Tag: God’s mission

Set Apart

Re:Verse reading–Acts 13:1-52 (day six)

Does the Holy Spirit still work this way? Prophets and teachers prayed, fasted, and then the Holy Spirit told them to set apart Barnabas and Paul for a particular task. It begs a lot of questions for us doesn’t it?

  • Is God’s call primarily a personal conviction first and affirmed by the greater Christian community second, or should it actually work the other way around?
  • When we pray are we even asking the right questions?
  • What of fasting to discern the leading of the Holy Spirit?
  • Are there Paul and Barnabas’ among us, and we simply aren’t listening? Or do we lack the filling of the Spirit?

I can say with certainty, the Holy Spirit hasn’t changed, we have. My conviction is that there are a few among the FBCSA that should be set apart to a particular task, but we may never know if we don’t start asking God to reveal to us who they are. Shouldn’t we pray together? Maybe even fast?

 

Stephen

Re:Verse reading–Acts 6:8-10, 7:54-58, 8:1-5, 26-38 (day six) 

Did Stephen really have to die? It is such a tragedy. Young man, filled with the wisdom and Spirit of God. Doing great work, working wonders, preaching the Kingdom of God, and then what? Stoned. Gone.

What we soon discover is that Stephen’s stoning was only the beginning, others would follow, and many would be thrown in jail, but to what end? Suppression? Annihilation? No, the end result was firmly in the hands of a sovereign God. Stephen’s death would result in the furthering of God’s glory through the scattering of many believers who faithfully declared the good news wherever they went.

What they intended for evil, God intended for good. Genesis 50:20.