SPIRITUAL EMPHASIS WEEK

West Africa Advanced School of Theology 3 ! Se"te#$er %&'3 S"ea(er) Rev* Mitr+ ,-a(o.ti/ 0eneral S."erintendent/ Asse#$lies of 0od of Togo

SESSI12 ' Title) Stay in the Will of 0od

TE3T) Matthe4 %5)56 7!) 82o4 Peter 4as sitting o.t in the co.rtyard/and a servant girl ca#e to hi#* 9:o. also 4ere 4ith ;es.s of 0alilee/9 she said* <.t he denied it $efore the# all* 9I don9t (no4 4hat yo. are tal(ing a$o.t/9 he said* Then he 4ent o.t to the gate4ay/ 4here another girl sa4 hi# and said to the "eo"le there/ 9This fello4 4as 4ith ;es.s of 2a=areth*9 He denied it again/ 4ith an oath) 9I don9t (no4 the #an>9 After a little 4hile/ those standing there 4ent ." to Peter and said/ 9S.rely yo. are one of the#/ for yo.r accent gives yo. a4ay*9 Then he $egan to call do4n c.rses on hi#self and he s4ore to the#/ 9I don9t (no4 the #an>9 I##ediately a rooster cro4ed* Then Peter re#e#$ered the 4ord ;es.s had s"o(en) 9<efore the rooster cro4s/ yo. 4ill diso4n #e three ti#es*9 And he 4ent o.tside and 4e"t $itterly*? Indeed, the disciples had been with Jesus. He had taught them for three years, and despite this special privilege all of them abandoned Him at the moment of His sacrifice. When these words were spoken of Peter, he was not where he was supposed to be. Outside of the will of od, off his path, a disciple is always in danger!and he is a danger to others. "he Word of od says very concisely that each of us has his designated position. #nd we are blessed to the e$tent that we accomplish od%s will right where He wants us to be. &ut there is a lesson in the te$t ' ()ou are one of them. . . .* "he man of the world instinctively knows what a servant of od must be, what he must do, and what he must avoid. In all of life%s circumstances, in all social conte$ts, the world is often more conscious of the true standard of the +hristian life than the believer himself. We belong to Him whose ,ame we bear. -et us then watch over our testimony, watch over our actions, which are more important than our words. 8:o.r accent gives yo. a4ay? "his sentence also has a positive meaning. .ven unconsciously, a +hristian is making known and recommending his -ord. It is said that /oses did not know that his face was shining "he worst enemies of the disciples of the .arly +hurch had to recogni0e that the disciples had been with Jesus. "here is such a thing as the unconsciousness of holiness. Where holiness is real, others notice it1 we know nothing about it ourselves. "his is the precious perfume in the broken alabaster 2ar that spreads throughout the house. Are yo. also 8one of the#?@ ,oes yo.r accent #a(e Hi# (no4n@ .very child of od has the privilege and the power to testify. "he ,ame that we bear spreads a perfume. "he presence of +hrist in us speaks through our actions and gestures, through the human acts of our life. "herefore take care to remain in Him. &e natural, avoid all religious verbiage, but recommend our 3avior in all things.

SESSI12 % Title) The Heart 4ith Who# 0od Ao##.nicates

TeBt) He$re4s '&)%% %3) 8Let .s dra4 near to 0od 4ith a sincere heart/ in f.ll ass.rance of faith/ having o.r hearts s"rin(led to cleanse .s fro# the g.ilty conscience and having o.r $odies 4ashed 4ith ".re 4ater* Let .s hold .ns4ervingly to the ho"e 4e "rofess/ for he 4ho "ro#ised is faithf.l*? "oday%s te$t indicates to us three 4ualities necessary for serving od ' a true heart, the full assurance of faith, and an unswerving firmness in the proclamation of our calling. A Tr.e Heart # heart that is true to od is the basis of all service for Him. od wants to be able to count on a whole heart1 He will use a life that is given to Him without reservation, not a heart that is divided. -et us tolerate no crookedness or hidden reluctance in our hearts. ,othing escapes His eyes. He is asking us today to look again at our lives in the light of our te$t and to rid our lives of all that displeases Him. C.ll Ass.rance of Caith "he full assurance of faith is indispensable to us in facing difficulties. Our life is not easy1 indeed, it is littered with obstacles. &ecause we walk with od, we face one assault after another, and the .nemy does everything in his power to discourage us, to stop us. &ut with the full assurance of faith, we can stand firm in troubles, seeing He who is invisible, and we have a foretaste of (the powers of the coming age* 5Heb. 6'78. "his is the faith that counts, that which is true and which proves its reality by the victories it brings. &ut it belongs only to the heart that is true. Uns4erving Cir#ness in the Procla#ation of 1.r Aalling We are not committed to the path of our calling to then retire from it. # divine calling links us to -ife. It is also the target of attacks of the .nemy. &ut if our heart is true and if we possess the full and living assurance of faith, we will stand firm and will not yield. We will refuse to look back and to break rank. "he -ord will give us His help each day in the smallest details. "he perseverance that od gives, the world does not understand, but it shows its effect in fruit for the glory of the -ord Jesus.

SESSI12 3 TITLE) <e a <lessing to 1thers

TE3TS) Acts ')D) 8<.t yo. 4ill receive "o4er 4hen the Holy S"irit co#es on yo.E and yo. 4ill $e #y 4itnesses in ;er.sale#/ and in all ;.dea and Sa#aria/ and to the ends of the earth*? E=e(iel 3)'F '7) 8The S"irit then lifted #e ." and too( #e a4ay/ and I 4ent in $itterness and in the anger of #y s"irit/ 4ith the strong hand of the Lord ."on #e* I ca#e to the eBiles 4ho lived at Tel A$i$ near the Ke$ar River* And there/ 4here they 4ere living/ I sat a#ong the# for seven daysGover4hel#ed* At the end of seven days the 4ord of the Lord ca#e to #e) 9Son of #an/ I have #ade yo. a 4atch#an for the ho.se of IsraelE so hear the 4ord I s"ea( and give the# a 4arning fro# #e*9 ? <e a Witness When the -ord promised His disciples that they would be clothed with power!and He still promises this today!He gave the promise for several reasons' To E#"o4er Us To <e His Witnesses "he power from on high is the gift of the glorified -ord, given for a practical purpose' that we be His witnesses in every aspect of our lives, (men who are known to be full of the 3pirit and wisdom* 5#cts 6'98. We can therefore present +hrist to others through the e$ample of our daily lives, which reflect healthy, normal spiritual lives. In this way they will be attracted and won. "he true power is not seen in bi0arre manifestations, but it is given to us so that we can glorify od in our lives. To Transfor# and Li$erate Us to Live for Hi# In the second place, this power transforms us, frees us, and helps us that we may (live a life worthy of the -ord and may please Him in every way' bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of od, being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience* 5+ol. :':;<::8. To Hel" Us to Preach the Word of 0od "he gift of the power of the Holy 3pirit is promised to us, in the third place, to preach the Word of od, to preach +hrist where He has not yet been preached. "he prophet .0ekiel said, (the strong hand of the -ord =is> upon me,* and as a direct result of this he went to those of his people who were in captivity. He went to them and he sat among them!a free man identifying with the captives where they were? # man filled with the 3pirit who gives himself to those who are filled with sadness and bitterness. "he presence of this blessing from od in .0ekiel%s life motivated him to go to these unfortunate people to whom he wanted to bring something from on high, and for this reason he (sat among them.* "here are so few among the servants of od who have this spirit? "hey feel a certain sympathy, or pity, but not that true compassion through which they identify themselves with the unfortunate. "his is what is missing in many of us' the willingness to identify ourselves with those whom we want to see saved. In order to do this, we must break our routine, leave our comfort 0one, go off the beaten path, remove the distance between ourselves and them, lift the barriers of pre2udice that the .nemy sets up between souls and their 3avior, and receive from od the gift of reaching the lost. .very spirit of caste, every sense of superiority, religious or otherwise, every bit of self<interest!these are foreign to od and prove our misunderstanding of our calling and of souls. 3ouls are in distress, in doubt, in the bonds of sin, in suffering and solitude and the worst spiritual states!what will we do for them@ "he 3pirit is there to clothe with authority, with love, with holy boldness and with great simplicity those whose hearts can do nothing other than obey and proclaim Him in whom they have believed.

To Hel" Us to 0o Car In the fourth place, od gives His power to go!and to go far. His wonderful plan is that the world be saved through men who themselves have been saved. #s od said to #braham' (I will bless you . . . and you will be a blessing* 5 en. :A'A8, so His will is that we will be a blessing to others. We have been saved to serve, and we are called to save souls. "hat is the reason for being of the +hristian life. Aoncl.sion .0ekiel%s e$perience shows us that the spirit of prophecy is not given to make us speak in the tongues of men and of angels, nor to do bi0arre things. ,o, when the hand of od is on me, when he strengthens me, I go to seek the captives, and I sit among them. #men???