Day 309

By
The Time and Fullness of the Gentiles

Scripture

November 4—Acts 10-12: Expansion of the Church

Observation

Jesus Christ had commissioned his disciples to "go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere" (Mark 16:15). But years later, the church was still localized and almost exclusively Jewish. God now uses Peter to open the door of the gospel to Gentiles as well. Prepared by the threefold "vision of the sheet" on the housetop in Joppa, Peter travels to Caesarea to preach the gospel to the household of Cornelius. As Gentile believers are added, the church extends it outreach as far as Syrian Antioch, the new center for the Christian faith.

Application

One of the exciting things God is doing in our day is increasing the outreach to (and response from) Jewish people hearing the Good News of Jesus Christ. New mission agencies are springing up, and established ones are expanding in a renewed effort to introduce twentieth-century Jews to their first-century Messiah. In a remarkable turnabout, the church—almost exclusively Gentile for centuries—is taking on a Jewish flavor! Here are a few things you can do, beginning today, to further this Spirit-led revival among Jewish people:
  1. Pray daily for the "peace of Jerusalem" (Psalm 122:6), and for the salvation of Jewish people both at home abroad.
  2. Seek out effective Jewish mission agencies and make an investment of time, money and prayer in their strategic ministry.
  3. Cultivate friendships with Jewish people in your neighborhood, school or office. Look for unhurried opportunities to share the reality of your Messiah, Jesus Christ. But before you do, be sure you can present the gospel from the Old Testament as well as the New. Can you turn to six prophecies concerning Messiah in the Old, and their corresponding fulfillment in Jesus Christ in the New? Try it!

Prayer

We pray, heavenly Father, that people shall see your church as a safe haven and a place of rest and comfort. For we know that the work of the church is not just to seek members, but to watch over and guard them after they have entered the church in such a way that if one starts following the path of sin, members of the church should try to redirect them to your way of living according to your Word. Help us to guide your church in their work to guard and watch over your people per the doctrine our Lord Lays down for us, His Church. In Jesus' name we pray! Amen! 




© Odessa Mathis about my Father's business! 2020

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