the Prince of Peace, those who have Christ living in them. When a person becomes born again, the first thing he/she experiences is peace.
Believe me, the gospel of Christ is the only way out of all the chaos in this world. If you have not yet embraced the gospel of Christ, I would advise that you do so right away so that you can begin to live a peaceful and joyful life.
If you already know Christ and you don’t share His gospel with people around you, then it is clear that you don’t love them. The Gospel of Christ is good news to the broken-hearted, joy to the depressed, strength to the weary and life to the dying (Luke 4:18). Don’t keep it to yourself, share it with the world.
Jesus wants to save, heal and deliver them, but He needs you to introduce Him. Whenever I hear about someone who committed suicide or did something terrible because they were experiencing depression, I hurt deeply within me.
I always wish I had the opportunity to share the gospel of Christ with them before the issue got out of hand. Some of them are with you in the office, your neighbourhood and there are no restrictions in your meeting with them.
Sharing the gospel of Christ goes beyond just words, it also involves your actions. It entails how you smile when you see them, asking about their wellbeing, caring for them genuinely as Christ cares for us. Don’t just preach the gospel, show love to them practically.James 2:15-16 says:
“If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?”
Are you sharing the gospel of Christ to the brokenhearted?
ACTION POINT
Share the gospel of Christ with someone this weekend.
HYMN 26: STAND UP! STAND UP FOR JESUS.
1. Stand up! stand up for Jesus,
Ye soldiers of the Cross!
Lift high His royal banner;
It must not suffer loss.
From vict’ry unto vict’ry
His army shall He lead,
Till every foe is vanquished,
And Christ is Lord indeed.
2. Stand up! stand up for Jesus,
The trumpet call obey;
Forth to the mighty conflict,
In this His glorious day;
Ye that are men now serve Him
Against unnumbered foes;
Let courage rise with danger,
And strength to strength oppose.
3. Stand up! stand up for Jesus!
Stand in His strength alone;
The arm of flesh will fail you,
Ye dare not trust your own:
Put on the gospel armour,
And watching unto prayer;
Where duty calls, or danger,
Be never wanting there.
4. Stand up! stand up for Jesus!
The strife will not be long;
This day the noise of battle,
The next the victor’s song;
To him that overcometh,
A crown of life shall be;
He with the King of glory
Shall reign eternally.