NOVEMBER 22 READING…JOEL 2-3 & ACTS 11
God has a plan…and His plan will be fulfilled, guaranteed. He will work again through Israel, as they will finally come to faith in Jesus the Messiah. This does not mean that every Jewish person will trust in Jesus, anymore that when the Gospel went to the Gentiles, every Gentile came to faith. But, it does mean God is going to work through Israel once again. The Prophet Daniel affirms this, and John if the book of Revelation makes it crystal clear that this will happen. What Joel wrote was quoted by Peter on the day of Pentecost…this was the beginning of the fulfillment and preparation for the end times, and God using Israel in a super-natural way. Joel also tells us that God will judge the unbelieving Gentile nations who hate not only Israel, but hate God. In Acts we are told about how the message of the Gospel continued to be spread to the Gentiles. Peter had to defend his going to the Gentiles and sharing the Gospel, because the church in Judea still believed that Jesus was only the Messiah to the Jews. The church was growing and spreading…so the church in Jerusalem sent out Barnabas, because the word had come back that Gentiles as far as Antioch were coming to faith in Jesus. Barnabas went and witnessed the power of God on the Gentiles in Antioch and return with a report to the council in Jerusalem. This was the beginning of the transformation of the thinking of the purpose of the Gospel and the understanding that Jesus came as the Messiah for all people. We need to remember this truth…Jesus came to be the Savior for all people, but they cannot know if we don’t tell them about Him.
Please share your thoughts.
TOMORROW’S READING…AMOS 1-2 & PSALM 142 & ACTS 12
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