Prepare for Worship | Enlarging Our Horizons
Last Sunday, Pastor Jason Finley preached from Acts 1:12-26 and encouraged us that because Jesus reigns, we should trust his unstoppable plans.
Read: Acts 2:1-13
This Sunday, College Minister Jason Elvington will preach from Acts 2:1-13 and point us to rejoice in God’s works at Pentecost, where we see the beginning of God’s saving work through the disciples that will spread to all nations. As you prepare for our Sunday gathering, be encouraged by this devotional from Jerry Bridges.
Reflect: “Enlarging Our Horizons”
“He does according to his will . . . among the inhabitants of the earth” (Daniel 4:35).
Most Christians tend to think of the sovereignty of God only in terms of its immediate effect upon us, or our families or friends. We’re not too interested in the sovereignty of God over the nations and over history unless we’re consciously and personally affected by that history.
But we must remember that God promised to Abraham and to his seed that all nations will be blessed through Christ (see Genesis 12:3; 22:18; Galatians 3:8). Someday that promise will be fulfilled for, as recorded in Revelation 7:9, John saw “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb” (NIV). God has a plan to redeem people from all nations and to bless all nations through Christ.
As we look around the world today, we see over half of the world’s population living in countries whose governments are hostile to the gospel, where missionaries are not allowed, and where national Christians are hindered from proclaiming Christ. How do we trust God for the fulfillment of His promises when the current events and conditions of the day seem so directly contrary to their fulfillment?
We must also look at the sovereignty of God and at His promises. He has promised to redeem people from every nation, and He has commanded us to make disciples of all nations. We must trust God by praying. We must learn to trust God for the spread of the gospel, even in those areas where it is severely restricted.
God is sovereign over the nations. He is sovereign even where every attempt is made to stamp out true Christianity. In all of these areas, we can and must trust God.
“Enlarging Our Horizons,” Week 44 / Tuesday Devotional, in Holiness by Day, by Jerry Bridges.
Sing: Song List for Sunday
1. “Psalm 95 (God Who Saves),” by Crosspoint Music
2. “I Stand Amazed,” Arr. Aaron Keyes
3. “Thank You, Jesus for the Blood,” by Charity Gayle
4. “Christ the True and Better,” by Matt Boswell
5. “Let the Nations Be Glad,” by Matt Boswell