“I want you to know, dear ones, what has happened to me has not hindered, but helped my ministry of preaching The Gospel, causing it to expand and spread to many people.”
Philippians 1:12 (TPT)
Paul faced a lot of unfavorable conditions while sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, from persecution, to opposition and imprisonment, yet these challenges didn’t cause him to stop or drift away from believing in and preaching the Gospel. Paul never questioned or complained about his current conditions or used them as an excuse to stop making disciples either. In fact, because of his example, believers became bolder and more confident about sharing the Gospel. Paul writes, “And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear” (Philippians 1:14).
The revelation and commitment Paul received about the Cross and why Jesus had to die for humanity fueled his passion to bring the Gospel of hope to lost, no matter what the cost was. Paul’s relentless pursuit to spread the Gospel and expose the lies of the enemy had such a great impact on other believers, their faith was stirred up so much that the Gospel began to expand and spread.
When people hear and see our relentless pursuit for the Gospel, they will begin to live FREE and FEARLESS thus allowing the GRACE of God to capture their heart to fulfill the Great Commission. The Apostle Paul put it this way, “Yet I was CAPTURED by GRACE, so that Jesus Christ could display through me the outpouring of His Spirit as a pattern to be seen for all those who would believe in Him for eternal life” (1 Timothy 1:16 TPT).
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
We have seen an increase of people watching online services all around the world (thus expanding the Gospel), so as we work toward re-opening our church doors, let us not forget those that have connected with us online and those that live right next door to us. Like Paul, let’s continue to keep our press, passion and pursuit for spreading the Gospel. And let us not focus on the negative issues at hand but rather on the promises of the HOPE of the GOSPEL. There is a miracle on the other side of our obedience. (Shawn Kurihara)
TODAY’S DECLARATION
“Today, I chose to allow the grace of God to capture my heart. I chose to not complain about my circumstances, but rather to be the change people need.”
TODAY’S BIBLE READING
Our Bible Reading Plan gives 25 daily readings per month. There is no scheduled reading for today. You can use this time to catch up on any readings you may have missed, or read through previous passages again.
