EFFICIENT WAYS OF LEADING MEN TO CHRIST - PART 1

WEDNESDAY 20 JULY 2022

The fundamental essence of delivering the glorious gospel can be attributed to our words and deeds, the power of signs and wonders, and most importantly, the power of the Spirit of God. The more we encourage these three important aspects, the more we persuade and lead men to the knowledge of Christ through the message of salvation, which means that all of this can construct the means of effective approach that can yield tremendous harvest and benefits to the Kingdom of God - by the help and influence of the Spirit, day in and day out.

Reference: Romans 15:19-20 New International Version (NIV) "I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obedience by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, and by the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ."

Paul said that he would not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through him in leading the Gentiles to obey God, firstly, by what he had said and done, secondly, by the power of signs and wonders, and also through the power of the Spirit of God.

Firstly, by his words and deed, which is today's discussion, it means his verbal expressions and actions. Colossians 3:17 (ESV) reads, "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." In this context, words are what we say and testify concerning the truth of the glorious gospel while deeds have to do with our actions and how the gospel plays out in our lives. As for our words, they are not supposed to be ordinary or man-made because 1 Corinthians 2:13 (NIV) reads, "And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words." So they are words inspired by the Spirit according to the gospel that proclaims Christ Jesus as Lord. No wonder in Romans 16:25, "Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages" (ESV). Here they are quickened according to his word; they receive fresh supplies of strength from his preaching which are in line with his service to God and the work of the Spirit.

As for deed, a Christian line of action requires us to be Word practitioners. When we are action-oriented, in direct accordance with the message of the Spirit, our behaviour will reflect the words we preach because as we live for Christ, we understand and absorb divine realities in our spirit, which condition us to bring our divine identity to manifestation. 2 Corinthians 2:4-5 (NLV) reads, "What I had to say when I preached was not in big sounding words of man's wisdom. But it was given in the power of the Holy Spirit. In this way, you do not have faith in Christ because of the wisdom of men. You have faith in Christ because of the power of God." In other words, his message and preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but rather they were constantly inspired by the Spirit's power. This is because what he preached is God's wisdom, which was a secret God planned for us to have and enjoy as our glory before the world began.

In line with this truth, 2 Corinthians 2:8 says, "None of the world leaders understood this wisdom. If they had, they would not have put Christ up on a cross to die. He is the Lord of shining-greatness" (NLV). Beloved, our words are replete with divine wisdom for quickening of the soul and the spirit; they are not ordinary because they have sufficient grace for continual support of our spiritual life and for influencing and bringing men to the knowledge of Christ. On the other hand, our actions must be based on tapping into the knowledge of the Word as we understand it, and then practise the revealed truths, which empower us to action and experience them in our lives for real. Stay tuned for part 2. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Luke 11:28; 1 Corinthians 10:31; 1 John 3:18; 1 Thessalonians 2:13.

Exuberant Declaration: I thank God today for the gift of His grace and salvation, which are the effects of His special love heavily directed toward me in Christ. By the power of the Spirit, I daily declare and testify about Christ in my world and every good thing He has done for me. Meditating on and observing the Word supply me with a whole weight of practical energy to speak and action it. Hence, the more I share the gospel, the more I activate the power of the glorious light and Christ's victory in my world. Glory to God!