Good morning!
Text: Acts 7-9; Proverbs 10:17-32.
In these chapters of Acts, we see the Lord sweeping the Gospel out from Jerusalem. It was His will that the Gospel spread, and He makes it happen. He uses persecution to scatter people – and the Gospel spreads. He uses promptings of the Spirit and of angels – and the Gospel spreads. And, He calls and uses people – and the Gospel spreads. Even scary, dangerous, wicked people like Saul of Tarsus – Paul. It caught my attention how swiftly Paul went from an enemy of Jesus to an evangelist. He is struck blind on the road to Damascus, goes into the city and is ministered to by Ananias. Check out the use of the word “immediately” in these verses:
18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 19 and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus.20 And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” (Acts 9:18-20).
It seems that, in hands of the powerful Spirit of God, one is fully ready to proclaim Jesus when they are converted – right out of the box. I believe this to be true for us all. The most excited Christians I have seen are often the brand new ones.
So, here’s a question. Why do we think we need to “disciple” people for some lengthy period of time before they are safe to go out and share Jesus? My theory is that, when we do that, we teach them that hanging around inside the “holy huddle” is the main event… when the truth is that sharing Jesus with a lost and dying world is in fact the main event. Today, tell somebody about Jesus!
in Him, Mike