*DAILY MANNA DEVOTIONAL* *SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24 2019* *BE RELENTLESS IN HIS WORK* *TEXT:* ROMANS 15:14-22.

*DAILY MANNA DEVOTIONAL*

*SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24 2019*

*BE RELENTLESS IN HIS WORK*

*TEXT:* ROMANS 15:14-22.

_*🔑KEY VERSE* "Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ" (ROMANS 15:19)._

Illyricum was a country on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea by Italy, north of Macedonia. The territory had not received the gospel of Jesus until apostle Paul visited there in one of his missionary trips. It was a torturous journey. By sea or land, it was a journey of more than one thousand kilometres. Nevertheless, Paul embarked on the voyage.

Today, as we read this account of one who abandoned his comfort zone in Jerusalem for the evangelism task in unknown places, hundreds of kilometres away, we are reminded of our Lord Himself who set the standard for His followers. He walked the length and breadth of Israel on foot and by boat and preached everywhere; distance not an obstacle. So for Paul and the other believers in the early church, strange foreign lands were not no-go areas.

Jesus and the disciples spared nothing; including their time, vocation, money and other resources to preach the gospel. That was the strategy the Lord devised to get the Good News preached all over the world as commanded in the Great Commission. In these latter days when our world is aflame with heretical doctrines that are infiltrating even the church, today's brethren need to thirst more for evangelism beyond where they live, while retaining the souls the Lord has already won for His kingdom.

The late Mother Theresa of Calcutta said we should "give and give until it hurts." Applied to our work in the Vineyard of the Lord, the Lord wants us to give all it takes to win souls as eternity draws near. The clock is ticking fast to the beginning of eternity. We should also hasten our evangelism footsteps to match the urgency of the moment and outstrip the speed of the enemies of the gospel.

*✍THOUGHT FOR THE DAY* Preach until it hurts and no land is left uncovered.

*COVER TO COVER* EZEKIEL 45-46.

*MEDITATION*

Inspirations from the greatest evangelist/soul winner of all times

1. He effectively mentored and developed his converts to the point that they could successfully carry on with fellowship in his absence v14.
2. He had a well defined evangelistic focus on whom he should concentrate on (the Gentiles) v16.
3. He had his God-given mission defined: To preach the gospel of the saving grace of Christ and not just prosperity, success or any other earthly benefit of the gospel v16.
4. He knew the fruit offerings of the Gentiles that is acceptable to God: Converted sinners who are purified in heart and conduct by the Holy Spirit v16. Success of an outreach is not measured by the crowd who responded and started coming to church but how many are truly converted by the Holy Spirit.
5. The purpose of signs and wonders in evangelism is to make sinners obedient to the gospel vv17,18. Signs and wonders without repentance and conversion is empty showmanship.
6. True gospel should not be selective. Everything relating to salvation, including repentance and restitution, must be preached without an apology v19.
7. A true soul winner is not contented with his previous success. He moves to new grounds to win more souls vv20,21,22.
*Q* What other inspiration could you get from Apostle Paul?
*Ask* for forgiveness if you are not converted or you are converted but negligent of soul winning🙏
*Ask* for grace to be committed and faithful in soul winning🙏
*Ask* for fruitfulness and increase of converted souls through the retreat and all other evangelistic activities of the Church.🙏
*Pray* for anointing that will transform you from being a mere preacher to a soul winner.🙏

*HYMN* So send I you

1. So send I you to labour unrewarded
To serve unpaid, unloved, unsought, unknown
To bear rebuke, ot suffer scorn and scoffing
So send I you to toil for Me alone

2. So send I you to bind the bruised and broken
Over wandering souls to work, to weep, to wake
To bear the burdens of a world a-weary
So send I you to suffer for My sake

3. So send I you to loneliness and longing
With hart a-hungering for the loved and known
Forsaking kin and kindred, friend and dear one
So send I you to know My love alone

4. So send I you to leave your life's ambition
To die to dear desire, self-will resign
To labour long, and love where men revile you
So send I you to lsoe you life in Mine

5. So send I you to hearts made hard by hatred
To eyes made blind because they will not see
To spend, though it be blood to spend and spare not
So send I you to taste of Calvary

"As the Father hath sent me, so send I you"