Rev. Tetteh-Annor Larbi | May 3, 2023 | Matthew 13:45-46 KEY VERSE: When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. Matthew 13:46 (NIV) MESSAGE: Natural pearls are extremely rare nowadays, with experts estimating that only one in every 10,000 wild oysters will generate a pearl, with only a small percentage of those achieving the size, shape, and colour sought for jewellery. That is, there is a 1 in 10,000 chance of discovering a pearl if you look for one. One could spend their entire life searching and still not locate one. Again, pearls are formed in oysters at the bottom of the deep ocean. It is therefore not far-fetched to conclude that every valuable material resource human value is hidden. We can talk about Gold, Diamonds and other precious minerals and stones hiding under the earth. The more difficult it is to find, the more value is placed on them, which accounts for the high price tag. Jesus likened the kingdom of Heaven to a merchant who was searching for such beautiful pearls and having found a very expensive one (just one) sold all he had to buy it. How will this merchant treat this one pearl over the great value he had acquired with his whole life’s worth? He will guard it with his life because that one pearl is worth his life. HANDS AND FEET OF THE MESSAGE: The Kingdom of Heaven is that one precious Pearl which is worth our whole life (Youth, Adult life, and old age) and which we must guard with our lives. The Kingdom of Heaven is therefore worth seeking after with your whole life, and when you have found it, get it, and do not lose it. For we gain all things by first losing everything we possess to acquire the kingdom of Heaven. (Matt 6:33). PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, help me to make it my life’s goal to seek the Kingdom of Heaven with all that I am and all that I have. For your dear Name’s sake. Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev. Tetteh-Annor Larbi | May 2, 2023 | Matthew 13:44 KEY VERSE: The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Matthew 13:44 (NIV) MESSAGE: There have been stories of people selling some property they have to be able to pay the fees of their wards who later become very established breadwinners of the families. There have also been stories of some parents selling their priced possessions to push a child to achieve a dream career and these children making it big, come back home to rescue their families from abject poverty. Such nice stories resonate with our parable for today in so many ways. Jesus likened the kingdom of heaven to a hidden treasure which a man found and went to sell all he had to purchase the field on which he found the treasure. Similarly, parents find these treasures/gifts in their children and do whatever it takes to support them to reach that goal and acquire that treasure. It is also common for an entrepreneur who conceives a business idea and having done all the cost-benefit analysis, to invest into some property which eventually becomes a huge money-making avenue for them. I recently heard of a man who sold his only car and took a loan to start a school. Initially, it was to be a joint venture with a friend, but the friend pulled out because he could not see the prospect of the school. The school has become one of the best in the region where it was established. There is always a price to pay for success. There is always a choice to make to stand for what you believe in to make it a reality. We will always support what we believe in and put even our heart into it to make sure it becomes successful. HANDS AND FEET OF THE MESSAGE Do you believe the kingdom of heaven is a treasure that is worth chasing after? Do your actions depict one who has found some very valuable treasure in the kingdom of heaven and is working to acquire it? What costly thing must you part ways with, to be able to obtain the kingdom of heaven? Do you have a heart for the kingdom of heaven? Remember where your treasure is that is where your heart will be. PRAYER: Dear Lord, help me to treasure the kingdom and the things concerning it. May I give all away only to find and acquire the kingdom? For your name’s sake. Amen THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev. Tetteh-Annor Larbi | May 1, 2023 | Matthew 13:33-34 KEY VERSE: …The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough. Matthew 13:33 (NIV) MESSAGE: The practice of the first century bread makers would be to add a piece of dough from the last time they baked bread to the dough they intend to use for making bread in the present time and mix it till the whole dough is filled with the old dough. This leftover dough from the previous time would have fermented and turned into leaven. When the old dough is mixed in with the new dough, it acts as yeast, causing the dough to rise. It is also known that during certain festive occasions among the Jews, they were forbidden from eating anything which contained leaven (Lev. 23:4-6). Jesus also told his disciples in Matt 16:6 to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Leaven may seem to have become a metaphor for negative influence, and that little impurity has the potential and threatens to spoil an entire loaf. However, in today's parable of the leaven, Jesus did not appear to use leaven to mean an impurity that threatens to ruin the entire loaf. Jesus said the kingdom will start small with the disciples and grow to the rest of the world. The Kingdom like leaven will start small and as it touches lives and cultures it will influence them positively. Again, Jesus implies that the works of the kingdom are unseen, just as the work of the leaven is not visible but hidden. HANDS AND FEET OF THE MESSAGE We as believers and kingdom children, and custodians of the mysteries of the kingdom must share our faith so the work of the kingdom (leaven) is made manifest and grows. The work of the kingdom is to help humanity become better. The Kingdom is God’s help to helpless humanity. It is therefore the responsibility of Kingdom children to become channels of the leaven of the kingdom to reach all who must be saved. PRAYER: Thank you, Heavenly Father, that I am a channel for the world to experience the leaven of your kingdom blessings. For Your name’s sake. Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev. Tetteh-Annor Larbi | April 30, 2023 | Matthew 13:31-32 KEY VERSE: Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches. Matthew 13:32 MESSAGE: A seed has the potential to become a forest if it is placed in the right environment. Adam was the seed God used to fill the earth; every human being originated through him. In God's wisdom, everything big starts with a seed that grows into the thing's future. In today’s passage, Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed that is one of the smallest of all seeds yet can grow into a massive tree that soars over other trees and provides shelter for birds of the air. The mustard seed upon seeing it, does not look impressive or even extraordinary. It appears very common and not deserving of any attention. You will easily ignore the mustard seed if you found it in your garden. Ironically, these seeds are the bird’s favourite as well and can easily be picked as food for the birds. I am sure the mustard seed would also probably bypass itself if it was looking for someone impressive to carry along. Often, we also behave like the mustard seed. Some of us will not want to date ourselves, let alone marry ourselves, even if we have been looking forward to a relationship into marriage with the other partner. You probably would bypass yourself if you met yourself as a partner to get married to. Does the person you see in the mirror appeal to you? Would you date yourself if you met yourself? Probably not, because most of us do not believe in ourselves; we either do not know who we are or do not understand what we are made of and made for. But I have good news for you. HANDS AND FEET OF THE MESSAGE GOD created you and placed all you needed to prosper inside you, just like the mustard seed. You are not an afterthought. You are a whole package designed by God with fully mature potential and resources to succeed in this life. Like a mobile phone manufacturer who tests all of the phone's functions to ensure they work perfectly before boxing and shipping it to the user, God tested and programmed you to ensure you are fully functional and can achieve the purpose for which He created you. He placed His seed inside you when you became born again. In 1 John 3:9, we read that everyone born of God has the seed of God in them, meaning that He has programmed you to become a fully grown tree to provide shelter for many. He nurtures that seed by the Holy Spirit and the Word and watches over it until it is mature. So, believe in yourself, you cannot fail. PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I thank you for saving me and placing your seed in me. Help me to grow and become more like you. Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev. Tetteh-Annor Larbi | April 29, 2023 | Matthew 13:24-30 KEY VERSE: But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. Matthew 13:25 (NIV) MESSAGE: In this parable, the Lord Jesus presents his disciples with another allegory which He expects them to interpret to reveal its hidden meaning. He likened the Kingdom of Heaven to a man who sows his good seed (wheat) in his field but during the night, another came to sow bad seed (tares) among his seed. Tares are a kind of darnel, resembling wheat except that the grains are black. They are sometimes referred to as false grain. Tares are very common in Israel, so no wonder Jesus used them as the perfect example for the disciples who were very familiar with tares to understand the parable. Jesus was trying to depict the opposing force to the work he came to do, which points to the devil as the enemy who sows the tares by night. The good seed represents the children of God who have received his word and are growing in the grace of salvation to bear fruit. While the tares are the children of the devil planted to compete in space and resources with the Kingdom children who must bear fruits for the great harvest by the reapers. For He causes his sun to rise on both the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5:45b). In this world, Christ is not the only farmer, and we are not the only children walking the face of the earth. The children of the devil walk among us. (John 8:37-47) FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: The wheat and the tares were allowed to grow together until fruit-bearing. This is because it is only by the fruit, they bear that one can know which is which, for they are very similar. Note that they are both fruitful, but one bears false fruit. The are many children of the devil also bearing false fruits in our world today. So, stay awake. 1 John 3:10 shows how the distinction is made: the children of the kingdom will practice righteousness and bear the fruit of LOVE (genuine love)- Love without hypocrisy (Romans 12:9a): “Let love be without hypocrisy”. Not every seed is planted by God and therefore not every fruit is pleasing to God. So, stay awake after you receive grace and the seed of God, less an enemy comes to plant tares with the seed you have received and thereby corrupt your fruit. (1 John 3:9-10) PRAYER: Thank you Heavenly Father, that I have your seed in me. Help me by your Holy Spirit to grow into bearing good fruit. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev. Tetteh-Annor Larbi | April 28, 2023 | Matthew 13:18-23 KEY VERSE: But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Matthew 13:23 (NIV) MESSAGE: The Sower scatters his seed, and they fell on different grounds. The ground on which they fell determined what happened to the seed and how they turn out during harvest time. Where they fell also suggests the conditions in that environment which eventually either facilitated or hampered the growth and yield or otherwise of the seeds. It is worth noting that the same seed was scattered by the Sower at the same time and in the same setting. For all seeds scattered, the weather must have been the same. That is, holding seed, time, and weather constant, so to speak. So, the problem is not the seed, the time of sowing, or the weather. The ground becomes the only component of this parable equation that has the potency to determine the outcome. Jesus explained that the ground represents the HEART of any man who receives God’s word: the seed that was scattered. Jesus mentioned three factors that keep the heart from producing the desired crop and bearing the desired fruit: lack of understanding (Matt 13:18), not entrenching oneself in the word to build a solid foundation (Matt 13:20-21) and not keeping one’s focus (by studying and meditating) on the word to gain the power it provides to stand against the cares and fleeting riches of this world (Matt 13:22). FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: How we cultivate our hearts and prepare them to receive the word of God is very important and directly related to how much yield we can harvest from the seed of the word that is sown into our hearts. Again, how we guard our hearts to prevent the word of God from escaping or being stolen has a direct bearing on the fruit the seed of the word bears and the crop harvested. Understanding the word comes by hearing it and meditating on it continually (over and over again), this makes available to us the inherent hidden power to overcome the wiles of the enemy and the cares of this world, intended to steal the word from our hearts and make us unyielding and unfruitful. Let us be on our guard. Prepare your grounds and guard your heart. PRAYER: Heavenly Father, help me to receive your word with gladness and meditate on it to obtain Divine strength to overcome the cares of this world. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev. Tetteh-Annor Larbi | April 27, 2023 | Matthew 13:10-17 KEY VERSE: ”He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.” Matthew 13:11 (NIV) MESSAGE: This parable was intended to communicate to the disciples of Jesus rather than the crowds that had gathered. Because what is the point in speaking to people knowing that they do not or will not understand? Jesus’ disciples approached him and asked why He spoke parables to the crowds instead of speaking plainly to them. His response to them underscores the fact that the parable was directed at them, not the crowds. He made it clear to them that as his close disciples, he expected them to understand the parables to be able to explain it to the others. He expected them to have certain qualities to represent him as custodians of the kingdom mysteries; seeing, hearing and understanding. These three qualities are more spiritual than physical, seeing with their spiritual eyes and hearing with their spiritual ears are intended to build a certain understanding in their hearts of the things of God and position them in the place where they will receive the healing of their souls. (“Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them” Matthew 13:15b). We are also expected to have these three qualities to be able to function as custodians of the mysteries of the kingdom of God. The soul of humanity is sick because of sin, and only by the word can we see, hear, and understand that God’s healing can come to us. Believers are the custodians of the mysteries of the kingdom of God… (1Cor 4:1). This mystery the scriptures say is foolishness to those who are perishing… (1 Cor 1:18). This mystery the scriptures say; if the rulers of this age had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory (1 Cor 2:7-8). FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: God has chosen to save a sick world and the sick human soul through the foolishness of preaching; preaching the mysteries of His Word - the word of salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That mystery has been revealed in us Christians and we have been handed the message of reconciliation to preach the mysteries to save others. We are to preach what we have heard, seen, and understood as custodians of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God to save the lost, just as we have been saved. We are saved to save others. How well are we faring in this great commission for the kingdom assignment? PRAYER: I thank you, Heavenly Father that my eyes have seen your salvation, my ears have heard your word and my heart can understand the mystery of salvation. Help me to preach this mystery to save many souls that are perishing. For your dear Name’s sake. Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev. Tetteh-Annor Larbi | April 26, 2023 | Matthew 13:1-9 KEY VERSE: Still, other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop - a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Matthew 13:8 (NIV) MESSAGE: The passage of scripture that we are looking at today is referred to as the Parable of the Sower, one of the many that Jesus used to communicate Kingdom mysteries to his followers. Many times, when we read this parable, we are most likely to think about the different kinds of soil or grounds on which the seeds feel which were sowed by the Sower and rightly so. As we look at the parable today, I would like to focus on the Sower and how he sowed his seed. As believers we are all expected to be seed Sowers, that is, with the understanding that the seed is the word of God which every believer is expected to have and share with others. We should also view the seed as a kingdom resource that God has entrusted us and expects us to use wisely and efficiently to maximize productivity and yield. It is said that there is always a scarcity of resources and therefore must be managed properly to get the most out of it. This is exactly what any business enterprise desires to do to maximize productivity likewise God’s Kingdom business. From our text, we realize that the Sower scattered his seed and they fell on four different grounds but only one of these grounds yielded the desired results. This presumes that all the other seeds that fell on unyielding grounds went wasted. Can you imagine the harvest if those other seeds also fell on the good ground? It would have been a bumper harvest. But unfortunately, only a quarter of the resources he had become productive and yielded crops. FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: God has entrusted everyone with seed; it could be a gift you have; it could be some resource or even an ability He gave you. How well are you sowing that seed into growing His Kingdom? How well are you being productive with the use of the seed He has given you? It requires one to be very intentional about how we sow our seeds and very purposeful about what results we intend to obtain from the ground in which we sow our seeds. Remember the harvest is always more than the seed rightly sowed. PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for the seeds you have given me. Help me to know how and where to sow them for a fruitful yield in the expansion of your Kingdom. For your dear Name’s sake, Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev. Charles Oppong-Poku | April 25, 2023 | Matthew 12:46-50 KEY VERSE: For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother. Matthew 12:50 MESSAGE: One of the greatest determining factors in the direction of our lives is family relationships. Spiritually speaking, our family relationship is even more important for it determines our destiny. Jesus' words may have felt hurtful to his physical family who was already struggling to understand the Lord's ministry. However, these words would be liberating and joyous to those who had always felt left out of the political order, pushed aside by the religious elite, and disenfranchised by the social structure of their day. Jesus was promising that His true family would be determined by obedience — not blood, not genealogy, not politics, not power, and not money. That promise still stands today and is just as valid for us as it was for those who first heard Jesus' words. FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: A greater family exists than the human family—a family that has supremacy over blood relationships. It is the family of God, the family of all those who do the will of God. Becoming a member of this greater family is open to all but not automatic. One must choose to become a member by being born again and determined to do the will of God. The Bible is God’s revealed will to man and offers us a daily opportunity to do God’s will. You are not a family member apart from His will. Is there evidence that you are part of His family? PRAYER: Abba Father, words cannot express what it means to me to have you as my eternal Father. I can trust that my home is with you, and yet as I await my journey to that home, I also trust that you have made your home with me. Thank you for claiming me as your beloved child and living inside me through the presence of your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!

Rev. Charles Oppong-Poku | April 24, 2023 | Matthew 12:41-45 KEY VERSE: Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.” Matthew 12:45 THE MESSAGE: The last point of Jesus’ reply is an illustration taken from an individual experience in the matter of demon possession. The illustration begins at the point of dispossession. The unclean spirit was cast out, but that spirit needed some place through which it can act, and so it was restless until it could find someplace it sought. In Jesus’ story, the spirit returns to the man and finds the place “empty, swept, and put in order.” The key word is “empty” or “unoccupied.” The man was improved in some ways, swept and put in order. But he was not possessed--he was empty. So the result was that the improvement was of no avail. Seeing that there was no indweller possessing and holding the man in the right way, the unclean spirit re-entered and took other spirits in with him. So all the improvement was lost, and the man was far worse in the end than he had been in the beginning. The Gospel message is not simply that Jesus Christ has the power to defeat Satan and cast out unclean spirits, but that He does this so that He might take possession of peoples’ lives and defeat opposing forces through them. But without Christ within, there can be no victory. It is therefore dangerous for people to be nominal but unbelieving “Christians,” present in Christian events but not in Christ by faith. Christ’s presence always loosens the bonds of evil, whether people confess it or not, or whether they are even conscious of it. FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: If a person’s heart is not changed, surface changes will not last. A person may resolve and fix himself to some extent to be a better person, but if he has not decided to invite Jesus into his heart and make him Lord, he will revert to his old habits again. Likewise, if a person is possessed by a demon and the demon is driven out without a new Master (Jesus) being invited in, the demon will just come back again and bring more with him the second time. The lesson is simple: the only lasting remedy for peoples’ problems is Jesus. Anything short of accepting Jesus will result in only surface changes, and evil worsens with unrepentant hearts. PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank you for your power that changes and makes a difference. I give you full control of my life, and please help me walk in your ways and live a life that is pleasing to you. I want to be victorious in all I do, and I know this is only possible through your power and grace. Thank you for your love and mercy. In Jesus’ name. Amen THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING SHOWERS! BLESSING!

Rev. Charles Oppong-Poku | April 23, 2023 | Matthew 12:38-40 KEY VERSE: He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. Matthew 12:39 MESSAGE: The scribes and Pharisees had seen sign after sign, yet demanded another sign from Jesus in Matthew 12. They had seen everything they needed to know that Jesus is Lord, but were not satisfied, and in this passage we find them asking Jesus for a sign to prove that He is the Messiah. Jesus’ response to their request for a sign is associated with evil and adulterous generations. They were evil because they wanted Jesus to dance to their music, and they were adulterous because being given everything they needed in a God-ordained sense, they were seeking more that is outside of God’s will. Jesus Himself is a sign to them and the whole world - His life on earth (incarnation), and His ministry, characterized by many miracles and acts of love and compassion, were all clear proof of His Messianic identity. Their hard-heartedness condemned them, and Jesus said the only sign left for them to see would be Jesus acting out the sign of Jonah. This sign refers to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and even that, they would not believe. God has given us everything we need to believe in Jesus and to follow Him in faith and total commitment. When we seek Jesus and follow Him in faith and in truth, signs and wonders will follow us. FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: God wants us to exercise our faith in Jesus as the Saviour of the world and of our souls rather than seeking further signs to prove His Messiahship. People who would demand proof from God in exchange for their belief in Him do not understand the nature of faith, may never be satisfied, and may resort to calling good “evil” but anyone who believes in Jesus has the proof in himself - the fact of forgiven sins, the evidence of a changed life and the joy of salvation are signs of Jesus’ power as the Saviour of the world. The signs of His power as the Saviour will be seen in you and then follow you in your life and ministry as a true disciple of Jesus Christ. PRAYER: Father God, thank you for sending Jesus as the Messiah to save us from our sins. I am grateful for the sacrifice He made on the cross and the love He showed us through His life. I ask that your power will work in me and through me as I go about my life and ministry. Please guide me in my daily decisions and help me to always follow your will. In Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING SHOWERS! BLESSING!! #BAPTISTDailyDevotional #Dailydevotional

Rev. Charles Oppong-Poku | April 22, 2023 | Matthew 12:31-37 KEY VERSE: A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. Matthew 12:35 MESSAGE: Here Jesus continues to teach about the truth of what is in the heart. We are condemned or saved by what comes out of our mouths, not by our actions. The Scribes and the Pharisees have been plotting to kill and seeking to discredit Him with senseless questions and accusations. They were self-made men, not chosen by God, but made “godly” by themselves in other men’s eyes. They were a sort of religious leaders addicted to their lies. Now Jesus appears on their street corner and starts teaching something new and the people are responding to it. It threatened the very core of what they had spent so much time setting up. They were so blinded by their desire to hold on to this façade that they plotted murder to keep it. Jesus sees right through the lies and goes straight to the heart. He identifies the very problem that they do not realize or would never admit to having: a heart problem. They thought that whatever other people see is what made them holy. They never thought that what God sees them do is what makes them holy. The problem is that God can see the heart, and they had forgotten to let that change them. They, in essence, are trying to “fool” God, but that is not possible. So, Jesus explains to them that a good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. He even gave them an opportunity to understand that there was hope for them as well. Although they blasphemed against the Son of Man (plotted His murder and sought to discredit him), they could still be forgiven, it is only the heart change against the Holy Spirit that cannot be undone because it sticks. Finally, He gave a warning. He reminded them that this heart matter is important and determines where they would stand on judgement day. FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: The heart refers to the innermost part of our being, including our thoughts, feelings, and desires. Jesus emphasizes that the condition of a person’s heart determines the fruit he or she produces and the words they speak. A good heart will always produce good fruit and speak words of life, but a corrupt heart is full of pride, greed, envy and bitterness. As we reflect on this passage, we are challenged to examine the condition of our hearts daily. Why do you go to church? Why do you read your bible? Do you want to be used by God? then be careful that your heart does not get in the way. PRAYER: Dear Lord, please give me a changed heart. Make me more like you. I do not want to be a hypocrite, help me to be genuine. Give me a new hear heart that will produce good fruit and speak words that will bring blessing to those who hear me. Today I give you my life to use as you see fit. I thank you in Jesus’ name. Amen! THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!