DEVOTION – DAY 536

Acts 13:47 “A Light For The Gentiles”

Acts 13:47 “For this is what the Lord had commanded us: I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.”

Paul and Barnabas were on their missionary trip and had arrived at the city of Pisidian Antioch which is in Turkey. They were invited to speak in the synagogue. They addressed both Jews and Gentiles. They shared the good news about Jesus Christ. But they were also aware that Jews steeped in Judaism may not receive the good news about Jesus well. That was why Paul told his audience that because the Jews may reject the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, the Lord had commanded Paul and Barnabas to share the gospel message to Gentiles who would be more open. In this way, Paul and Barnabas would be the light to bring to the darkness that have shrouded the Gentiles. That was why Paul and Barnabas were actively planting churches around the Eastern Mediterranean region. This command to take the gospel message to the ends of the earth is repeated by Jesus to every Christian today. The command can be found in Matthew 28:18-20. Christians are to be the salt and the light of this dark world – darkened by sin and lies of the Devil.

 

How can we be the light to the Gentiles in our lives? There are many ways. As examples, we have a friend who told us she was planning to have a month-long holiday travelling to various parts of China. We told her that in our own travels around China, we met many people who were hungry for God’s Word. We encouraged her to share God’s Word during her travels. To help her do that, we took her to church where we happened to have some remaining stock of Gideon’s Bibles in Chinese. She bought a large part of the balance stock and asked us to pray for her, as she looks for opportunities to give the Bibles to people she comes across. 

We were invited to attend a free health checkup. The health checkup turned out to a hard sell of a new medical diagnostic program. We were not interested but we remained polite. Instead, we steered the conversation and asked the salesman about his own beliefs in life and death. We also found out that he had not really heard the gospel message. So, we explained the gospel message by using our church’s gospel tract that we always carry around with us. He was open and we gave him the tract to keep and asked him to share it with his siblings and friends. These are two of many examples of how we can be the “light” to others. 

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we thank you for being called to be the salt and light of this world. Please help us to boldly share the gospel with a passion and commitment so that we can help others find salvation through the Lord Jesus. We humbly pray in the mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 

Questions

  1. How have you actively shared the gospel with your friends, family members, neighbors and colleagues?
  2. What are some reasons why you are sometimes reluctant to share the gospel to others?
  3. What changes can you make to the way you approach others to share the gospel so that you can be more effective?
  4. What are some past success stories you have in sharing the gospel with people? Share.