#‎GOFAMINTDailyDevotion‬ Sun. 14/8/2016

13 August 2016

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14/8/2016 LESSON 11

PRATICAL CHRISTIAN LIVING (PART 1)

Quarter’s Theme: BASIC CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES

Unit 3 – Israel And Believers’ Benefits From The Book Of Romans (Lessons 10-12)

Suggested Hymns: G.H.B. 225, 236

Devotional Reading: COL. 3:1-15

Topic For Adults

GLORIFY GOD IN YOUR BODY

Topic For Youths

YOUR BODY IS THE TEMPLE OF GOD

Topic For Adults

BE TRANSFORMED COMPLETELY

Scripture Lesson

ROMANS 12:1 – 13:7

(STEWARDSHIP AND ACCOUNTABILITY MONTH)

MEMORY VERSE

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service (Rom. 12: 1) NKJV

DAILY DEVOTIONAL READING

Sun. 14/8/2016

You Were Purchased With A Price

1 Cor. 6:12-20

All over the world, man is sinking into the pool of immorality. The society is soliciting for the church to approve and join in the orgy of immorality in the name of being “open minded”. Sexual immorality and perversion are on the increase; while those who stand for moral uprightness are labelled as “narrow-minded hypocrites”. The Christian needs to keep in sharp focus the fact that Jesus Christ has redeemed him from the corruption that is in the world. Redemption came to us at a high price to Jesus – agonising death on the cross. At redemption, the body of a believer was cleansed with the blood of Jesus with the intention that the believer’s body would be the temple in which the Holy Spirit resides. The Holy Spirit cannot reside in the same temple at the same time with an unclean spirit, for example, the spirit of adultery or fornication.

Point of Emphasis: Dedicate your body as a holy temple for the Holy Spirit to take residence.

Prayer Point: Father, cleanse me by the blood of Jesus and send Your Holy Spirit to live in me.

BACKGROUND

For many people, both within and outside the church, the dictum is “if it pleases
you, go ahead and do it”. For these people, God is no longer relevant, even though
they attend church services and take Holy Communion. Christians are sometimes caught in the trap of this ungodly lifestyle, so much so that it is becoming difficult to know who truly belongs to God. The heaven-minded Christian must have a different focus. He must stand out as different among his neighbours.

NOTE ON THE TEXTS

PART 1: SUBMIT TO GOD AND SERVE HIM (ROM. 12:1-8)

The fact that someone has given his life to Christ should be evident in his lifestyle. It has become fashionable to be identified as “Christian”, but many people do not want God to control every area of their lives. A sheep, which has been donated as sacrifice, does not have control over its life or convenience anymore. While living, the Christian should regard himself as already given off as sacrifice to God. His lifestyle should portray this. His aim is to bring glory to God – in the way he conducts himself, his desires, his ambition and goals in life.

The Christian is not taken to heaven immediately after getting born-again because God desires that the Christian should serve Him. He makes available various gifts through the infilling of the Holy Spirit. The spiritual gifts are for equipping the Christian, to make the Christian effective in service. They are gifts, and not merit awards. Whoever has been endowed with one spiritual gift or the other should not boast or become proud. He should serve with humility and diligence.

PART 2: BEHAVE AS A CHRISTIAN TOWARDS OTHER PEOPLE (ROM. 12:9-19)

The true mark of a Christian is not in how big his Bible is, or the stickers he puts on his car, or what he professes to be. The true mark of the Christian is in his actions among his neighbours, among his colleagues at work or in the marketplace, among members of His immediate family, and among the church members. Jesus Christ said “by this shall men know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another”. Love is such a commodity that the more you give, the more you get. Love should be demonstrated towards those that surround us – caring for their needs, honouring them in every possible way, and forgiving them when they offend us.

The Christian should also serve as beacon of light to draw others close to Christ. To do this, his reaction to issues and circumstances must manifest a firm belief in God – that God exists, that He is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent, that God is infinitely wise and good even when we have to go through tribulation. The Christian should not allow himself to be overcome with evil, but should overcome evil with good.

PART 3: OBEY CIVIL AUTHORITIES (ROM. 13:1-7)

Christians should not be found among those who disobey civil authorities or break the laws of the land. Laws and constitutions are made to make the society conducive for living for all. Christians should therefore be diligent in obeying laws and regulations. It is possible that those in government act lawlessly, but the Christian should not use that as an excuse to become a law breaker. In a case where an unjust law is enacted, the Christian should look for lawful ways of changing such a law. It is un-Christianly to break a law and then regard oneself as being persecuted. The Christian should be an example to others in such matters as paying taxes and customs, obeying traffic rules and regulations, etc.

CONCLUSION

God redeemed us with the intention that we become like Christ. He is willing to equip and empower us to meet this standard if we are willing and obedient. We should not be just hearers of the word, but must be doers also. This is the only way we can prove to the world that God’s plan is perfect.

QUESTIONS

In what ways does the society try to panel beat the Christian to its shape? How can the Christian escape being conformed to the world?
Is it possible for a Christian never to avenge wrongs done against him?
Which ministry in the body of Christ will attract the greatest reward from God? What will be the yardstick which God will use to reward Christians on the last day?
What should be the reaction of Christians to government when those in government get there through unjust means?
What actions can Christians take against unjust laws in the society?