Return & Publicly Testify - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) October 31, 2023

Leprosy is a bacterial infection that affects every part of the body. It attacks the nerves so sufferers lose feeling. Over time, it eats at the skin and bones, leaving a diminished quality of life. Nowadays, there is medication to cure the disease, but in the time of Jesus, leprosy was a death sentence. Additionally, lepers could not visit the synagogue, go to the market, or even be around others.

It is no surprise, then, that in the story of the 10 Lepers, these men stood at a distance and called out to Jesus for healing. They didn't dare come closer for fear of violating the Laws of Moses, which specified that they were unclean and could not come close to others (Leviticus 13:45-46). Nevertheless, Jesus didn't hesitate to help these men, telling them to go show themselves to the priest as was customary when a leper was healed. That way, the priest would perform the required cleansing rites. Jesus also intended this act to be a "public testimony" to the priest and likely others. He had said so when He healed another leper in Matthew 8:4 NLT.

Back to the ten former lepers. They all set off to find the priest as Jesus had instructed, except for one who did something different. Luke 17:15 - One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, glorifying and praising and honoring God with a loud voice; and he lay face downward at Jesus’ feet, thanking Him [over and over]. He was a Samaritan (AMP). That man lauded the Lord for his healing and did so loud enough for others to hear.

He understood something that his peers didn't - it is crucial to worship God for what He's done. Notice that he is recorded as praising God loudly meaning that others could hear his thanksgiving. That means He publicly worshiped the Lord. And given the times, people likely came out of their homes or stopped as he went by to understand why he was shouting. In this way, the man was testifying to what God had done for him. Letting others know how God had freed him from a crippling life of bondage that would have led to a painful death. This man was not a Jew and would have been considered a Gentile, yet he understood the assignment. Although it was important to have the priest acknowledge he'd been healed, he couldn't do that before adequately acknowledging his God for all to see and hear.

Do you understand the assignment? Do you realize that God must get the glory first and that you need to honor Him publicly? When last did you stand as a witness of His power and presence in your life by giving testimony on what He'd done for you?

So many of us have experienced God's blessings but have failed to publicly glorify Him. We forget why King David danced like a madman in public when the Ark entered Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 15). Part of his joy likely stemmed from the fact that he and the priests brought the presence of God into the City of Zion without anyone dying as had happened on their previous attempt (1 Chronicles 13). Follow His example and make a joyful noise for the Lord. Dance and wave your hands in glee for what He's done for you. If you are reading this message, you are blessed because there are those who no longer can. If you can see, you are blessed and should praise God because sadly, many are blind. If you can turn on your faucet and watch the water flow out, give God the glory because there are countless people who do not enjoy such luxury, even in what we consider developed countries.

What are you going to praise God for today? How loud can you get? What testimony have you been sitting on that needs to be shared? Keep in mind what happened to the one leper who came back with praises. Luke 17:19 - Jesus said to him, “Get up and go [on your way]. Your faith [your personal trust in Me and your confidence in God’s power] has restored you to health.” (AMP). The former leper who rejoiced loudly and testified received complete and permanent healing. He went from being a leper to becoming one of the healthiest people on earth. His miracle was multiplied in his favor.

Acknowledge the Lord for His goodness loudly. Let others know how great He has been to you or to those you care about. Then watch that thing He did for you expand to His glory and your blessing.

PS: Write down a praise report and be prepared to share it in the last 10 minutes of fellowship. In the meantime, visit the Testimony Thread - Let's share our testimonies to His glory... See what God has done for others and thank Him loudly!

Who do you say I am? - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) October 27, 2023

Reading the Gospels provides so much insight into the thinking of Jesus Christ and those who spent the most time with Him. In Luke 9, for instance, Jesus asked his disciples what others thought of Him. The responses were that people compared Him to late prophets such as Elijah and some thought of Him as the recently executed John the Baptist.

However, Jesus was more interested in getting the opinion of the people He spent the most time with. Those whom He eventually called His friends (John 15:15). He wanted to know what they had concluded about Him. And so, He continued the conversation, posing another question in Luke 9:20 - “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.” The same response was recorded in Matthew 16:16- Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And in the Book of Mark, Peter is recorded as saying, “You are the Messiah.” (Mark 8:29).

Peter's response was based on His interactions with Jesus. He'd watched the Son of God change water to wine, cast demons out of people, and heal the sick, including his own mother (Mark 1:30-31). He'd seen Jesus dress down the religious and political authorities of His day and those men had no 'come back' for His wisdom. And so, when Peter called Jesus the Messiah, which means 'the anointed one' or 'the chosen one', he really meant it.

If Jesus asked you this same question today - Who do you say I am? - what would your answer be?

Would you give details about Him from the Bible, or would you be able to give specifics from your own life? If you can't genuinely speak about Jesus in a personal way, then that means you are in desperate need of a relationship with Him. And that's not a bad thing because Jesus came to earth to introduce Himself to people in His age and every era to come. That means today can be the very start of a beautiful relationship with Him, whereby you get to know more and experience more of Him. In this way, you too will be able to genuinely explain who Christ is to you as well as His impact on your life.

If you already know Jesus and can readily describe who He is to you, give God glory and praise for that privilege. Be sure to write it down somewhere and feel free to share it with the rest of us. Then, please take a moment to pray that others will be able to do the same. Now, if you don't have the answer to Jesus' question - Who do you say I am? - stop everything you are doing and ask Jesus for the opportunity to know Him better. Then, don't forget that you made this request because He will introduce Himself to you soon.

God bless you!

PS: If you are wondering why it is important to know Jesus and have a relationship with Him, then consider Luke 10:22 - “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

This scripture lets us know that Jesus chooses those to whom He will reveal His Father. He surely will not do that for those who don't like Him and aren't interested in knowing Him. Thus, we need a relationship with Jesus in order to have one with the Lord. We need Jesus in our lives to receive the Holy Spirit who acts as our Comforter and Guide. Basically, there are nothing but benefits in knowing Jesus and being able to confidently say who you, and not somebody else, thinks He is.

The Parable of the Sower - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) October 24, 2023

In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus helped his disciples understand the different categories of people they'd encounter over the course of their ministry.

The parable, as shared in Luke 8, shows that there are four types of people who will receive the word of God - the call to turn to the Lord and live a new life through Jesus Christ. Some will be like the type of soil you find on a path - compact and hard. When the seed falls on this soil, it gets crushed by people walking on the path, and whatever remains gets picked up by birds.

Then there are those who represent rocky ground. Their soil is filled with stones, which, combined with a lack of water for the seeds, means germination doesn't happen. There are also those who are like thorny ground. The seed starts growing but the thorns eventually choke out the resulting plant.

Finally, there are those described as good soil. The seed falls on them and eventually grows to produce a profitable harvest for the Sower. Luke 8:8 - Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown. Jesus further described these 'good soil' types of people in Luke 8:15 - But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. What a glowing assessment! But did you notice something? He said these types must persevere to produce a crop.

We all want to think of ourselves as the good soil types and as we aspire to be just that, let us remember that we will have to persevere to be profitable to God. Sure, we might be noble and good-hearted, retaining the word we receive and putting it into practice. These are good and acceptable to the Lord but He also expects His word in us to yield a harvest, where we bring others to Him and His kingdom.

Dear 'Good Soil', are you a fruitful vineyard for the Lord? Is the word of God transforming your life whereby it is transforming others? Or are you allowing the devil to choke God's word out of you like the rocky ground types? Please endeavor to be regularly watered by studying the word of God and fellowshipping with believers so you don't experience what happens to the rocky ground types. Do not allow God's word to grow in you but then be killed as is the case for the thorny ground types. Finally, do not be like the pathway types where every ungodly concept such as New Age-occult practices and other false religious structures can crush God’s word out of your life.

If you seek God with all your heart, you will find Him (Proverbs 8:17). Make Him a priority and watch how your good soil produces a good harvest for the Sower - the Lord God Almighty.

For more related content, please read:

1. Viable Seeds

2. The Cornelius Blessing

3. Don't Let The Devil Choke The Word of God From You

4. Grace Changes You