Corona Devo 828
Just keep sharing God's Word. People want to hear it.
As Paul and Barnabas left the synagogue that day, the people begged them to speak about these things again the next week. (43) Many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, and the two men urged them to continue to rely on the grace of God.
(44) The following week almost the entire city turned out to hear them preach the word of the Lord. ~Acts 13:42-44
Paul and Barnabas were sharing truths about Christ, and the people ate it up! They begged to hear more the next week, and did you hear what happened the next week, as they kept sharing God's Word? The following week almost the entire city turned out to hear them preach the word of the Lord (Acts 13:44).
It reminds me of about 40 or 50 public elementary school students that gathered on Tuesday's this past year to hear Bible stories after school. Preparing to lead each week was sometimes a challenge for our daughter (and us!) but every Tuesday the first words out of her mouth as she bounced into the van after the lesson were, "Mom! We HAVE to make it a half hour longer--because 'No one wants to leave!'."
Just keep sharing God's Word. People want to hear it.
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Just keep sharing God's Word, even though some will slander us for it.
But when some of the Jews saw the crowds, they were jealous; so they slandered Paul and argued against whatever he said. ~Acts 13:45
Ever been made fun of for your faith? Are we left out of conversations, outings, friendships or family gatherings because we actually believe and attempt to share God's Word and (better) ways of life with others? Are we slandered for it?
Good.
Good job.
And may we join an esteemed group of generations of saints who stood up for God and stood out from the crowd.
Just keep sharing God's Word, even though some will slander us for it.
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Just keep sharing God's Word, knowing that some will receive it and some will reject it.
Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles. (47) For the Lord gave us this command when he said, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.’”
(48) When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and thanked the Lord for his message; and all who were chosen for eternal life became believers. (49) So the Lord’s message spread throughout that region. ~Acts 13:46-49
It will (continue) to be a life mystery to me regarding who accepts God's Word into their hearts when it is offered to them, and who does not. The hungriest-for-Jesus children and adults I've encountered are rarely the ones that we would "expect" to gorge on it, but instead it is often the broken, the "unchurched", the empty---who eagerly consume the unconditional love of the Father and the life-giving Words in His Book of Life.
Just keep sharing God's Word, knowing that some will receive it and some will reject it.
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Just keep sharing God's Word, even though some people will fight it.
Then the Jews stirred up the influential religious women and the leaders of the city, and they incited a mob against Paul and Barnabas and ran them out of town. ~Acts 13:50
Earlier this year we experienced intimidation, discrimination and outright mis-information surrounding one of the Christian school groups our kids were involved in. Influential people and leaders came against the group and incited opposition. But we just kept sharing God's Word, even though some were trying to run us out of town.
If Paul and Barnabas could be strong in the Lord with their teachings, we can too.
Just keep sharing God's Word, even though some people will fight it.
~~~
Just keep sharing God's Word. Doing so is a journey filled with people who want to hear it, some who will slander us for it, those who will reject and accept it, and even influential leaders who will run us out of town. Shake the dust from your feet (move one) and keep sharing God's Word anyway.
So they shook the dust from their feet as a sign of rejection and went to the town of Iconium. (52) And the believers were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. ~Acts 13:51-52
And just (continue) to keep sharing God's Word...
The same thing happened in Iconium. Paul and Barnabas went to the Jewish synagogue and preached with such power that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers. (2) Some of the Jews, however, spurned God’s message and poisoned the minds of the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas. (3) But the apostles stayed there a long time, preaching boldly about the grace of the Lord. And the Lord proved their message was true by giving them power to do miraculous signs and wonders. (4) But the people of the town were divided in their opinion about them. Some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles. ~Acts 14:1-4
Some will side with God's Word, and some will not. But our job is to just keep sharing it.
Blessings,
sarah
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