OPEN HEAVEN 10 AUGUST 2024 MEMORISE: Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. 1 Peter 3:7

READ: Malachi 2:13-15:

¹³ And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand.

¹⁴ Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.

¹⁵ And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

OPEN HEAVEN 10 AUGUST 2024 MESSAGE

When you consider the word ‘husband,’ you will see its similarity with the word ‘husbandry’.

Husbandry has to do with caring for and cultivating crops and livestock. This gives us insight into the duty of husbands; they are to tend their wives like gardens for their potential to blossom.

They should nurture their potential and make them more beautiful and fruitful than when they met them.

People admire some men’s wives because those men tend their gardens well. The way a man tends his garden is a reflection of the kind of person he is.

Gardens bring beauty to homes; if a garden is fruitful, then the family will be nourished with healthy fruits, vegetables, and fresh air.

However, if a garden is filled with thorns, a lot of pain and parasites will exist in that home.

Many married men who are always miserable and sad often complain about their wives not making them happy.

Their wives can’t make them happy when they are sad and miserable; it is only what they receive that they can give.

If you’re a husband, what you should put in your wife is what you want.

Take care of her and make her happy; she will make you happy too. Before you buy a shirt for yourself, buy a dress for her.

If you call her a witch and maltreat her, know that you made her one because when you were courting, you were calling her an angel.

It is after she entered your house that she became a witch.

Another definition of husbandry, according to the Oxford Dictionary, is the management and conservation of resources.

Many husbands don’t seem to see anything special in their wives; those are bad husbands.

A good husband will see the potentials in his wife in the form of her talents and giftings and will help her manage them properly to yield the best results.

As a husband, in managing your wife’s resources, you should also manage her excesses and shortcomings; that is the aspect of weeding in husbandry.

Those shortcomings will try to hinder her talents from blossoming, but it is your duty to identify them and reduce them to the barest minimum.

A good husband does not complain about his wife’s shortcomings; he manages them to ensure they don’t stop her gifts from blossoming.

A good husband will patiently work with his wife to overcome her shortcomings and enhance her talents.

The great women out there also have their shortcomings, but thank God they have good husbands.

They are great achievers notwithstanding and are making their husbands proud today.

 

OPEN HEAVEN 10 AUGUST 2024 PRAYER POINT

Father, please show me all I need to do to receive the miracles that you have released to me and give me the grace to do them, in Jesus’ name.

OPEN HEAVEN 10 AUGUST 2024 HYMN 27

WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS

OPEN HEAVEN 10 AUGUST 2024 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 25-27

OPEN HEAVEN 9 AUGUST 2024 FRIDAY: LIVE BY HIS PRINCIPLES 2

OPEN HEAVEN 9 AUGUST 2024 MEMORISE: Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. James 2:18

OPEN HEAVEN 9 AUGUST 2024 READ: James 2:14-18:

14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

OPEN HEAVEN 9 AUGUST 2024 MESSAGE

Yesterday, I started teaching on the importance of living by God’s principles. Today, I will conclude the teaching.

I thank God for His grace, but I also thank Him for making me study mathematics before I became born again. If there is anything mathematics teaches you, it is that certain formulas will only work if you meet certain conditions.

For example, in a right-angled triangle, the sum of the squares of two sides will be equal to the square of the hypotenuse.

This will always be true, whether on Earth or on the moon. It is foolish for anyone to try to get certain results without first meeting the necessary conditions.

Even Jesus Christ had to be baptised by John the Baptist to fulfil one of the conditions for success in His assignment on Earth (Matthew 3:15).

Do you know that there are many people whose breakthroughs have already been released by God, but they are yet to experience it? The door they have been asking God to open was already opened a long time ago; God is only waiting for them to do what they need to do to walk in.

Unfortunately, many people are wasting the answers to their prayers just because they refuse to obey simple principles.

I have always told my children, even though the Almighty God had said that Sarah would give birth to a son for Abraham and had quickened their dead bodies according to Romans 4:19, if Abraham had not been intimate with her, Isaac would never have been born.

Many miracles have already been released by God to many of His children, but instead of them to do what they need to do to get the miracle, they are being mis-spiritual.

By mis-spiritual, I mean spirituality in the wrong direction. Can you imagine a couple looking for the fruit of the womb not being intimate with each other, but observing prayer vigils daily?

Or a student who has not studied at all, praying all night to pass an exam that is slated for 7am in the morning?

True spirituality does not suspend the senses; in fact, true spirituality births wisdom because wisdom is a gift of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8).

I pray for you today, mis-spirituality will not be your portion, in Jesus’ name. The devil will not make you blind to the principles that will birth your breakthrough.

You will be inspired to do everything that you need to do to receive all that the Lord has provided for you this season, in Jesus’ name.

OPEN HEAVEN 9 AUGUST 2024 PRAYER POINT

Father, please show me all I need to do to receive the miracles that you have released to me and give me the grace to do them, in Jesus’ name.

OPEN HEAVEN 9 AUGUST 2024 HYMN 21

STANDING ON THE PROMISES OF CHRIST MY KING

OPEN HEAVEN 9 AUGUST 2024 BIBLE READING IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 22-24…

OPEN HEAVEN 8 AUGUST 2024 MEMORISE: But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. John 5:17

OPEN HEAVEN 8 AUGUST 2024 READ: Deuteronomy 28:1-6:

1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:

2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.

3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.

4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.

6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

OPEN HEAVEN 8 AUGUST 2024 TODAY MESSAGE

Many Christians complain that things are not going well for them even though it has been a while since they confessed Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

The question I often ask such Christians is, “Since you received Jesus Christ into your life, have you been living by His principles?”

It is a good thing to have Jesus in your life, however, you must ensure that you also live by His principles if you want to experience positive changes in all aspects of your life.

No matter how spiritual you are, certain principles must be applied for certain things to work in your life. For example, the Bible says that he that does not work should not eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10).

No matter how prayerful you are, if you are lazy, you may not escape poverty (Proverbs 6:10-11).

Shortly after I became born again, tapes of many pastors teaching the power of positive confession were circulating around the Christian community.

They would say things like, “You will become whomever you say you are. Just confess good; say what you want to see in your life.”

Although this message is correct, many took it the wrong way. Lazy Christians continued being lazy, while the uneducated ones did not pursue education to enhance their ability to earn.

They all just kept confessing, “I am rich, I am not poor,” “l am a landlord, I will never beg,” and so on, but nothing changed in their lives.

If you want change, you must adopt the principles of God. One of His principles is in Luke 6:38; if you don’t sow seeds, you shouldn’t expect a harvest.

Being stingy and yet praying for God to bless you is like being a farmer who did not plant any seed but who goes to his farm every morning to pray that yams should grow there.

During the season of harvest, when he digs the ground to get yams, he will find nothing there because he planted nothing.

Some other principles of God which I will like to mention are: Do unto others what you want them to do to you (Matthew 7:12), exercise control over your mouth (Psalms 141:3) and your appetite (Proverbs 23:1-3), let others praise you, don’t praise yourself (Proverbs 27:2), always do things in steps, start small and grow from there (Zechariah 4:10), whatever you embark on, ensure that you plan properly for it to be achieved successfully (Luke

14:28). These and many more are principles of life that may not necessarily lead you to hell if they are not practised, but will definitely help you to live a better life on earth if they are.

OPEN HEAVEN 8 AUGUST 2024 ACTION POINT

Ensure that you live by Kingdom principles.

OPEN HEAVEN 8 AUGUST 2024  HYMN 30

WHEN WE WALK WITH THE LORD

OPEN HEAVEN 8 AUGUST 2024  BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 18-21

OPEN HEAVEN 7 AUGUST 2024 WEDNESDAY: THE MIRACLE-WORKING GOD

OPEN HEAVEN 7 AUGUST 2024 MEMORISE: But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed. 2 Kings 6:5

OPEN HEAVEN 7 AUGUST 2024 READ: 2 Kings 6:1-7:

And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us.

2 Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye.

3 And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go.

4 So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood.

5 But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.

6 And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim.

7 Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.

OPEN HEAVEN 7 AUGUST 2024 MESSAGE

Miracles happen when God suspends one or more laws of nature. For example, when Jesus walked on water, He suspended the law of gravity.

Many times, it is difficult to explain a miracle to someone who does not know God because you will be trying to explain how a law of nature suddenly lost its effect.

The good news, however, is that it does not matter what the world may say; my Daddy is the miracle-working God, and miracles happen when He steps into a matter.

In 2 Kings 6:1-7, when the sons of the prophets were cutting wood so they could build a bigger dwelling place for themselves, the axe head that one of them was using fell into the water, and he cried to Elisha.

The young man cried because he knew that, according to the law of nature, when a heavy metal like an axe head drops in the water, it will sink to the bottom.

He also knew that no one amongst them could swim to the bottom of the water to pick up the axe head. He thought he was finished, but thankfully, he called on a representative of the Miracle Worker on Earth for help.

The moment the Miracle Worker was introduced to the situation, hope came. All Elisha did was to simply reverse the law of nature.

He put a little stick into the water, it went to the bottom of the river, and the heavy axe head swam to the surface.

The Miracle Worker will reverse any law of nature to bring hope to every hopeless situation in your life or around you today, in Jesus’ name.

Do you need a miracle? Are you in a situation where you know that the only way out is if God intervenes?

All you need to do is cry out to Him today. Don’t try to work things out on your own; take out time to cry to Him until you hear a word from Him.

Doctors are helpless when faced with incurable diseases, but with The Great Physician, no disease is incurable.

If the body part is so damaged that it cannot be repaired, He will simply replace it because He is the manufacturer.

Some financial situations are so terrible that the best finance consultants cannot solve them, but my God can bring money out of the mouth of a fish to solve financial problems.

Beloved, call on Him today and let Him work a miracle in your life.

OPEN HEAVEN 7 AUGUST PRAYER POINT

Father, please intervene in my life and turn all impossibilities into possibilities, in Jesus’ name.

OPEN HEAVEN 7 AUGUST 2024 HYMN 25

THE GREAT PHYSICIANS NOW IS NEAR

OPEN HEAVEN 7 AUGUST 2024 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 15-17

OPEN HEAVEN 6 AUGUST 2024: BE A BLESSING

MEMORISE

The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.

Proverbs 11:25

READ: Deuteronomy 15:7-11

7 If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:

8 But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.

9 Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the Lordagainst thee, and it be sin unto thee.

10 Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto.

11 For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land

OPEN HEAVEN 6 AUGUST 2024 TODAY MESSAGE

To live a blessed and fulfilled life, you must be a blessing to others. A stream is clean because the water keeps flowing, but stagnant water stinks because it retains whatever it has to itself.

If you only look for what to eat, you will likely get enough to survive on, even though you might sometimes have to skip some meals.

However, if you constantly seek to feed many people, your meals will never be a problem because you cannot feed many people while you are hungry. If you seek to buy cars for others, you will have a car to drive yourself. The more people you desire to be a blessing to, the more resources will come your way, and the more blessed you will be.

It may seem worldly-wise to be selfish, but the word of God says that when you scatter, you will increase (Proverbs 11:24-26). Students who teach their peers after classes may appear to be very generous, and that is true, but do you know that they understand the subject better as they teach it to others? Such students may be helping their peers, but really, they are helping themselves more.

When you tell your friends and family about Jesus, seeking to save their souls, it is out of love because you don’t want them to burn in hell.

However, the more you preach the gospel, the more grounded you will become in Christ. Firstly, you will see miracles happen (Mark 16:15-18), and this will make your faith even more real to you.

Secondly, the Holy Spirit will inspire you on what to say when you preach. Believe me, some of the things I say on the altar are new to me. These revelations, because they came through me, have a better rooting in me than in anyone else.Thirdly, a fellow who preaches the gospel and makes disciples has one more reason not to backslide no matter how tough the temptations get because he wouldn’t want the disciples to see him backsliding.

Being the General Overseer of the RCCG is a sacrificial role that God gave to me, but it has also helped me stand stronger in the faith. Since the early days, I have become my own watchdog not to backslide. If people often call you to pray for them, you cannot be prayerless because you will have to pray for them.

Beloved, you will be blessed much more if you choose to be a blessing to others.

OPEN HEAVEN 6 AUGUST ACTION POINT

Be intentional about being a blessing to everyone around you.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Jeremiah 12-14

HYMN 26: THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSINGS

OPEN HEAVENS FOR TEENS 5 AUGUST 2024 MEMORISE: Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27

OPEN HEAVENS FOR TEENS 5 AUGUST 2024 READ: Mark 4:37-39
37. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
38. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
39. And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

OPEN HEAVENS FOR TEENS 5 AUGUST 2024 MESSAGE:

OPEN HEAVENS FOR TEENS 5 AUGUST 2024 PRAYER POINT

Father, please calm every raging storm in my life and family, in Jesus’ name.

OPEN HEAVENS FOR TEENS 5 AUGUST 2024 HYMN 55:

OPEN HEAVENS FOR TEENS 4 AUGUST 2024 MEMORISE: He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

OPEN HEAVENS FOR TEENS 4 AUGUST 2024 READ: Psalms 91:1-10

OPEN HEAVENS FOR TEENS 4 AUGUST 2024 MESSAGE:

OPEN HEAVENS FOR TEENS 4 AUGUST 2024 KEY POINT

In times of trouble, God will hide you under the shadow of His wings

OPEN HEAVENS FOR TEENS 4 AUGUST 2024 HYMN 55:

OPEN HEAVEN 5 AUGUST 2024 

: FIRE IN YOUR BOSOM

MEMORISE

Abstain from all appearance of evil.

1 Thessalonians 5:22

READ: Proverbs 4:14-15

14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.

15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.

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RCCG OPEN HEAVEN 5 AUGUST 2024 TODAY MESSAGE

The Bible says that a man cannot take fire in his bosom and not be burnt (Proverbs 6:27). Fire in this context is sin.

If a believer is allowing sin or an appearance of sin around him or her, he or she is taking fire in his or her bosom and will eventually be burned.

I learned from Joseph’s story that when the devil is determined to bring a man down, he will position temptation around him such that he will keep seeing it continually. He knows that if the temptation is right in front of the fellow every day, it is only a matter of time before he falls.

This is why I have always told my children that they must not have a secretary or personal assistant who is of the opposite sex. It is better not to bring the temptation anywhere near you than to believe that you can resist it.

A common adage in Yoruba land says, if you will not eat it, don’t smell it. If a man has been asking you for a relationship that you know will lead to sin, why are you still answering his calls? If you are always tempted to steal, why will you agree to help your group or department keep the money they have contributed? You must stay far from whatever you know can lead you to sin because the devil is described as a serpent.

A serpent is very subtle and cunning. As dangerous as it is, it can crawl right beside you without you realising it. You may have sworn that you will never do something, but if you allow that thing around you, the devil will cunningly get you to do it.

The elders say that it is through an opening in a wall that the lizard gains entrance into the house.

When you give room to temptation around you, you have opened up the wall of your soul, and it is only a matter of time before sin creeps in.

Unfriend that friend who always suggests sinful things, relocate from that area where you are more susceptible to committing sin, delete whatever is on your phone that can lead you to sin, and just do whatever it takes to get sin far away from you. It is better to lose these things and make it to heaven than to retain them and go to hell.

OPEN HEAVEN 5 AUGUST ACTION POINT

Think about the things or people that present temptations to you regularly and ensure that you stay away from them.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Jeremiah 9-11

HYMN 1: ALL HAIL THE POWER OF JESUS’ NAME

OPEN HEAVEN 4 AUGUST 2024 

: THE RED SEA MUST PART

MEMORISE:

And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

Genesis 32:24

READ: Exodus 14:21-29

21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

23 And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

24 And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians,

25 And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians.

26 And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.

27 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.

28 And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.

29 But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

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RCCG OPEN HEAVEN 4 AUGUST 2024 TODAY MESSAGE

In Exodus 14:5-31, the Israelites were in a terrible charging at them, and in front of them was a great sea they could not swim across. There was no humanly possible solution to their problem, yet they turned to a fellow human, Moses, for help.

Thank God Moses was wise enough to turn to God because, at crossroads like that, the only way out is the way God provides.

In situations like the one the Israelites were in, you should face God and say, “Lord, this Red Sea must part. I will not let You go except You make a way for me.” Those are not times for gentlemanly prayers; they are times for violent prayers such that God will know that you will not rest until you get a miracle.

I remember one time that I was in such a situation.

I lay flat on the road in the middle of the night at Redemption City, crying to God desperately for help. When there is a serious problem and there is no way out, I hold on to God in prayers, and I don’t let go until He parts the sea and makes a way for me.

In Matthew 15:22-28, the Canaanite woman knew that the only solution to her daughter’s problem was with Jesus, so she did not let anything deter her; she pestered Him until she got what she wanted. The woman with the issue of blood had gone to all the doctors in the land and spent all her money, yet the illness remained.

She knew that the only way out of her problem was to make contact with Jesus, so even though the crowd was great and she was weak from all the bleeding, she pressed through until she touched Him and got her healing.

Maybe the reason some Christians are relaxed in the place of prayer is that they cannot see how close the enemy is to them. Maybe they cannot see that the devil is doing all he can to win the battle over them.

Beloved, don’t wait until it is too late; pray now! Don’t condone that problem any further; deal with it now. Stop thinking that your solution is with any man when only God can help you. If you call on Him to make a way for you where there is no way, He will do it. Are you ready to pray now?

OPEN HEAVEN 4 AUGUST PRAYER POINT

Father, this Red Sea (mention the problem) must part today! Please make a way for me Lord!

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Jeremiah 6-8

HYMN 22: SWEET HOUR OF PRAYER

RCCG HOUSE FELLOWSHIP LEADERS’ MANUAL 4 AUGUST 2024

LESSON FOURTY NINE (49)
TOPIC: FISHERS OF MEN

HOUSE FELLOWSHIP ANTHEM
1. I love this family of God,
So closely knitted into one,
They have taken me into their arms
And am so glad to be
A part of this great family

2. I bless this family of God,
So greatly prospered by the Lord,
They have taken me into their arms
And am so glad to be
A part of this great family

3. I know this family of God,
So deeply rooted in the word,
They have taken me into their arms
And am so glad to be
A part of this great family

4. I see this family of God,
So highly lifted above all,
They have taken me into their arms
And am so glad to be
A part of this great family

5. Come, join this family of God,
So highly favoured by the Lord,
They have taken me into their arms
And am so glad to be
A part of this great family.

OPENING PRAYER: Father, please increase our zeal for soul winning and make us fishers of men indeed in Jesus name.

PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE: Leader should remind members of what persistent prayer is and the benefits thereof.

MEMORY VERSE: “And he saith unto them, follow me and I will make you fishers of men. “Matthew 4:19

BIBLE TEXT: Matthew 4:18-20
[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.

LESSON INTRODUCTION: The Lord Jesus Christ promised to send the Holy Spirit to continue the work He started when He came to the world. Mentoring is the process of training, advising the younger and the less experienced with the goal of making them achieve desired goals. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Mentor of mentors, in Matthew 4:19 invited His disciples to His mentoring programme. His goal was to make them evangelists who will share the gospel of salvation to all men. By Matt. 28:20, He had completed His mentoring programme and sent them as evangelists to go and fish for men all over the world and make them His disciples. All parents, teachers and church leaders have the responsibility to mentor the youths under their care to enable them fulfill divine purposes for their lives – Prov. 22:6.

LESSON AIM: To ensure that youths are mentored diligently in God’s pattern.

TEACHING OBJECTIVES: At the end of the lesson, members should be able to:
* inform youths to follow Jesus and become fishers of men.
* know that there is a price to pay.

TEXT REVIEW: Matthew 4:18-20
a.Jesus called His disciples one after the other for singular purpose.
b. He recruited Peter and Andrew into His team for the purpose of fishing for the lost souls (evangelism).
c The two brothers left their vocation to embrace Jesus’ call for winning souls.
d. This singular act made them become great apostles who brought about salvation of the souls of millions of people till this day.

LESSON OUTLINE ONE
FOLLOW HIMAND BECOME
Jesus invited His disciples to follow Him so that He could make them fishers of men – Matthew 4:19. This is an invitation with a promise. Follow me and I will make you. This implies that without taking the first step to follow Jesus, we cannot become fishers of men – John 15:5.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FOLLOW JESUS?
It simply means: to be ready for service. In Matthew 4:19, Jesus was clear on the purpose of the call. to learn from Jesus in order to be taught His ways – Matthew
i. to be ready for service. In Matthew 4:19, Jesus was cleared on the purpose of the call.
ii. to learn from Jesus in order to be taught His ways Matthew 11:29.
iii. to change our priorities – Matthew 4:20.
Iv. for undivided loyalty – Matthew 4:20; 6:24.
v. to follow the instructions of the Master – Luke 5:5.

LESSON OUTLINE TWO
THERE ISA PRICE TO PAY
Like every vocation and profession, there is a price to pay to succeed as fishers of men.
1. You must be born again – John 3:3-5..
2. You must live a holy life -II Timothy 2:21. 3. 3. You must study and know the scriptures -II Timothy 2:15.
4. You must be prayerful to overcome obstacles -Ephesians 6:18.
5. You need the infilling (baptism) of the Holy Spirit-Luke 24.49.
6. You must be ready to preach the good news at all times- II Timothy 4.2
7. You need to pray for the burden for souls-John 14:13-14.

ACTIVITY: Discuss the encounter of Jesus with Peter in Luke 5:1-7.

SUMMARY: Our Lord Jesus has given every believer the assignment to fish for the lost souls of men. (Mark 16:15, 16). As we obey and carry out this assignment faithfully, there is a reward – a crown of rejoicing awaiting us – I Thess. 2:19.

CONCLUSION: Proverbs 11:30 tells us that it is wise to win souls for the Lord because there is a crown of rejoicing awaiting you in heaven. Secondly when you win souls, you automatically present yourself to God as ready vessel. And He will make you one of His fishers of men.

PRAYER POINTS:
1. Father, I surrender to Your call today, please make me a fisher of men.
2. Father, please rekindle our zeal for soul winning. prayer life.
3. Father, please rekindle the fire of our prayer life
4. Father, please equip us with Your Holy Spirit and make us effective Fishers of men.
5. Father, please continue to use House Fellowship to win more souls for You.

ASSIGNMENT: What are the characteristics of fishers of men?

GOLDEN DIET FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY: II Peter 3:9.
TUESDAY: Matthew 9:37-38.
WEDNESDAY: II Corinthians 5:18-20.
THURSDAY: Mark 16: 15-20.
FRIDAY: Matthew 28:18-20.
SATURDAY: Revelation 3:20 – Tell someone these words of Jesus today.
SUNDAY: Galatians 3:13