MAKING BOLD DECISIONS TO SERVE A MIGHTY GOD ANNA HOOLE
Confused about how God might want me to serve in his world, I remember a time when a missionary on Home Assignment visited my church. Hoping to gain clarity about God’s plans for my life, I took the opportunity for a conversation.
Or what about the boldness of Apollos? This was a man who taught enthusiastically about Jesus, even though he didn’t know much apart from the baptism of John. Perhaps the boldest characters in this story are Priscilla and Aquila, who bring Apollos into their home to explain God’s word to him more adequately (Acts 18:24–26)!
This missionary reminded me that God’s word is a lamp for our feet (Psalm 119:105). Then she continued, “But sometimes we want it to be a floodlight”. Her answer resonated with me and led me to further reflection. When God doesn’t give us a specific instruction about the job we should take, the person we should marry, or the church we should attend, how do we decide between the many good things to do in life? How do we live boldly for Jesus when God’s word serves as a lamp rather than a floodlight? The early church in Acts gives us a few pointers for our decision-making.
BOLDLY SHARING THE GOSPEL IS THE MAIN THING The book of Acts is bursting with the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of men and women who saw Jesus as the answer to all of God’s promises. Consider the boldness of Paul in Ephesus: “Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly over a period of three months, arguing and persuading them about the kingdom of God… This went on for two years, so that all the residents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.” (Acts 19:8, 10)
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