DCLM Daily Manna 20 May 2024 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — “Preaching With Passion”
TOPIC: “Preaching With Passion” (DCLM Daily Manna 20 May 2024)
KEY VERSE: “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).
TEXT: Matthew 4:1-22 (KJV)
1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;
13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:
14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
15 The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;
16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.
21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.
22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.
MESSAGE:
Two men discussed why one was successful in his chosen profession while the other was not. The unsuccessful man was a preacher, while the successful discussant was an actor. The preacher asked the actor a very bothering question, “Why am I preaching the essential and unchangeable truth and I am not getting the crowd while you are presenting fables and the crowds keep coming?” The actor replied, “This is quite simple. I present my fiction as though it were truth; you present your truth as though it were fiction”.
Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus Christ did not present the truth as though it were fiction. He was passionate about bringing souls into the kingdom of God. Everywhere He preached, “The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up”.
Jesus has set a pattern for us that we cannot overlook. He wants us to fulfil His commission with concentration and compassion as He did. He expects us to commit and bring to evangelism a much better passion than the fabled successful actor. However, something was unique about Jesus’ style of evangelism. He prepared Himself. He prayed, fasted and became an embodiment of divine power. No sinister power could stand against Him as He preached throughout the Jewish territory.
God calls all believers to commit to the great commission. If
we understand the urgency of our tasks and the fact that the salvation of our fellows depends on our preaching the gospel, we will wake up and do it with passion and zeal. Let people see that you truly believe what you preach by doing it passionately.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
We are called both to walk and work like Jesus.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
2 Samuel 23-24
Deeper Life Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
