“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed.” Luke 4:18

In today’s devotional let’s examine this scripture line by line:

1. “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me”. By this Jesus meant, I speak by divine appointment and am divinely inspired by God.

2. “He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor”. To evangelize them, to make that preaching effectual; to bring it, not only to their ears, but to their hearts, and deliver them from the bondage of this world. They are lost, separated from God and in need of a savior.

3. “He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted”. Broken by the calamities of this world, whose hearts are broken through a sense of their sins, who see themselves tied and bound with chains of evil and habits.

4.”To proclaim liberty to the captives”. The gospel is a proclamation of liberty, freedom, pardon, deliverance, forgiveness, and remission.

5. “And recovery of sight to the blind” This is spiritually, physically and mentally bound and blinded by the god of this world and I (Jesus) have come to restore their sight.

6. “To set at liberty those who are oppressed” (or bruised).
The word “bruised,” (oppressed) here, evidently has the same “general” signification as “brokenhearted” or the contrite. It means those who are “pressed down” by great calamity, or whose hearts are “pressed” or “bruised” by the consciousness of sin. To set them “at liberty” is the same as to free them from this pressure, or to give them consolation. (From Barnes’ Notes)

God sent Jesus to the earth on a mission, which was impossible to fulfill by any other person, this mission was to save people by the shedding of blood, and it had to be blood that was pure and not contaminated like ours. He became a man, ate like us, cried like we cry, had feelings like we have and “was touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)

Jesus could not reach the world on His own; He would have to live in the flesh for thousands of years to complete this mission. So God called, appointed, anointed and strengthened US with the same anointing by the Holy Spirit, to carry out the Great Commission. Hallelujah!

As Jesus, was sent on a mission by our heavenly Father He says, in John 20:21 ”As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

On the 18 of July 1981 I was asked to preach my first message in the open air. I had been witnessing for over a year and shared my testimony briefly to several people. I had a message prepared on the trial and crucifixion of Christ. As I stepped forward to preach I was dumbfounded, the crowd stared at me and I stared back at them, after what seemed like minutes had gone by, which was only a few seconds, these words came bellowing out of my mouth:

“The same God that anointed Jesus of Nazareth anointed Peter Rahme to preach the gospel!”

I heard myself say that, but never planned to say it, nor ever had considered that I was anointed by the same God as Jesus was. Well praise God about seventy people were saved and this started me on the road of 27 years of sharing Jesus to many parts of the world. All glory to God. What I’m saying is if God could anoint me to share the gospel He certainly can anoint you!

“Now, He who is constantly confirming us more firmly in our position in and union with Christ [in conforming us to His likeness] and who anointed us is God, who also placed His seal upon us and gave us the token payment guaranteeing the payment in full of our salvation.” 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 (Wuest)

The Anointing Comes from God Our Father!

“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” Acts 10:38

In our text, Jesus was anointed by God, sent and obeyed the Father, He also went about doing good and healing all.

As you’ve read the scriptures in this devotional the Holy Spirit must have been stirring up your heart and speaking to you about what you can do to share the gospel with those who need it. I encourage you to meditate on these scriptures more and consider what the Lord’s plan is for you. The Great Commission was given to all of us and the Lord will provide everything you need to fulfill the call on your life! It is our time now to step out in faith and take up our cross to follow in the Masters footsteps. Hallelujah!

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 15:58

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Evangelist Peter Rahme

We Have Been Given the Ministry of Reconciliation
The purpose for Jesus coming to the earth was to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). This meant He was to come and share the love of God with a lost and dying world, to expound on the reason for His coming, then to die for the cause and also to be raised to prove the cause. He said to the Father, “I have finished the work which You have given Me to do” (John 17:4). On the cross He said, “It is finished!” (John 19:30).

This is why Jesus Christ is the only one qualified to be all-sufficient savior.

If this is what Jesus lived and died for then surely this should be the heartbeat of every born-again, blood-washed Christian. Amen!

The fruit of the [uncompromisingly] righteous is a tree of life, and he who is wise captures human lives [for God, as a fisher of men]  Proverbs 11:30 (AMP)

When the word of God talks about the righteous, it is talking about those who once walked in darkness and were separated from Him, and now have become righteous by accepting Christ, the righteous One.

“Who did not know sin in an experiential way, on behalf of us and instead of us, was made [the representative of] sin, in order that, as for us, we might become a righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 (Wuest)

This allows us to come boldly to the throne of God and plead the case on behalf of those who do not know Him, those who are separated from God, so that He can draw them back to Him as He did us.

Through our salvation, we are also empowered to become reconcilers between God and man because God took the sinless, spotless Christ and poured into him our sins, our guilt, and our shame, then in exchange, He poured His righteousness, His goodness, mercy and compassion into us.

Now we are the righteousness of God in Christ and can draw others to Him. This allows us to be fishers of people for our loving heavenly Father and His Son. Hallelujah!

We have been entrusted with the highest call ever given to the human race. Let’s not take this lightly; Scripture tells us that there are great rewards for winning the lost back to Christ.

“And those who are wise – the people of God – shall shine as brightly as the sun’s brilliance, and those who turn many to righteousness will glitter like stars forever. Daniel 12:3  (TLB)

“And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.” 1 Peter 5:4

As we shared last week, I encourage you to always be on the lookout for opportunities to present the Gospel to people. Be yourself, God made you the way you are. The difference now is that you have a new nature like His, you have your own identity, your own personality, your own uniqueness and He wants to use you with the talent that you have received from Him. Everything that you have learned in your life, whether good or bad can be used in your testimony. Many people are desperate and hurting – Proverbs 15:23 says a word spoken at the right moment is good! Don’t be afraid to speak a kind word to a stranger (or a friend), as it will seldom be rejected.

God Has Not Given Us a Spirit of Fear…
When it comes to witnessing for Christ, some Christians tend to become fearful and almost want to hide. When I first went out with the street ministry team I was so intimidated by the bold Christians in this group that I was looking for the biggest guy to hide behind! Nevertheless, when one of them began to preach, something happened inside of me that changed my life forever – I knew by revelation knowledge that this is how Jesus and the disciples did it and that it was the way God ordained it. I obeyed the call of God and have been witnessing and doing outreach work ever since that day.

When we are intimidated or fearful it is only our old nature trying to dominate. Fear of rejection usually rises up strongly but in 2 Timothy 1:7 the Word of God says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

This means that the Spirit of God dwells in you and I, and He is working with us to fulfill His plan on the earth; He will never leave you nor forsake you. God wants to do great things through us, not only to lead people to the Lord but to pray for them and help them to grow in His grace.

God Has Given Us a Spirit of Love…
You have a spirit of love; this means you have the nature of God indwelling your spirit.

When we were enemies of God, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners who had no use for him. Now we can love our enemies, love the lost and the destitute.

Let them read the scriptures for themselves. As they read the scriptures, the Word of God should convict them and transform their lives from darkness to light and life.

“For God says, “Your cry came to me at a favorable time, when the doors of welcome were wide open. I helped you on a day when salvation was being offered. Right now God is ready to welcome you. Today he is ready to save you.” 2 Corinthians 6:2 (TLB)

We as believers, have been given the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-19) and we must endeavor to present this message of the gospel in the most simple way so that even a child will be able to hear it, understand it and receive it.

I pray that you will rise up and be strengthened in the Lord, that you will be bold and courageous to stand against the forces of darkness and become an effective witness for your Lord and savior, in Jesus name!

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen

Evangelist Peter Rahme

The fruit of the [uncompromisingly] righteous is a tree of life, and he who is wise captures human lives [for God, as a fisher of men — he gathers and receives them for eternity]. Proverbs 11: 30 (AMP)

If you don’t know it yet, PRM is absolutely sold out on soul winning. It is literally the lifeblood of the Christian church and the primary job Christ gave us in the New Testament. Many problems in believer’s lives can be attributed to stagnancy in their Christian walk as a result of not “giving anything out” or sharing their faith. This leads to complacent, unfruitful lives and ultimately severe hindrances to spiritual growth. That is why we are so dedicated to evangelism and the art of soul winning. We know how important it is for you to be on the front-line of the work of God in the earth today!

It is amazing how closely related the art of fishing is, to the art of soul winning. Let’s look at the relationship between fishing for fish and fishing for people.

• You have to go out and catch the fish – You have to go out and convince people. (They aren’t going to  run to church)
• You have to lure fish in – You have to persuade and convince people into the Kingdom.
• You have to consider your environment and what bait is most likely to appeal to the fish in that environment – The same is true for people.
• Once you get a “bite” you have to use all your fishing skills to get the fish into the net or the boat – You have to use wisdom and boldness to bring people into the kingdom of God.

“Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me! And I will make you fishermen for the souls of men!” 18 At once they left their nets and went along with him.” (TLB) Mark 1:17-18

Jesus used the analogy of fishing because the similarities to soul winning were so similar. For those of you who have never fished – the type of bait, rod, reel and the line you use as well as the river, the lake or the ocean, are all strategies and preparations for catching the right fish. The same approach is used in fishing for (or witnessing to) people. It is going to take wisdom and knowledge together with people skills and also being “streetwise” to bring people to Christ.

“And those who are wise – the people of God – shall shine as brightly as the sun’s brilliance; and those who turn many to righteousness will glitter like stars forever”. Daniel 12:3 TLB

The bait you use is the most important part of a successful catch. You have to use the appropriate bait to lure the fish and in the same way you will have to discern where a person is at spiritually and use the correct approach to win them to Christ.

It would be foolish to go out deep-sea fishing in a canoe or raft, with a child’s rod and reel. It would be just as foolish to go out into a little river or stream and use a deep-sea fishing rod and reel in shallow water. I have very seldom lost a fish that I hooked, but when I did it was because of my own carelessness and not the fish’s craftiness.

When we are unable to get people to commit to Christ and make Him the Lord of their lives, it is because of how we approach them, and more specifically, the words we use to get their attention. It is also important to know how to keep their attention. Since each person is different and has an entirely different mindset and pre-determined ideas toward God it’s critical that we rely on the leading of the Holy Spirit – it will make the difference in their decision for Christ.

Although God has given every person their own free will to choose or reject Christ, we definitely have more success in leading people to Christ by using the wisdom we receive from the Word of God and being led, guided and governed by the Spirit of God. It’s really just a matter of showing the person the rewards of a life submitted to God in a way that they can understand, appreciate and makes sense to them.

“For as many as are being constantly led by God’s Spirit, these are sons of God.”  Romans 8:14 (Wuest)

The apostle Paul is one of the finest examples we can follow of being a witness for Christ. He says in 1 Corinthians 9:22 “… I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” By no means is Paul saying that he saves, but that he has given the Lord free access in and through his life, and this bears witness of the Lord saying to our heavenly Father, “Not my will, but yours be done.” Luke 22:42

When the Lord sent me out into the streets of Johannesburg, to be a witness for Him, I quickly learned that you lead a mayor of a town to the Lord differently than you would a homeless person or a drug addict. We must be relevant and real in each situation – try to speak the language of the people.

Here are some suggestions for witnessing:

• Live a Spirit-filled and Spirit-led life before your family and peers:
• Use the natural gifts and talents God has given you to reach people (If you’re a shy, computer geek, offer to fix someone’s computer and try to find an opportunity to witness to them while you remove the viruses)
• Seek ways to start a conversation, e.g. when in a restaurant, ask your server how he/she is doing and compliment them on their service.
• Share your testimony – it’s a great witnessing tool. Again, the Apostle Paul is a great example of sharing his testimony. (Read Acts 22:6-8, Acts 26:12-14)

I pray this message will encourage you to share the love of Christ with a lost and dying world at every opportunity.

I also pray that you will you grow in the grace that is in Christ Jesus and allow His Spirit to guide you as you obey the voice of the Lord.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Evangelist Peter Rahme

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”  Ephesians 6:12-13

The word “withstand” often implies successful resistance i.e. withstand means a resistance of two forces at opposite sides and the weakest link will give in.

When you have done all according to the word of God and it seems like nothing is happening, then stand. This means you need to maintain the endurance to endure, that faith as a mustard seed yet the tenacity and boldness of the righteous sustained by the conquering power of Christ.

Stand firm, hold your ground, and defend your territory against the enemy, by submitting to God and hitting the enemy in the name of Jesus. This will surely make us to overcome in the evil day. Hallelujah!”

Turn on your television set and virtually every channel shouts headlines at you about wars, disasters, famine, cruelty, poverty, and the like. They are very real situations and are not to be ignored. However, we must not and cannot be swayed or waver in our faith and in God’s Word, by what is taking place on the Earth.

This is all a tactic of Satan to weaken us so that we will drop our guard and lose heart. If we will prepare our hearts now, build ourselves up against the forces of darkness, against the devil and his cohorts, we will overcome all of his pernicious and deceptive tactics.

“But understand this, that in the last days will come (set in) perilous times of great stress and trouble [hard to deal with and hard to bear].” 2 Timothy 3:1 (AMP)

Perilous: difficult, i.e. dangerous, furious, and fierce times. (Strong’s Concordance) Everything the Bible says about the last days is unfolding before our very eyes today.

“Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.” 1 John 4:17

Jesus said in John 16:33: “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world”

We must be the light and the salt of the Earth, complaining is not going to help, it will only dishearten and bring us down.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths”. Proverbs 3:5-6

We have to stand strong in the face of adversity and remind ourselves that when we trust the Lord and acknowledge Him, He directs our path.

We all face challenges daily – some more difficult than others, nevertheless, it is during these times especially, that we must stand firm on God’s word which is the sword of the Spirit – it is the only weapon that doesn’t get dull or blunt with use – the more you use it, the sharper it gets.

God is calling us to a higher plain and a higher walk with Him. He’s calling us to a deeper holiness, boldness, godly character and integrity. He’s calling us to walk in His anointing, a deeper realm of glory, and fervency with His Spirit. This ultimately leads us to stability, a deeper understanding, and an experiential knowledge of His Son and of His Spirit.

I pray this week that you meditate on this devotional and find the strength and endurance to stand against the trials you may face and overcome all your challenges, while successfully continuing to enter the deeper realms of the glory of God!

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

Reverend Peter Rahme