- We must ensure souls are brought into the Church where they can go from strength to strength.
- It is that strength that gives them spiritual stability, not to be blown from side to side by every wind of doctrine that will bring them to destruction
- Some people might say,” how about if the soul is reading his Bible by himself? How about if he is listening to messages online?”
- Eating from restaurant to restaurant as a child does not give you balanced diet.
Our Father, this morning, we have come before You to give glory and to give praise to You. We thank You Lord, for the testimonies that we have heard. They are your doings and they are marvellous in our eyes. We thank You for the answers You have given to our prayers. We give You all the praise and glory. Now, this morning, our eyes are upon You, speak to us again today. Let Your Word transform us yet again. We give You the praise and we give You the glory, in Jesus precious name we have prayed.
Our line of exhortation for our Covenant Hour of Prayer this week has been:
WHY MUST WE BE COMMITTED TO THE INGATHERING OF SOULS INTO CHURCH?
It has been said when the purpose of a thing is not known, abuse is inevitable. So it is important that you and I come to the understanding of why we must be committed to this task, this commandment, this instruction of ingathering of souls into Church.
This morning, we are going to look at this particular reason:
FOR THE SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF OUR NEW CONVERTS
We must be committed to the ingathering of souls into Church for the spiritual growth and development of our new converts.
Romans 10:17
Their strength in faith, their growth in faith, their advancement in the Kingdom is tied to their access to the continuous release of God’s Word
1 Peter 2:2
Our access to spiritual nutrition is what determines our spiritual growth. That is why the souls that God brings our way must never be left at the harvest field.
You and I both know that in the natural process of birth, the labour room is the place where the child is born and the labour room is not the house. It is the place where the child is born, but the child must be taken from the labour room to the house where the child will grow. So where the child is born is one thing, but it is in the house that the child will grow. There is a responsibility for the mother of the child to take the child from the labour room to the house.
The house can be seen as the growing room while the labour room is the birthing room. Church Gist. There is a place for the birth of the souls, but it is in the home that the growth of the souls can be found. So every soul that God brings our way must be brought into the house of God where they can grow.
There is no mother that desires to deliver in the hospital and go back home alone. The task of the mother is to take the baby back from the hospital to the home, in order to see the child grow and be nurtured.
That is the same responsibility that you and I have. The truth is this, there labour in birth that is why the process of birth is called labour, but there is more labour in growth.
It takes more responsibility for a child to be nurtured and to grow and that is why you and I must understand that our task is never concluded with the salvation of a soul. It is only the beginning of a new responsibility.
You and I then have the responsibility of bringing them into the spiritual home where they can grow and be nurtured.
It is important that we understand the significance of the spiritual home or the Church when it comes to the growth of every soul.
- We must take note that the Church is the spiritual centre where we grow from strength to strength.
Psalm 84:7
Zion or the Church of Christ is the place where we grow, where we see these souls growing from strength to strength.
Their spiritual stamina is built up in Zion.
Their spiritual strength that brings about their stability in their walk with God is built up in Zion.
You and I agree that a child that is born is not usually very strong, it takes the nurturing of the child before the child can begin to gain strength. In the same vein, the soul that is born is not strong, it is when the soul is brought into Zion and nurtured that they begin to go from strength to strength.
When a child is born, the child cannot sit down, the child cannot do anything because there is no sufficient strength for it. But as the child is nurtured within the home, suddenly you discover that the child can raise his head, can move his hand, then one day, he begins to sit down. One day, he begins to stand up; one day he begins to walk. He is going from strength to strength because he is been nurtured.
In the same vein, the souls that God brings our way, they can only grow from strength to strength when they are nurtured in the house of God and it is that strength that gives them spiritual stability, not to be blown from side to side by every wind of doctrine that will bring them to destruction. So you and I have that responsibility of seeing to it that every one of the souls that God has brought our way are brought into the Church where they can go from strength to strength. - Secondly, we discover that God ordained shepherds that feed the flock are located in Church.
Jeremiah 3:15-16, Acts 20:28
We have Pastors that God has given and their task is for the feeding of the flock and it is the feeding of the souls that brings about their growth and their development.
You and I must understand that outside of the Church, the growth of the soul is not in view.
In fact, God’s Servant, our father said yesterday, “if a child is born and you say, ‘wait, I am coming’ and you go away. By the time you come, it is a matter of time, that child will be gone.” It takes the nurturing and the proper feeding of that child for the child to grow adequately.
Some people will say,” how about if the soul is reading his Bible by himself? How about if he is listening to messages online?”
The truth is this, eating from restaurant to restaurant as a child does not give you balanced diet. That is what will cause Kwashiorkor and other things will begin to take place. It is the mother that knows this child is eating too much carbohydrate, now he needs protein. It is the mother that is balancing the diet.
In the same vein, the Pastors God has ordained in a Church are the ones balancing the diet for the converts that God brings our way and that is what allows them to grow adequately, grow properly, develop properly and become saints in the house of God.
We must understand that it is in the Church that this God ordained shepherds are located. That is why they must be brought into the Church
Acts 20:32
It is the feeding process that they enjoy in the Church of God that makes them to be built up and then partake of the inheritance and blessings available in Zion. - The Church is the centre of spiritual illumination that transforms the lives of believers.
Psalm 73:17, Psalm 77:13
It is in the house of God that spiritual illumination takes place and that illumination is the secret of transformation.
2 Corinthians 3:18
It is the illumination that we encounter that determines the transformation we experience. That illumination takes place among others, particularly in the house of God.
When they are brought into the house of God, illumination takes place and as a result transformation takes place.
We heard the testimony of that brother that was read, the second testimony, he said that he was dodging, but finally he came and he discovered after surrendering his life to Christ and hearing the Word of God, he said, “the urge to smoke, the urge to drink disappeared.” He did not have any desire to be with his old friends, he withdrew himself. Everybody began to take a look at this brand-new man and all of that within 2 months. Just by being in the house of God. Illumination brought about transformation.
-That shall be the testimony of all of our new converts. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Prayers: Take grace from God to see to the drawing of every new convert to establishment in God’s House. Lord I receive grace to play my part in seeing to the drafting of everyone new convert that You have brought our way into the house of God.
I receive grace!!! By strength shall no man prevail. Lord, I receive grace. I will see to it that every convert, every soul You have brought our way is drafted into the house of God. I receive that grace today.
Give thanks to Him. Appreciate Him for it.
Father, thank You, in Jesus precious name we have prayed.
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CHoP is an acronym for Covenant Hour of Prayer
