Go and Grow, So They Will Know

Read the Text: Acts 28

Memorize the Text:  

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. (Romans 1:16, CSB)

Consider the Text: Acts 28:31

As the book of Acts closes, we find that the evangelistic ministry of the apostle Paul has impacted a large amount of the first-century culture and the first-century church. The passion of the apostle centered on delivering the message of the gospel to everyone he encountered and seeing believers grow in their relationship with the Lord. Paul would not allow worldly circumstances to hinder the work of the kingdom, and he focused. Paul modeled the importance of growth and going, and the impact each had on the purpose of sharing Christ with others so they would know the truth.

Paul emphasized the importance of GROWING. Throughout his ministry, the apostle would spend time in a city proclaiming the gospel. Later, Paul would circle back to the town and continue to train believers in the way of Christ and promote the importance of spiritual growth in their lives. The activity of discipleship occurred in the lives of those individuals he engaged and in his life. The process of training others promotes the personal development of growth in Christ as one prepares to teach and train others. Thus, today we need to set an emphasis on personally growing in Christ and being an encouragement for others to grow in Christ. We must be intentional with engaging others to develop and take the responsibility to be a part of the growth process.

Paul modeled the activity of GOING. The message Paul declared did not adjust based on his audience. The message remained the same in each location. Paul declared the message of the Kingdom of God, which is the message of the gospel and the invitation to salvation through Christ. Paul recognized that the message needed to be declared for others to have the opportunity to hear and respond. Thus, Paul set out on a mission to reach everyone with the gospel so that the world would be redeemed. Today, we need to be intentional about going with the message of the gospel. We must never adjust the message to soothe the ears of listeners, but we must remain bold and clear in the message of inviting people to salvation through Christ alone.

Paul showed how to declare so that others would be KNOWING. The passion for having others hear the gospel motivates the apostle. This motivation meant that he declared the gospel with boldness and without hindrance. He desired that people would hear the certainty of the message declared and understand the victory over fear through faith in Christ. He desired others to know Christ so deeply that the apostle would not be stopped in his declaration of the gospel. Thus, any hindrance or barrier was met with boldness and victory. Today, we need to be driven by a deep desire for other’s knowing Christ. This passion ought to push us forward in boldness and guide us to face any barrier with boldness and victory. Are you living in a manner that is growing and going so that the people of the world would be knowing?

This blog is part of the Coffee and Quiet Time with Jesus Devotional Series found at equippingfaith.com. Join the journey of reading through the New Testament this year. More information can be found at equippingfaith.com.