Scripture
44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us:
“‘I have made youa light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.
Reflection
This may be one of those moments that you don’t really see clearly except in hindsight. The moment where things “took a turn”, we didn’t realize the significance at the time it was happening but only later did we realize that things changed at that point in time and we never went back. For example, Jewish people rejecting the gospel of Jesus Christ, and non-Jewish people (aka Gentiles) receiving it gladly. However, we will go back. At the appointed time the fullness of non-Jewish people will have entered the Kingdom of God, the Jewish people will hear the gospel of Jesus Christ once again and all Israel will be saved. (Romans 11:25-27) (Ps. Dale).
Thoughts for the day
- Which area or situation in your life needs Jesus’ saving power?
- What do you feel God is telling you through this passage?
- What is one way you can apply this truth to your life today?
- Who can you encourage with this story/message?
Prayer
Pray for the persecuted Church, our brothers and sisters across the world who are made to suffer because they are Christian. For more information about who is being persecuted and how to pray, visit www.opendoorsuk.org.
