Open Heaven 8 November
MEMORISE: And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. – Mark 4:34
READ: Matthew 13:10-30 (KJV)
10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Read yesterday’s Open Heaven here
Discipleship covers both coaching and mentorship. It describes the relationship that exists between a mentor and his mentee, and also that of a coach and the one being coached. Mentoring and coaching present rare privileges and should be handled carefully as the future of many are influenced thereby.
1 Corinthians 11:1 says Christ must be the model for all Christian coaches and mentors.
“Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”
What you say or do will have great impact on and can even shape the character of those within your sphere of influence. My strong adherence to holiness today is as a result of the teachings and lifestyle of my Father-in-the-Lord Pa Josiah Akindayomi.
If you would disciple anyone, you must first ensure your values are godly, clear and well set. As a father, you are both a mentor and coach to your wife and children. What you do would impact on their character greatly. This also includes your subordinates in the office.
Jesus is the ultimate teacher; one thing you would notice about Him is that He never hid the truth from His disciples.
“…and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.”
You must be honest in the assessment of your followers; tell them where they have gone wrong and praise them when they get things right. You owe them the truth always.
Jesus never hid anything from His disciples; they knew when He was fasting and when He was praying. He constantly pushed them to become like Him and even greater (John 14:12). In Matthew 17:16-17, He said “O ye of little faith, how long will I be with thee?” He was saying in essence: Get up and start doing these things yourself. if you have a follower that has remained on the same level since he/she met you, you are failing as a coach and mentor. May you never fail God in the mighty name of Jesus.
A long time ago, some of us were praying for an elder who was dying when he suddenly looked up and said “Oh what beautiful voices, oh what sweet music!” I knew he was hearing the angels singing to welcome him to Heaven, so we stopped praying and let him go. In Heaven, there is no pain, no worries, just fun and worship to the Most High God. I am determined never to miss Heaven; I don’t know about you.
KEY POINT: What kind of example are you to those in your sphere of influence? Are you deliberate about their growth?
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Matthew 26; Mark 14
Thank you for studying today’s Open Heaven – Christian Discipleship I – written by Pastor Enoch A.
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Open Heaven 8 November 2020
