God Has Called and Saved Us for a Purpose

"For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, 'I have made you a light for the
Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.,,,And the
disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit." -Acts 13:47, 52
(ESV)

Those who worked in the early church were noted by Dr. Luke, the writer of
Acts, to be "filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.  After Jesus'
resurrection from the dead, His appearance to several in a forty-day period,
and then when He was ready to ascend to heaven,  He gave His disciples what
we have come to call the Great Commission.  It contains believers' "marching
orders" to do the will of God: that is, telling others what Jesus has done
and will do for anyone who believes.   "And Jesus came and said , 'All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and
make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have
commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.' "
-Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)  

Jesus promised to be with the disciples as they went everywhere preaching
the Word.  And He was with them:  through rejection by their own Jewish
kinsmen and those who refused to believe that Jesus was the Messiah promised
by their prophets.  He had not set up an earthly kingdom and rid them of the
dreaded Roman rulers.  Therefore, He could not possibly be the Messiah for
whom they had looked for centuries.  But through the preaching of Peter,
James, John and the newly-converted Jew we know as Paul the Apostle, many
heard the Word of the gospel and believed.  We don't have to know a lot of
Scripture to share our faith with others.  Tell an unsaved person about your
own personal experience with the Lord.  Lead the unbeliever to read John
3:16, which contains the heart of the gospel:  "For God so loved the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should
not perish, but have everlasting life." (-John 3:16, KJV).  Then the way to
be saved is given in Ephesians 2:8-9:  "For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves:  it is the gift of God: not of works,
lest any man should boast."  (KJV).

Great joy can come to the believer by testifying to his/her faith with an
unbeliever.  Remember, the Lord commanded us to be a light to unbelievers.
If we do not witness to them, tell them, who will?  Someone has aptly said:
"You may be the best Christian someone knows."  What if our light is not
shining with the Lord's love?  What if our witness is silent?  How will the
unbeliever come to know the Lord?  We are living in very troubled times.
The recent slaughter in a school in Florida has set our hearts to yearning
for law, order, protection and peace in our land.  And there can be no peace
unless people are guided by the peace that Jesus Christ brings to the heart.

Prayer:  Lord, this week, give me purpose, courage, strength and boldness to
be a witness for You wherever I go.  "Arise, shine, for Thy light is come!"
Help me be a bearer of your Light to others.  I know You are willing to go
with me and guide me.  Let me accept this knowledge and speak out lovingly
to those who need to hear and respond to Your invitation to "Come; believe!"
Amen.     - Ethelene Dyer Jones    02.25.2018