Jesus transforms those that follow Him!

ByPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 3 minutes
Welcome, dear readers, to our column “Daily word for spiritual strength”! I thank God for each of you and I pray, so that you remain thirsty for His word, thirsty for fellowship with Him because He is the source of life.We continue to speculate on God´s desire to change us for our own benefit. As we stated, by letting God to change us according to His will and following Jesus people around will see a reflection of Heaven in our life and in our ministry.Do you remember when the elders of synagogue, scribes and Sadducees met Jesus disciples after He was resurrected, they faced a supernatural courage in them. 
«Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled. They recognized that they had been with Jesus.». (Acts 4:13).
 What did the scribes and Sadducees conclude when they had perceived the unusual behaviour of the disciples? They recognised those men had been with Jesus! The disciples followed Jesus. When we look at the apostle Peter´s life, we should notice his birth name was Simon, not Peter. He became Peter after he began to follow Jesus. 
«One of the two who heard John, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother, Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah!” (which is, being interpreted, Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is by interpretation, Peter)». (John 1:40-42).
 What was Peter´s true name? His true name was Simon that means a reed. Reed is a plant swayed by the wind. Applied to a human it shows us an unstable person, led by feelings and emotions. Reading about the life of Peter in the Bible, about the time he was called Simon you may notice what kind of person he used to be. Simon was emotional and testy person. He could leap for joy then suddenly become deeply oppressed. Simon was quite unstable with his character. It seemed he just proclaimed in the God´s Spirit saying “You are the Messiah” followed by what Jesus replied with “Get behind me, satan!” to Peter. Simon was tended to vary quite often, thus opening himself to the evil spirit of humanism (see Matthew 16:13-23).Though, after Simon had dropped his nets and followed Jesus, something happened to him. Jesus immediately spoke to him: “Simon your name will be Peter, that means a rock.” After Simon had become Peter, Jesus let him understand He would completely change him. Jesus said to Peter: “just follow me and I will change you, follow me and I will make you!”When scribes and elders of the synagogue saw Peter they marvelled saying: “He is an ordinary, uneducated fisherman, isn´t he?” They had no clue where Peter´s boldness and wisdom came from. But you definitely do, don´t you? Peter was changed by the Lord, Jesus Christ. He was changed by the Holy Spirit.Why did he get changed? Because he followed Jesus. If you constantly follow Jesus, you will be made better and better, that other people will marvel how tremendously your life has been changed. Jesus changes only those who follow Him. Jesus will also change you if you decide to follow Him. Be abundantly blessed in the Lord!Rufus Adjiboje, pastor

Similar Posts

  • What is actually the difference between resurrected life and having life abundantly?

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 3 minutes
    Having repented your sins you are granted resurrected life, while life abundant is still hidden in God. You need the life abundant here, on this Earth. However, to have such life here on Earth we have to learn how to bring our heavenly possession on Earth. We have to have victorious life no matter what we do. Time we spend in fellowship with God is time when our resurrected life is being converted into life abundant.

  • God changing us through discipline

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    I believe that discipline is one of God’s tools that help us to change and achieve effectiveness in our personal lives and ministry. Every one of us has a dream or a goal for our lives. But however good or grand these plans or desires are, discipline is a necessary prerequisite for these things to come to pass. Many ideas and desires never come true because people lack discipline.

  • There are three main types of believers: observers, consumers/users and servants

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 5 minutes
    For several days we have been discussing the blessedness of ministry. We established that through ministry we become entitled for continuous flow of God’s mercy. Ministry to others always fills our lives with blessings. But we shouldn’t be motivated by the desire to get God’s blessings; our motive is love for God and people which God sends into your life.There are three main types of believers: observers, consumers/users and servants. What type of a believer are you? What are you: an observer, a user or a servant? Today we will attempt to establish what distinguishes observers and consumers from servants.

  • The importance of having the right connection between your evenings and your mornings

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    What does this tell us? It tells us that God started His day in the evening. It is very important for us to borrow this wisdom from our Heavenly Father. If we get up in the morning and only then start thinking about what we need to do for the day, then we are already starting it in the wrong manner and have already starting too late. The last moment to start your day is the evening of the previous day. In the evening we need to have a composed idea of what we are doing the next day. We need to have a plan for the next day. Before we go to bed we need to have a vision for the next day. If we are too lazy to make any plans for the next day before going to bed then we are heading towards poverty both physical and spiritual. It is crucial for us to accept this wisdom from God to start the day in the evening of the previous day: «So the evening and the morning were the first day».

  • Responsibility as a Key to Success!

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 6 minutes
    Why is it important to be a responsible person?One of the reasons is that the level of authority and power is directly related to how responsible you are. Even if you seem to have authority with people, but you treat life lightly, it is highly probable that soon enough you will lose your standing with people. And it applies to all settings: whether it is church, family, business or individuals. Responsibility, success and authority – all these phenomena are closely related. You cannot be successful and irresponsible at the same time.

  • Without God I cannot, but with Him I can do all!

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    We can not do the works of God without God. Very often in our own strength, we try to do what God requires us to do with Him. Often we rely on ourselves and on things we already know. Often we rely on our experience. But when the prayer is our priority we understand that when relying on ourselves and doing the job without prayer, we are wasting time and energy. Without a strong prayer movement in the church, the church vision cannot be accomplished. It´s just not possible!