1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Genesis 12:1-3
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Matthew 28:19-20
We are beginning a devotional for Acts 13: -19, I title this devotional “Daring Faith in Action”.
Remember, before the Lord ascended to Heaven, He commissioned the disciples to the “Great Commission”. The Book of Acts is the answer to the Lord’s calling. However, in the first half of the book, the disciples only focused on reaching out to the Jews, which was only part of the “Great Commission”. From Acts chapter 13 onward, they also reached out to the gentiles and thus fully committed to the “Great Commission”.
The reaching out to gentiles reminded me a lot of God’s calling to Abram. They are similar in:
1. Leaving behind what they were familiar with.
2. Entering into an unknown territory, which at times can be hostile.
3. Becoming a blessing to the world.
a. Through Abraham, Jesus came and became a savior to the world.
b. Through the disciples, the Gospel reached to the end of the earth, we are beneficiaries of their actions.
Just like Abraham relied not on the things he has nor himself, but on faith in God, so the Apostles shared the Gospel, and faced different situations by faith. Abraham is the father of faith, as James pointed out, Abraham’s faith is not without work, so the Apostles not only trusted the Lord, but they also put their feet to work, and they walked into a new chapter in church history.
In this devotional series, I hope that through the stories of the Apostles, we can:
1. Be inspired to continue their works.
2. Learn from their wisdom and faiths to reach out to new groups of people.
3. See what they have gone through and know what we may be facing in reaching out to new people.
4. See the rewards of their works.
Raisins & Apples Bible Devotional & more 