Acts 13 -- The Two Sides Of The Evangelism Coin

Paul had certainly done a 180 from where he’d been.  He moved from using the Scriptures to condemn the new Christians to using them to support both them and himself.  It’s amazing to see how blind the learned can be, but it’s doubly amazing to see those same minds which have been opened to God’s truth and to watch as God puts them to work on His behalf.

 

Something in my commentary caught my attention.  Acts 13:49-49 says, “When those who were not Jewish heard Paul say this, they were happy and gave honor to the message of the Lord.  And the people who were chosen to have life forever believed the message.  So the message of the Lord was spreading through the whole country.”

 

My commentary said about those italicized portions that in verse 48 we are given “the divine side of evangelism, for God has His elect people … God’s people have their names written in God’s book.  But acts 13:49 is the human side of evangelism:  if we do not preach the Word, then nobody can believe and be saved.  It takes both.”

 

Father, because You are omnipotent, You don’t need anything or anyone to accomplish Your purposes.  But because You chose this method of bringing people to Yourself, You chose to involve us as Christians in evangelism to tell the Good News to those You’ve determined beforehand to save.  Thank You for the awesome privilege of getting to be a part of what You are doing.  Thanks also for turning my thinking around and screwing my head on straight, so that I, like Paul, could properly use the mental resources You’ve given me to work for You and not against You.

 

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford