The Lord is awe-inspiring, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Acts 18:4,
“Every Sabbath he [Paul] reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.”
Luke tells us when Paul got to Corinth he reasoned with the folks at the synagogue. He tried to persuade both Jews and Greeks there with the gospel message. The way that Luke writes it he gives me a distinct impression that Paul’s way was not to just inform folks of the gospel but to persuade, to convince, to bring folks to a point where they recognized the need they had for salvation and that Jesus Christ was the way.
In his appearance before Agrippa in Acts 26:28, Agrippa accused Paul of attempting to persuade him to be a Christian. Rather than denying it, Paul tells him it was his desire to convince everyone listening to him to become what he had become: a follower of Jesus Christ.
This leaves me with a feeling that the issue of salvation for many who are around me during my day may depend on how persuasive I might be. What a sobering thought that is! But I am reminded that it is the gospel message itself that carries the power of salvation, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes”, Romans 1:16, as well as the Holy Spirit that brings conviction, “When he [the Counselor] comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment”, John 16:8.
In addition to the gospel message and the Holy Spirit, God equips each of us to be effective for him. It is his plan to use what he has revealed about himself to accomplish this, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
God has decided it will be us, the church, that will carry on the evangelistic effort. But he has not left us alone with this responsibility. He has provided all we need to be effective and productive at it!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your theme of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We’d love to hear from you!
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