27th Mar 26 | 16:08
Studies by Book
02 Acts 01 06-11 HE WILL COME IN LIKE MANNER AS YOU SAW HIM GO INTO HEAVEN 13 Acts 01 08 Preaching as a witness
📖 Acts 01:06-11
13 – 30Jun2022 – *Preaching as a witness* - _Acts 01:06-11_ - HE WILL COME IN LIKE MANNER AS YOU SAW HIM GO INTO HEAVEN - Bible reading: _Acts 26:19-20_
“Thank You, Lord Jesus, that You change us into Your image. Thank You that You cleanse us in our inner man. When we serve You from that place of healing and cleansing there is a great joy. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.”
*_Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."_*
We considered how the Lord wants us to be His witnesses, from our Jerusalem and then He takes us to our Judea, Samaria and to the end of the earth.
What does it mean to go to the end of the earth? Is this only a geographical movement?
We must begin by understanding that the Lord has a ‘Call’ that the Lord has for each of us. Each of us has been chosen and assigned by God to reach out to a specific ‘need-group’.
A need-group is a kind of a homogenous group of people, based on a common concern or need that they have. For example, God may have chosen you to reach out to a group, who are addicted to substances. This is a need-group for whom the heart of the Lord breaks. He longs for them to be reconciled with Him.
Each of us must be intimate with the Lord to know from Him what is the need-group for whom He has chosen us to be His witnesses. When we ask people to write out their vision statement, they will usually be generic by saying, “I have a burden to share Christ wherever God has placed me”. This is generic. This is the requirement from all of us, His disciples.
Each of us has been crafted by God in a particular way so that we are specially chosen by Him to reach a specific need-group. Ask the Lord and He will reveal this group to you.
We will look at Apostle Paul and listen to his explanation of the need-group for whom God had chosen and assigned him.
_Romans 15:15-16 Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points, as reminding you, *because of the grace given to me by God, (16) that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit*._
The Lord had chosen and assigned the need-group of the Gentiles to the responsibility of Paul. Paul was God’s instrument to reach the Gentiles. This is how we must understand the call of God.
Paul then made his choices for travel and ministry based on the need-group to whom God had chosen and assigned him.
*Our life choices must be based on reaching and reconciling the need-group back to God. This must be the ‘driver’ in our decision-making, regarding marriage, family, children, career, business etc. As we have this as our priority and then we listen to the Holy Spirit, the Lord will guide us wonderfully*.
The mistake that many make is that we make our choices in life, based largely on economic considerations and then we tell ourselves and others that as we go to settle in this place, we will *also* reach out to the specific need-group for whom God has chosen and assigned us. What is happening here is that our life choices are being driven, not by God’s call, but by economic or other considerations.
Yes, God still is gracious and good to us. He takes care of us and He also uses us but, in our hearts, we know that our choices were not based on God’s call but on our needs in life. We have missed out on being in the centre of His call for our lives.
*_Acts 26:19-20 “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, (20) but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance._*
The call of God was the driver in Paul’s life. This is what it means to go to the end of the earth.
*_Romans 10:15-18 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF PEACE, WHO BRING GLAD TIDINGS OF GOOD THINGS!" (16) But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?" (17) So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (18) But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: "THEIR SOUND HAS GONE OUT TO ALL THE EARTH, AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD."_*
We can only preach when we are sent or called by God. Preaching is not only verbal communication but preaching is a holistic activity. We preach through life as well as by words. We preach to the need-group to whom we have been chosen and assigned by God.
*_Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come._*
*We are to preach as a witness to the need-group who may be dispersed to the ends of the earth*.
```“Lord Jesus, help me know my call and enable me to make life choices that are aligned to the call for which you have chosen and assigned me.”```