Ixtheus Christian Devotionals

And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, 
and breaking bread from house to house,
 did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, 
{47} Praising God, and having favour with all the people. 
And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
Acts 2:46-47 (KJV) 
 

1 Ki 19:13-15a (KJV) 
And it was so, when Elijah heard it that he wrapped his face in his mantle, 
and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. 
And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, 
What doest thou here, Elijah? 

{14} And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts:
 because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, 
thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; 
and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

{15} And the LORD said unto him...
{18} Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, 
all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, 
and every mouth which hath not kissed him.
 

Dear Friends in Christ,

Do you ever feel like Elijah, like you were the only Christian in your workplace or at your school, or you just relocated to a new city for the sake of your job, and you just can't find a Church where Christ is honored and the Bible preached accurately and with conviction? 

Well, just as in the admonition that God gave to Elijah above, He has lots of people in your town or dead church or even your apartment building who love Jesus and who have not "bowed the knee to Baal" as it were. The problem is that you are separated from and don't know about each other. Or there are those who would accept Christ if somebody told them about Him. Either way, there are those who God the Holy Spirit is working on and calling to Jesus all the time in every place. As Jesus said, 
John 4:35 (KJV) 
Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? 
behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; 
for they are white, already to harvest.

In other words, don't say, "The time is short until the Rapture, so I'll just sit around and wait for Jesus to come back". NO, NO, NO!!! Instead, Jesus is saying, "Look around you at all the christian tv and radio evangelistic programs, church services, Christian related websites, newspaper ads, tracts, evangelistic crusades and street and campus evangelism efforts that God has already provided to get the Gospel out. The seed has been planted, people are ready to be discipled! Can God count on you to help bring in the Harvest???"

Over the years, I have found myself in just such situations...starting a new life with a new job in a new area, not knowing anyone in the area, far away from our beloved home church, isolated, un-used, needing the fellowship of other Christians. What do you do? How do you start? After many situations like this, God eventually gave me a little set of things to pray for to start a new ministry in a new area. They are: 

"O Lord, I ask you to give me,
A MISSION-a call to be sent out
A MINISTRY-those you want me to be sent to
A METHOD-how exactly you want me to carry your ministry out
A MESSAGE- either initial evangelism or discpiling existing Christians
THE MOTIVATION- the driving push to get me committed to the work."

So let's take a closer look at...

THE MISSION- the call to be sent out. We already have this call to all christians in Jesus' words: 
Mat 28:18-20 (KJV) 
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, 
All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 
{19} Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, 
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: {20} Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: 
and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

The call has already been sent out. The problem is to ask Christ to make this call specific to YOU! Jesus wants YOU (fill in your name) to go. 

Well, maybe you don't feel adequate to lead a crusade or a stand-up Bible talk. Well then, GET ADEQUATE! Read and study your Bible  with serious diligence and intent. Use a concordance or Bible software and start putting together verses that explain to a person how to get saved and how to grow in the Christian life. You learn first, then you pass it on to them. Pray like crazy, and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and guide you into the truth that He wants you to present. Get books, tracts, tapes, whatever you can find on how to lead someone to Christ or what things are necessary to teach them so that they can lead others to Christ and carry on the process. 

And remember, the goal is to create an ON-GOING ministry, as is so carefully stated in these words by the Apostle Paul, 
2 Tim 2:2 (KJV) 
And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, 
the same commit thou to faithful men, 
who shall be able to teach others also.

You may want to pray and ask God that you may find just ONE person that you can study these things together with. You don't need a room full of people. Jesus said ,
Mat 18:19-20 (KJV) 

Again I say unto you, 
That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, 
it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 
{20} For where two or three are gathered together in my name, 
there am I in the midst of them.

Be prepared to START SMALL. Remember Jesus called one disciple, than he called his brother, then another, and another, and so on. And for 3 years He concentrated on just 12 men...teaching them about His Father and about the Christian life. And like scattering a few seeds in a garden, small and almost unobservable, the garden grew until about 5000 we harvested in one day when the time was right. And the harvest continues all over the world to this day. Will you be part of it? 

John 4:36-38 (KJV) 
And he that reapeth receiveth wages, 
and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: 
that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. 
{37} And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.
 {38} I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: 
other men laboured, 
and ye are entered into their labours.

 In Christ..................brother bob........<><

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1 Pet 4:7-11 (KJV) 

But the end of all things is at hand: 
be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. 

{8} And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: 
for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. 
{9} Use hospitality one to another without grudging. 
{10} As every man hath received the gift, 
even so minister the same one to another, 
as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 

{11} If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God;
 if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth:
 that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, 
to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, 
every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, 
hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. 
Let all things be done unto edifying.(mutual up-building)
1 Cor 14:26 (KJV) 

Now God gives us many kinds of special abilities, 
but it is the same Holy Spirit who is the source of them all. 
{5} There are different kinds of service to God, 
but it is the same Lord we are serving.
 {6} There are many ways in which God works in our lives, 
but it is the same God who does the work in and through all of us who are his. 

{7} The Holy Spirit displays God's power through each of us 
as a means of helping the entire church. 
{8} To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; 
someone else may be especially good at studying and teaching, 
and this is his gift from the same Spirit. 

{9} He gives special faith to another, 
and to someone else the power to heal the sick. 
{10} He gives power for doing miracles to some,
 and to others power to prophesy and preach. 
He gives someone else the power to know whether evil spirits are speaking through those who claim to be giving God's messages--
or whether it is really the Spirit of God who is speaking. 

Still another person is able to speak in languages he never learned; 
and others, who do not know the language either, 
are given power to understand what he is saying. 
{11} It is the same and only Holy Spirit who gives all these gifts and powers, deciding which each one of us should have. 

{12} Our bodies have many parts, 
but the many parts make up only one body when they are all put together. 
So it is with the "body" of Christ. 
{13} Each of us is a part of the one body of Christ. 
Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. 
But the Holy Spirit has fitted us all together into one body. 
We have been baptized into Christ's body by the one Spirit, 
and have all been given that same Holy Spirit.
1 Cor 12:4-13 (TLB) 

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 IXTHEUS CHRISTIAN DEVOTIONALS 
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God Bless You.....brother bob.......<><

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