Thursday, January 13, 2011

Thurs., 1/13/11 Devotion (Acts 13:42)

Today's encouragement comes from Acts 13:42, where we read these words:

"So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath."

What an amazing situation: people "begging" to hear the Gospel of grace in the Lord Jesus Christ--and all that, on the Sabbath Day! That kind of thing doesn't happen very often; and certainly it was the result of a marvelous work of the Holy Spirit, wherein He was drawing Gen-
tiles to Jesus, and placing them into the New Covenant church.

Could this kind of thing ever happen again? Of course it can. As a matter of fact, our only hope as individuals, family members, a na-
tion, or as residents of earth is a great revival of the true religion, as God has done so in the past. No amount of political pandering to the flesh will accomplish this hope. Let us ask God to prosper Christ's Gos-
pel, and to increase the members of the faithful church.

[Puritan quote of the day: "You cannot gratify Satan more, nor injure yourselves more, than by living without assurance [of God's favor in Christ]." --Thomas Brooks, in, "Heaven on Earth"]