‘I HAVE SENT YOU AS A LIGHT…’ Acts 13:47

Sat, 20 Jan 2018 10:22:55 +0000

YOU are welcome to to-day’s discussion.  It is all about being sent into the world to convey the Good News to the Gentiles.  The Good News is the gospel.  The gospel is Word of God.  The Word of God is Jesus Christ.  (John1:1-3).

Our quotation reads as follows: “I have sent you as a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.”  The Gentiles are non-Jews, are non-Israelites. 

The command to reach the Gentiles resembles the commandment that appears in Matthew 28:19; which says: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

The difference between the two commands is that, the Great Commission is to let the Good News reach all and sundry, the Jews and the Gentiles.  And the last command is for Gentiles only.

God had planned for Israel to be this light.  (Isaiah 9:6).  To be light to Gentiles.  Through Israel, came Jesus, the light of all nations (Luke 2:32).  The light would spread out and enlighten the Gentiles. 

Every day God is sending bearers of Good News to Nations of the world.  As the Bible says in Romans 10:15; which says: “How beautiful are the messengers who bring good News.”

God Himself equips these men and women with the Holy Spirit, for them to realise God’s intended purpose in each one of them.  The message has to go throughout the earth, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Lord God Almighty plans and executes as per His plan.  The preacher will only have to be obedient to God’s instructions and directives.  We all know that obedience is much more appreciated by God, more than sacrifice.

In 1st Samuel 15:22, it is written as follows “Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than the fat of rams.”

This means that we should be submissive to what God is telling us to do and go and preach His Word.  We should reach people in the distant places.  We should reach people in places which are hard to reach. 

We should make every effort to reach people in the valleys or mountains.  Not only people in town. It should be boring to preach to the same people every day.  Instead we should be going out and hunt those who might have not heard the word preached. 

When we say the Word, we mean Jesus Christ (John1:1-3).  Remember, it is the Word that was born a human being and was called Emmanuel. God with us (John1:14).

It is important to obedient to the Word of God, even in times of trouble as we serve our God.  His mercies will be upon us. (Deut 4:30).  Then our merciful God, will never forsake us.  This is why obedience is meant to be paramount in our strive to spread the Word of God to the ends of the earth.

Because of the obedience of the priests of yester year, when they preached, the Word of God increased, and the number of disciples multiplied (Acts 6:7). 

A lot can be gained by obedience.  People who are obedient will always work hard so as to satisfy their master.  This is how blessings will follow.  Blessings will not follow a weak servant of God. 

A servant of God will always strive to get the best out of his time.  A good servant of God will know when God is talking to him.  He is going to oblige.  He will work to please the Master.  The Lord God Almighty will pay back by offering his unfailing support and abundant blessings.

As preachers of the Word, we should be as it is written in the book of Romans 12:1, thus: “And so brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. 

Let them be a living and holy sacrifice, the kind he will find acceptable.  This is truly the way to worship him” As we remain preachers of the Word, let us make the Holy Spirit to let us conform to the obedience as desired.

St. Paul is assuring his fellow preachers to be of a holy sacrifice in their duty to preach the Word.  That is to honestly and earnestly preach the Word with the required zeal. 

With determination and above all to remain holy.  To be of light, is to be of illumination.  Where there is light, there is no darkness.  When a person is sent as light, he is given the responsibility of announcing the existence of our true God.  Who introduced Himself to Moses as “I am who I am.”  The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Exodus 3:14). 

He is Yahweh, who lives forever, He has no beginning nor end.  He is Alpha and Omega.  On Him is self-creation, since nothing at all created Him.

He is the one to be praised and worshipped.  There is no God like Him (Micah 7:18).  He is God who created the earth and the heavens.  What is seen and what is not seen. 

It is to whom it is said, “every knee shall bow” (Romans 14:11). This is our God to be introduced to the world.  Those with a heart to believe, will certainly believe in our true God. 

This is the light to reach all nations of the world.  And those who do not believe, will remain in darkness.  But they will have no one to blame, for the Word of God must have reached them.

The actual light of the world is Christ Jesus. We are sent as a light to preach Jesus, who is the Son of God.  While on earth, Jesus preached using ordinary words and much more using parables. A parable is a short fictitious narrative from which a moral or spiritual truth is drawn.  Jesus taught truth about himself and about his Father God Almighty. 

His teaching mersminised many people.  His commands are meant to bring peace among the people of the world.  He said. “Love one another” (John 13:34).  He insisted on Christians loving one another, through and through because love is a binding force.  And it promotes peaceful living. 

The parable of the sower is the most startling ever told. (Matthew 13:18).  This is a parable that should be read by all Christians.  It has a telling lesson about life.  To be a believer or not to be a believer. 

It explains how the devil goes after those who listen to the word of God.  How the devil dampens the spirit of those with the desire to follow Jesus.  Wonders and miracles accompanied Jesus, wherever he decided to go.  Many people received healing.  And many people were fed. 

The Holy Spirit followed Jesus Christ wherever he went and preached the Word.

As we preach Jesus Christ, and His Father, God Almighty, it is important to remember that, we are a temple of God.  We are God’s own building (1st Corinth 3:9).  We should build a character that will not bring shame upon Christ.  We must be holy, (1st Corinth 3:17).  We must understand that we are a unified assembly. The Spirit of God lives in us all.  We should not see ourselves as a collection of competing interests, or independent individuals.  We are collectively one in Christ.  Together Christ is our Master.  We should at all times take action to strengthen out ties with the  rest of the body of Christ.  This is what pleases Christ, as a people sent as a light into the world.

We should pattern our lives after Jesus Christ.  This is because by our conduct, we can show that we are of Christ Jesus, who is our Lord.  If this is the case, then we are headed for spiritual healing. 

We are supposed to be perfect, because of our eternal union with the infinitely perfect Christ.  This is because when we become his children, we are declared not guilty. 

We are therefore declared righteous because of what Christ, God’s beloved Son, has done for us.  We should trust in Christ and then live to please Jesus and His Father, God Almighty.

As we serve Christ, we must learn to confess, submit and commit ourselves to Christ’s control. Trusting always that the Holy Spirit in us, will always be helping us to do good works for Christ’s Kingdom. 

We should be a total example of gentleness and humility, enthusiasm, perseverance and maturity.  We should imitate the preachers of the Bible to express our great desire to serve Jesus Christ, even in the midst of suffering and experience the mercies of Christ.  (1st Timothy 1:16). 

We must be very caring.  Remembering the question of Christ to St. Peter.  Asking him if he loved Jesus.  And Jesus said, if you love me, then you should feed my sheep. (John 21:15).

We have to show loving care, not the type with hypocrisy.  Let love be genuine.  Love does no wrong to others.  So love fulfills the requirements of Gods law. (Romans13:10).  In the book of 1st Thess 4:9-10, the Bible says: “We do not need to write to you about the importance of loving each other, for God Himself has taught you to love one another.”

As preacher man or woman, we are leaders in communities in which we are found at each particular time.  We must learn to build each other up.  If necessary we should show appreciation for other people’s qualities.  You must encourage each other (1st Thess 5:11).  We must find ways of honouring members who excel in their duties. 

We must always look for ways to cooperate.  We must show fellow leaders great respect.  We should hold back our critical comments, but instead learn to say thank you to your fellow leaders for their efforts.

Where it is possible, we should live in peace with everyone, as we continue to provide help to the weak in society.  We should be patient and resist revenge, no matter how much we may be tempted, instead we should be joyful to all, never to try to grieve the Holy Spirit. 

We should avoid every kind of evil, as we continue praying without ceasing.  Count on God’s constant help in every kind of situation.  Realise that the Christian life is to be lived not in our own strength, but through God’s power. (1st Thess 5:1-23). You must have the right motive for preaching.

Keep the fire burning, until God says it is over. Amen.