ESOCS Devotional 18 July 2023
MEMORY VERSE: “And he came down with them, and stood in the plain and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea of coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases.” Luke 6:17
TEXT: LUKE 6:12-26 (KJV)
12 And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
13 And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;
14 Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,
15 Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes,
16 And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.
17 And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases;
18 And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed.
19 And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.
20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.
22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.
23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
24 But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.
25 Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.
26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.
Read Yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
For every service you call, religious meetings, conferences, symposium, outreach and crusades that you beckon on people to attend, it must be settled in your hearts that the congregants came with high expectation that must be fulfilled “for the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God” (Rom. 8:19). Coming from all works of life and from different location, some very far, they all have a heart ready to receive. Therefore, any planned programme that does not meet the yearnings and expectations of congregants can as well be described as a failed event, exercise in futility. It amounts to waste of resources and time.
Our text gives us light into what the true desire of the people are as follows:
A. TO HEAR: “…which came to hear him” Generally, there is a great inner passion to hear, a longing from the heart, this is certainly not unconnected to the fact that “…Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17) and “…without faith it is impossible to please him…” (Heb. 11:6). Thus, every effort any one puts in to hear is justifiable in order to please God per time. What exactly do they want to hear?
- WISDOM: “And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon …” (1 Kings 4:34). Frankly speaking, people are tired of the foolishness and stupidity of the world, there is a genuine search for Divine wisdom that will pull them out of the pit. It therefore pains me when ministers, both from the Altar and pulpit fail to communicate wisdom to the congregation that assembled from far and wide.
- REVELATIONS: The depth of your revelation knowledge of God’s word will surely pull people in your direction. As they listen to us, they want to hear depth, not shallowness of scripture, but depth filled with revelation that will provoke their study life.
- INSPIRATION: These have the capacity to motivate one to a greater height of excellence. Learn to inspire people as they come around.
- PROPHESIES: The place of prophesy in human existence cannot be over emphasized, as it impacts blessings, builds confidence and reassures of better days ahead.
- SALVATION: The people want to hear words that is sin convicting, soul converting and life transforming in order to get them truly saved for eternity. How much do we communicate Salvation to the people as we call them to service every day? Ministers, Administrators, we better wake up.
- Learn to prepare to meet expectation by people about you in all areas.
- Father, we bless you for your words, grant us the grace to be prepared always.
FURTHER READING: Joshua 7:16–end; Daniel 8:15-end; Acts 18:22–9:7
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ESOCS Devotional 18 July 2023
