RPG Adults
SPIRIT-LED DESTINATIONS
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19
Acts 16:11-15
John 21:15-18
“…thou shalt stretch forth thy hands,
and another shall gird thee…”
SPIRIT-LED DESTINATIONS
Submission to the will of God in missions work, and even in our daily lives, does not mean instant success and reward according to the world’s standard. It must include waiting for God’s perfect season to open the door for audiences whose hearts are prepared to believe. The exact time is in the hands of the Lord. There are missionaries who waited for a decade before a single convert confessed Christ. However, having one soul come to Christ is more than enough reward for the privilege of going into missions.
An opened assembly: Luke described what seemed to be very smooth travel. The Spirit of God provided for their needs and transport to reach their destination, i.e. east of what we call Europe today! Acts 16:10 records the beginning of the “we” records of Luke which means Luke himself was travelling with Paul and the others. When they arrived in the chief city of Macedonia, called Philippi, the Lord opened an opportunity for them. “And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither” (Acts 16:13).
An opened heart: Only the Lord can regenerate a depraved heart with the Spirit of God by His grace, granting man the faith to repent of sins and believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Lydia, the first convert, paid attention to the missionaries’ preaching and the Spirit of God applied the words to her heart. She believed and was baptised together with her household.
It is recorded that William Carey, the Father of modern missions, preached daily for seven years without a convert. He was not a gifted preacher when he was preparing for ordination in 1785. He was rejected when he gave his first sermon as a candidate. It took two more years for him to be eventually ordained to the ministry. Yet, he was described as a man whose love was so great that he would pay any price, make any sacrifice and undergo hardship, to bring the gospel of Christ to as many as possible. His first convert came in the last months of his seventh year of missionary work. It is worth the labour!
THOUGHT: Do I rejoice when souls are saved?
PRAYER: Father, lead me to one unsaved soul today!