“And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family.” – Acts 16:33

As we see so often in Acts, the first act of obedience for those who believe in Jesus is to be baptized. While not required for salvation, it is consistently assumed of all believers in the Bible. Baptism is meant to be our immediate public confession of our new faith in Jesus. As we identify with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, we tell the world that we have been united with Him through faith.

While we must be as sure as we can be that people genuinely believe in Jesus before being baptized, we shouldn’t expect or require them to be deeply knowledgeable, discipled extensively, or theologically sophisticated. We shouldn’t be putting up barriers to baptism! Baptism represents the beginning of our faith journey, an initial step of obedience and visible announcement of our new birth.

Likewise, baptism shouldn’t be where we stop, freezing in place as a Christian. We aren’t done yet, in fact, we’ve barely begun! Baptism should be the first step of many. After baptism, we must be teaching and mentoring new believers in how to walk in faith and grow in Christ throughout the remainder of their lives.

If you haven’t yet been baptized as a believer, what’s holding you back? If you have been, what are you doing now to continue growing in Christ?

“And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.” – Acts 16:6-7

One of the more interesting aspects of living a life led by the Holy Spirit is being sensitive enough to tell when the Spirit is saying, “No”. Paul was wise enough to discern when God was opening doors and when He was closing them. Why would God do this? Why would His Spirit sometimes say no to preaching and making disciples in a particular place?

God may have a bigger vision or more fruitful plans for us. During our brief earthly lives following Jesus, there are many good things we could be doing to serve God’s Kingdom. Only God knows what’s best for us, our gifts, our talents, and His Kingdom. We mustn’t let our passion for the good things we easily see consume the time and energy God wants invested in the best things we may not yet see. God was saying no to Asia because He had a bigger vision and better plans for Paul in Europe.

God may also have particular works prepared for someone else and we shouldn’t be trying to do them. There was important ministry to be done in the province of Asia. However, God had that reserved for others (for example, the Apostle John). God uniquely prepares good works for each of His children to do, and we shouldn’t be trying to do someone else’s good works. Understanding this reality is particularly important when God calls us out of one ministry we’re familiar with to something new. We may have trouble letting go of the old, but God probably already has that ministry work prepared for someone else.

It may also be a matter of God’s timing. In our hurry, we like to force things on our timetable. However, God operates on a completely different timetable based on perfect knowledge of all things past, present, and future. Sometimes God’s Spirit tells us “No” because it just isn’t the right time for what we want to do.

Bigger plans, other workers, God’s timing. Just as God can say, “Yes, go”, He can also say, “No, stop!” Will you seek to understand His will either way? Will you trust God enough to obey regardless of which He says?

“I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember your wonders of old.”
– Psalm 77:11

The great stories of the Bible teach us important things about God and how He has worked throughout history to redeem fallen mankind and creation through His Son Jesus Christ! However, these stories aren’t simply important for our salvation. Their value doesn’t drop off after we’ve put our faith in Jesus. These stories are a treasure chest of resources to strengthen us during difficult times.

The great stories of God remind us over and over again of God’s faithfulness, of His goodness, of His mercy, of His power to save, of His grace, of His wisdom, and of His eternal perspective. When we’re struggling in our own faith and buckling under the burdens of our lives, the great deeds of God remind us vividly of Who is walking with us through every storm! God Almighty. God the Provider. God our Father. The God of Armies. The Lord of Hosts. The divider of seas. The liberator of peoples. The raiser of the dead. Our healer. Our redeemer. Our savior.

As a follower of Jesus, invest time every day in reading the Bible, so that you will truly know and remember the mighty deeds of God throughout history. Then you will have what you need to truly encourage yourself with the specific power of God to deliver you during your own hard seasons of life. You will have the resources needed to be patient and faithful when the answer to your prayers comes slowly. You will have the memories you will need to be calm and at peace when the situation around you seems impossible.

Know the great deeds of the Lord. Read of them daily. Then bring them to mind constantly, particularly in dark and perilous times!

“I cry aloud to God,
aloud to God, and he will hear me.”
– Psalm 77:1

Believe this!!! Believe it in your mind and deep within your soul. When you cry aloud to God, He will hear you. When you are in sorrow, cry aloud to God. When you are in agony, cry aloud to God. When you are alone, cry aloud to God. When you are afraid, cry aloud to God. When you are confused, cry aloud to God. He. Will. Hear. You!

He will not always answer on your timetable. In fact, He seldom will, because He knows how best to shape your character and your faith for everlasting good. He will not always answer in the way you desire or expect, because He knows what is eternally best. He will not always answer in the manner you expect, because He is infinitely more able than we can imagine. But He will hear you. He does care about you. He is with you. And He is utterly trustworthy.

Cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and He will hear you!

“In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” – Acts 14:16-17

In preaching to the people of Lystra, Paul and Barnabas contrasted God’s prior way of working to the present age. Before the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, God permitted every nation to do whatever they liked. Nonetheless, He revealed enough about Himself through His Creation to give all peoples an awareness of His existence and His fundamental goodness, kindness, and orderliness.

But note carefully what they said, “In past generations…” Things were different after the cross. They remain so today. God doesn’t want all nations walking their own ways. He wants all nations to be walking in His way, through faith in Jesus Christ Who is the way, the truth, and the life.

Many today ask how God could leave so many people around the world completely unaware of Jesus, if He truly is the way. The answer is that God made a provision for all of them. It’s called the church. We’ve been commanded to “make disciples of all nations”. We’ve had 2000 years to do our job. In some periods of history, the church has done her job faithfully. During many long periods of history, she didn’t.

After 20 centuries, we need to recognize that the billions of people and thousands of people groups who haven’t heard of the only name through which salvation comes is not a failure of God but a failure of the church! We must confess our failure, repent of it, and act decisively on the Great Commission, because we are God’s designated witness!