Open Heaven 17 October  2023 Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Topic: ARE YOU A FRESH OR STALE CHRISTIAN? 

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Open Heavens 2023
Date: 2023-10-17
Topic: ARE YOU A FRESH OR STALE CHRISTIAN?

Memory Verse: Matthew 18:3 – 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.
Bible Reading: Matthew 18:1-6

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.

Points: When was the last time you won a soul for Christ?
Bible in one year: Mark 10, Mark 11

Hymn Title: Onward, Christian Soldiers!

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

  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.

  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.

Open Heavens 2023 Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.

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