“Immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’” (Acts 9:20)
We must pay close attention to the change of doctrine that accompanied Saul’s conversion. Saul did not merely concede that Jesus was a good man, nor even that Jesus was a prophet. Saul began to proclaim, with loud conviction, that Jesus is the Son of God. He placed Jesus within the realm of the divine. Jesus isn’t just worthy of discipleship; Jesus is worthy of worship.
Evangelism is more than just following the ways of Jesus. Goodness, mercy, honesty, self-control, and hosts of other beneficial character traits can be found in Jesus and imitated, but to imitate Him is not enough. There are many good men and women who I imitate, and I expect you have role-models which you likewise follow. Jesus cannot be merely one more good role model. We must worship Him, publicly and privately, and proclaim Him worthy of worship… all mankind’s worship.
Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites
Today’s Reading: Acts 9:20-31
Questions to ask:
- How does this show the continuation of Jesus’ work now going on in the church?
- How is the gospel, Paul’s preaching, and/or Paul’s defense received?
- What is the Holy Spirit doing in this text?
- What in our reading shows how Paul handled adversity and difficulty?
This year, #Biblebites are following the life and writings of Paul. If you would like a copy of the reading schedule, you can view it here: https://eastlandchristians.org/news-events/2023-vision