Evening, August 16
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Not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.  — Romans 8:23
Bible League: Living His Word
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
— Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV

A disciple of Christ engaged in fulfilling the Great Commission may not necessarily be well known or preaching to large congregations. Such a disciple can only see a dying lost world, suffering in poverty and pain and his/her heart breaks because the disciple knows Jesus' love for them. Such a disciple is willing to endure persecution and suffering just so some might get to experience the love of Christ.

In our verse for today, Jesus calls us to evangelism through disciple making: Go into all the world and make disciples. To truly go into all the world and preach the Good News, the following needs to be done:

Reach & Win—Mark 1:38, Mark 16:15
Preach the Gospel message, the Gospel of Christ which is the Good News of salvation through the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16).

Equip & Build—Matthew 28:19, Ephesians 4:12
The second step involves making disciples and teaching them to do all that Jesus commanded us to do. This includes mentoring and helping them grow in the knowledge of the Word of God and of Jesus and helping them mature in their faith.

Send & Plant—Acts 14:21-23
The final step focuses on the last part of the Great Commission, which is "to do all that I have commanded you to do." This includes the first two steps, which was part of what Jesus commanded us to do. This is where the mature disciples are to be sent out to reach and win, equip and build, and send and plant.

The latter part of the Great Commission is a promise from Jesus Himself. "And I am with you always even till the end of age." This promise is for those who actively engage in evangelism directly, through prayer, and through giving.

Part 2 of 2
By Santosh Chandran, Bible League International staff, New Zealand
Bible in a Year
Old Testament Reading
Psalm 105, 106


Psalm 105 -- Give thanks to the Lord! Call on his name!

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Psalm 106 -- Praise the Lord! Give thanks to O Lord, for he is good

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New Testament Reading
Romans 15:1-20


Romans 15 -- We who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of the weak; Paul Plans to Visit Rome

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Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library.
Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion
And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Insight
Jesus himself is the truth that sets us free. He is the source of truth, the perfect standard of what is right. He frees us from the consequences of sin, from self-deception, and from deception by Satan. He shows us clearly the way to eternal life with God. Thus Jesus does not give us freedom to do what we want, but freedom to follow God.
Challenge
As we seek to serve God, Jesus' perfect truth frees us to be all that God meant us to be.
Morning and Evening by Spurgeon
Romans 8:23  Ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit.

Present possession is declared. At this present moment we have the first fruits of the Spirit. We have repentance, that gem of the first water; faith, that priceless pearl; hope, the heavenly emerald; and love, the glorious ruby. We are already made "new creatures in Christ Jesus," by the effectual working of God the Holy Ghost. This is called the firstfruit because it comes first. As the wave-sheaf was the first of the harvest, so the spiritual life, and all the graces which adorn that life, are the first operations of the Spirit of God in our souls. The firstfruits were the pledge of the harvest. As soon as the Israelite had plucked the first handful of ripe ears, he looked forward with glad anticipation to the time when the wain should creak beneath the sheaves. So, brethren, when God gives us things which are pure, lovely, and of good report, as the work of the Holy Spirit, these are to us the prognostics of the coming glory. The firstfruits were always holy to the Lord, and our new nature, with all its powers, is a consecrated thing. The new life is not ours that we should ascribe its excellence to our own merit; it is Christ's image and creation, and is ordained for his glory. But the firstfruits were not the harvest, and the works of the Spirit in us at this moment are not the consummation--the perfection is yet to come. We must not boast that we have attained, and so reckon the wave-sheaf to be all the produce of the year: we must hunger and thirst after righteousness, and pant for the day of full redemption. Dear reader, this evening open your mouth wide, and God will fill it. Let the boon in present possession excite in you a sacred avarice for more grace. Groan within yourself for higher degrees of consecration, and your Lord will grant them to you, for he is able to do exceeding abundantly above what we ask or even think.

Daily Light on the Daily Path
Colossians 1:17  He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

Revelation 3:14  "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:

Colossians 1:18  He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

Proverbs 8:22,23,27,30  "The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old. • "From everlasting I was established, From the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth. • "When He established the heavens, I was there, When He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep, • Then I was beside Him, as a master workman; And I was daily His delight, Rejoicing always before Him,

Isaiah 43:13  "Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?"

Revelation 13:8  All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.

Hebrews 12:2  fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org.

Morning August 16
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