Posted:
Based on “Under HIS Influence – Cowards No More”
by Pastor Mark Balmer; 9/19-20/09,
Message #MB389;
Daily Devotional #1 -
“Spreading Like Wildfire”
Preparing the Soil (Introduction): “But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name.” Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:17- 20)
Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): My 5th grade students just finished reading a book entitled, Frindle, by Andrew Clements. The book is about a little boy who realizes that all the words in the dictionary were there because someone created that word and it stuck. So as any 5th grade boy would do, he created a new word for pen: frindle.
After a couple of test experiments to determine if people would start to use the word if he used it, he decided to launch his new word at school. Soon, it caught on like wildfire, and all the kids in the school used the word frindle instead of pen, to the dismay of his 5th grade teacher, Ms. Granger.
She so despised the word that if you were caught saying frindle, you received an automatic detention after school where you would have to write, “I am writing this punishment with a pen,” 100 times. But did it stop the kids? No. They kept on, regardless of the punishment. Soon the word spread locally, then nationally, and eventually the 5th grade student was on the late night show. Nothing was stopping this new word from becoming a regular household word. Ten years later, the word became official and was placed in the newest edition of the Webster dictionary.
Just as the Jewish leaders were trying to stop the name of Jesus from spreading, Ms. Granger tried to stop this word, frindle, from spreading. But it couldn’t be stopped. Why? Because there was an excitement, a passion, and regardless of the punishment, it had to be told, it had to be said. I think about my own life and question, is my excitement and zeal so overflowing that I have to go and share with other people about my Jesus, regardless of the punishment? What really is our punishment? Being talked about, laughed at, looked upon as a fool or a religious Bible-thumper?
Oh, how little this is in comparison to the many that have and are suffering greatly for the name of Christ. In the last days, people’s hearts will be hardened and will refuse to hear the truths of God’s Word. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)
Sadly, I have to say that the world we are living in is falling more and more into this place. People don’t want to hear that there is only one way to heaven and that is through Jesus Christ. They prefer to believe a myth that if you believe in God and are a good person you will get to heaven. And because the father of lies, Satan, deceives them, they don’t think they need a Savior. It should be our desire to go and tell people the truth of God’s Word, so it spreads like wildfire and nothing can stop the name of Jesus from spreading forth into the entire world – just as Jesus commanded. We need to walk each day under the influence in boldness and truth about the Word of God.
There are many times when opportunities arise for me to share, and I simply don’t see it, become fearful, or flat out ignore the opportunity. My prayer is that my spiritual eyes would be open at all times, my heart would be softened towards those who don’t know Jesus, and that, regardless of the punishment, I will open my mouth with boldness.
Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): Is that your prayer today? I hope it is. Pastor Mark gave us homework this week to meditate and pray: “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:29-30)
Remember the little 5th grader in the book? It only took one determined person to start a chain reaction for his little word to spread all over the nation. We are just one person proclaiming something so much more important than a new word for the word pen. We are spreading a life changing, powerful name. A name above all names, the name of Jesus.
Cultivating (Additional Reading): Ephesians 6:18-20
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