2-25-18 Today in the Word

DEVOTION FOR SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2018
Isaiah 62:1–12
PRESS ON AND PRESS IN
In the documentary series Dispatches from the Front, director Tim Keesee tells the story of David, a gospel worker in the Southeastern European nation of Albania. Though the challenges for missions in Albania are immense, David persists with a simple approach: “Pray. Meet people. Tell them about Jesus.” And, little by little, people are coming to Christ and churches are being established.
The church today might appear to be faltering. Many pews are empty, younger members seem to be scattering, and enthusiasm is dwindling. From local communities to foreign countries, people barely acknowledge that the church exists, even if they drive past a building. Evangelistic outreach seems to bear no fruit at all. Baptisms of new converts are unusual. We can understand Isaiah’s descriptions: deserted, desolate, plundered by her enemies (vv. 4, 8).
This may be the church’s momentary condition. But it is not our promised future. At the end of time, God’s people will have glory, splendor, and praise (vv. 2, 3, 7). When people speak out—refusing to be silent—about the gospel, God will vindicate their message and make it winsome to its hearers. When people pray—persisting in their petitions to God—God will answer by ensuring that His people receive “the praise of the earth” (v. 7). When God’s people do diligent kingdom work, God promises to reward the Son with a redeemed people (vv. 11–12).
Through the simple work of prayer, meeting people, and telling them about Jesus, God promises to build up those who follow Him. The image that Jesus gives us is encouragement indeed: “The good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it” (Luke 16:16). As we press on, people will press in.
APPLY THE WORD
God has in the past poured out a spirit of revival in which many people have come to saving faith. Reading the historical accounts of these great spiritual revivals can encourage our hearts today, and one excellent resource is the book A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories that Stretch and Stir by Collin Hansen and John D. Woodbridge.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

9-16-23 Santa Staleness

Santa Staleness :: By Edwin Tan Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles My one and only trip to Israel had more than a profound effect on my present-day psyche. It might have been three decades ago, but there is more than a lingering aftertaste. It happened smack in the last fortnight of the year. Surprisingly absent were the familiar sights and sounds of the Christmas most people are accustomed to. Hardly any Christmas decorations in downtown Tel Aviv, if not any of the shopping thoroughfares across the Holy Land. Hanukah was a breath of fresh air – not anything resembling a Christmas carol most people grew up with did surface. The Christmas Eve service in a small Protestant church not far away from Jerusalem’s Old City was awesome; songs that truly celebrated the virgin birth of our Lord, which though seemingly unheard of, were a welcome inspiration to many a soul. There was even one sung in Arabic! So it began, my overt disdain for the secular Christmas t
Read more

9-17-23 Not in a Billion Years

Not In A Million Billion Years :: By Dave Hubley Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles (There is a special message at the end of this article for those who might happen to read this and do not have Jesus in their life and are looking for peace and a way to better understand the present-day insanity and confusion.) Several years ago, I had a conversation with a guy in a waiting room while getting an oil change (in the car, not me). I don’t recall exactly how the conversation originated or how it progressed, but I have never forgotten it. As I recall, it had something to do with evolution and an article that was contained in a “waiting room magazine” that was available there. He made the observation that God was “something that man had made up.” I can’t recall the exact reason he used to justify his opinion, but it had something to do with the usual reasons people give: Weak-willed people needing a crutch, and blah, blah, blah. I engaged him in a “witness,
Read more

9-15-23 Miracles 2

Miracles 2 :: By Jim Towers Published on: December 21, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles This story is a continuation of the exciting things God continues doing in my life. I was supposed to have died a while back, and sometimes I feel as though I may do so soon. But since I’m ready to meet my maker, I have no fear of death. In fact, my evangelistic zeal has only increased, especially as I see the fast approaching of the “Tribulation period” mentioned in the book of Revelation. Insofar as my acting career is concerned, I just finished filming a soliloquy featuring Melchior, one of the three Magi who followed the star to Christ lying in the manger, and am preparing to portray a Jewish Priest on stage. Like I said, God is working overtime in my life, and I will be appearing on stage singing Broadway show tunes sometime in March, so I have a lot of rehearsing to do. In the meantime, I will be signing Christmas carols acapella at a park here in Naples. Since it is a spontaneous th
Read more