I love these two chapters! Surely we can learn and grow from so much of what we read here, but I want to emphasize the importance knowing God's Truth. I have heard it said that we do not need to know what others believe or do not believe, just know what you know. Now that all sounds good from a surface level but in reality it is so important that we not only have the ability to communicate God's truth but we should be able to give answer intelligently to those who do not yet know Christ.
One of our values here @ The Well is: God's truth must be communicated with doctrinal integrity and cultural relevance.
Simply meaning that God's truth should always be spoken in context and never taken out of context. There is never any reason to add or take away from His word. But at the same time His word must be applicable to our lives and to the lives of others presently or it is just an old antiquated piece of literature. This word that we read is alive and active, it is powerful, it cuts right through all the non sense and gets right to the heart of the matter.
For us to see transformed lives and transformed communities we must not neglect the importance of knowing His word. We must be a people that know what it is that we believe and have the ability to communicate that belief to others.
We see Paul, Silas, and Timothy walking out this principle in these chapters and the result was change, freedom, curiosity (do not be discouraged when someone does not come to Christ right then in the moment. keep them curious by communicating more of His powerful truth leaving thirsty for more.), separation from true believers and the religious.
Let's begin to read, study, and communicate the Truth as never before! People are looking for answers, and God's word has all the answers to every situation, many just have not heard.
Matthew 28:19-20 - Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
These are two incredible chapters that show a different side of what everyday life was like for followers of Christ. There were many Christians that were on the prowl looking for the opportunity to share the Truth. They wanted to do life together, they wanted to love people and they wanted to spread the Message regardless of the trouble it caused. I am personally challenged by this in several ways.
ReplyDeleteI HAVE to walk the walk. People will be impacted when they see the Truth lived out. I can say a lot of things but many are interested in seeing this Truth walked out more then they are in hearing it yelled out.
I HAVE to share the Truth. I have it and it's His plan and will that I share it with others. Part of sharing will mean taking the risk of opening my mouth and saying it. It can be too easy at times to lay down the groundwork and never get to what we are about.
I HAVE to depend on the Holy Spirit. In everything from what to say, when to say it, who to say it to, how I listen, etc. They told everyone but it wasn't just shotgun evangelism. They were led and they obeyed, thus great change ensued.
Paul's courage and Boldness to stand for the truth without fear of death or harm before he was given the vision is a statement to a strong faith. This type of courage and boldness is a challenge that I face on a daily basis.
ReplyDeleteThe opportunities that I have to share the truth are plenty and I do not capitalize on them as I think I could. I have been praying and getting better at listening to the spirit to guide me in situations that I need to share the truth.