Daily Devotional (August 7, 2024) RETAINING THE LORD'S HARVEST.
Scripture Reference: "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain." John 15:16 (NKJV)
The Lord Jesus Christ commands us as a Church and as individual Christian believers to bear fruit and for our fruit to remain. Nevertheless, how can our fruit remain with our Backdoor wide open as a Church? The Front Door represents people coming into the Church while the Backdoor represents people leaving the Church. The Lord Jesus is the Door into the Sheepfold (Jn. 10:7-10) and it is the Will of God that those who come into the Fold remain and are established. It is possible for a Church to have their Front Door open as well as their Backdoor. The implication is that the Church has people coming and going and, therefore will be unable to sustain numerical Growth.
There are many factors that keep the Back Door of a Church open. Let us examine some of them and how to prevent them.
1. A PRAYERLESS CHURCH: A prayerless Church will constantly have their Backdoor wide open and cannot sustain Growth. In Prayer, we resist the devil from deceiving and stealing new believers from the Church (Jam. 4:7).
2. LACK OF SOUND DOCTRINE: In the absence of Sound Teaching that is rooted in the Word, the devil will deceive many believers and new converts and lead them to backslide.
3. LACK OF PROPER FOLLOW-UP STRATEGIES: Without an Effective Follow-up Strategy, new converts will leave the Church just as fast as they came in. Putting Systems of Follow-up and Integration in place will go a long way in keeping the Backdoor of the Church closed.
4. ABSENCE OF DISCOVERY BIBLE STUDY GROUPS: Small groups like this help to integrate and assimilate new converts, and give them a Bible Study Platform to express themselves and to discover God for themselves.
5. NOT ENGAGING NEW BELIEVERS IN MINISTRY: People should be involved in Ministry from day one. This gives them an opportunity to grow. An idle Christian is an easy target for the devil and his deception.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we exalt You for sustaining us. O Lord, we ask You to help us keep the Backdoor of our Church firmly shut in Jesus' Mighty Name. Amen.
