Acts 28

For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance! ‭‭Acts‬ ‭28‬:‭30‬-‭31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The book of Acts is an unfinished story.  It helps us to understand that God is still at work today, using His Holy Spirit within each of us, to accomplish His ultimate purpose: saving human souls for eternity.  In the final verse of Acts, we find a very important reminder of what we are expected to do as believers in Christ.  The book of Acts describes the rapid spread of the Good News about Jesus.  It shows how the Holy Spirit strengthened and guided people to fulfill the Great Commission: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).  We cannot ignore the fact that we are expected to do our part to fulfill the Great Commission as we live our lives.  So what can we do if we are not being called to travel the world preaching the Gospel as Paul was?

1. Pray for people and organizations who are devoting their lives to spreading the message of Jesus.
2. Financially support individuals and groups who are dedicated to sharing the Gospel in your church, your community, or even throughout the world.
3. Share your faith with people you meet.  You never know who may be ready to accept Christ or at least be willing to learn more about Him.  Find a way to bring Jesus into the conversation and see what happens!
4. Encourage new believers that you meet. This may mean reaching out to a new person at church or being available to mentor someone you know that has recently given his/her life to Christ.
5. Volunteer your time and/or resources to help your church for events, outreach opportunities or local missions trips.
6. Shine the light of Jesus wherever you go – it can be infectious!  Here is a great story that came from a Christian organization that we support called Partners In Evangelism International – Mali: “My name is MT (initials only, to protect identity) and I am 11 years old. My family moved to Joseph’s village.  Our parents asked us to provoke Joseph because he is Christian. My brothers and I used to break Joseph’s sheep’s legs and  we would kill his chickens, but Joseph and his family didn’t complain. They blessed us!  I noticed Joseph and his family are cool and I wanted to know why. I was courageous to approach Joseph who shared with me about Jesus. I became a Christian and we will never provoke Joseph again! I advised my family not to provoke Joseph any more and they all have become Christians too. Joseph is my best friend in our village!”

We can all be Spirit-led witnesses.  We can be the right person in the right place at the right time saying the right thing to the right person.  Don’t let excuses get in the way of doing your part in spreading the life-saving message of the Gospel.  It is too important!