The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 24 December 2020 – Grace To Preach The Gospel (John The Baptist)
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Topic: Grace To Preach The Gospel (John The Baptist)
Read: Acts 13:16-26 (NKJV)
- Then Paul stood up, and motioning with [his] hand said, “Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen:
- “The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He brought them out of it.
- “Now for a time of about forty years He put up with their ways in the wilderness.
- “And when He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land to them by allotment.
- “After that He gave [them] judges for about four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.
- “And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
- “And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the [son] of Jesse, a man after My [own] heart, who will do all My will.’
- “From this man’s seed, according to [the] promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior — Jesus —
- “after John had first preached, before His coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
- “And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I am not [He.] But behold, there comes One after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to loose.’
- “Men [and] brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to you the word of this salvation has been sent.
THE MESSAGE:
It was customary for strangers who came into the fellowship in the synagogue to be invited by the administrators to share a message with the worshippers, if they had any. Here in Antioch in Pisidia, Paul and Barnabas were very much at home with this invitation. They were missionaries and had the sense of urgency to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to Jews and the Gentiles. What was their methodology? Paul recounted the family’s history of God’s dealing with His chosen people Israel, that as God bore with their weaknesses, He was gradually but steadily leading them to the consummation of their history in the person of the Saviour, Jesus Christ, a descendant of King David and, God’s favourite.
John the Baptist whom we celebrate today was anointed by God to be the forerunner of the Messiah. There is one major thing, among others, which characterises the lives and ministries of the Apostles (Paul and Barnabas) and John the Baptist – they were conversant with the scriptures and always ready to proclaim Christ. They were not hindered by the people’s reaction. The blessing of sharing Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit is one great reward: Paul’s and Barnabas’ ministry was boosted and their tent expanded. As for John the Baptist, even though he was murdered, Jesus pronounced on him the glory of being the “greatest of the prophets that had ever lived.” The challenge to us is to feed daily on the word of God and be ready to defend our faith always.
PRAYER: Dear heavenly Father, give us Your grace to be ready always, to preach the Gospel, in Jesus name. Amen.
