PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Acts 6:1-7
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
“So the word of God spread.” (Acts 6:7)
When Christians speak of “the word of God” today, what do they mean?
This phrase is now almost exclusively understood as the bible.
But Luke can’t mean that “the bible” was spreading in those early days of the church.
It was God’s good news message about Jesus that was spreading.
Everything in the bible points to this good news message of the bible.
But our message is not the bible, our message is Jesus!
We are witnesses to Jesus to the ends of the earth; He is our message.
At the time, the disciples didn’t have bibles in their hands to use.
They shared their experiences of Jesus, which were later written down.
If the “word of God” is to still spread today, we need to be his witnesses.
Paying professionals to “preach” to us is not the mission; we need to spread the word.
We can use the bible as a helpful tool, but we need to share our experience of Jesus.
There is no shortage of bibles in the world, and yet is the “word of God” spreading?
For Jesus to spread today, his messengers need to be released to do the spreading.
PRAYER
Lord, you are the good news message of God, and you are sending me to tell others about you. May my experience of you be something that I can tell others about.
God’s word spread. Even a large number of priests because obedient. God was and still is at work through words and deeds – helping the poor and needy AND telling the story of Jesus AND praying. I need be an instrument of His peace also on this day.
Make me a servant
Humble and meek
Lord let me lift up
Those who are weak
And may the prayer
Of my heart always be
Make me a servant
Make me a servant
Make me a servant today
I wonder if the good news of Jesus is not being spread because we feel unqualified. What if someone asks us a question that we don’t know how to answer? Are we asking for God to equip us with the Holy Spirit so that we may spread the good news with boldness? Lord Jesus, I pray that you may make us bold Jesus followers so that others may see you living through us. Jesus, fill me with your Spirit so that I may spread the good news of your love for all peoples.
Equality, fairness and service to all – all who come and respond to the Gospel are family and need to be treated that way – no favouritism or discrimination. That was already hard when the church began – but the apostles responded by choosing more to serve so that needs would be fairly met. I too need to watch discrimination – not just taking care of my own or favouring those who I get along with. It’s hard. Lord help me to be open to all – that through obedience to your leading others may come close to you Lord Jesus!