46″And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. 47 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.'”
48And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. 49And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.”
Acts 13:48 – Those appointed to eternal life believed. This is astounding stuff and it is very encouraging stuff. Every person who expresses faith in Christ does so because he has been appointed for eternal life.
This is very encouraging in our day when converts are few and opposition to the Gospel is very great. The day seems (only seems) gone when a whole city will come to hear the Gospel, and the day is certainly gone when non Jews will rejoice because they discover that Gentiles can have the promises of the prophets fulfilled for them. The task before us is huge and if we think that conditions need to be as they were in the days of the Apostles, we are sadly mistaken.
But we can know that the God who did extraordinary things for the Apostles will do whatever He does today in order to bring to faith those who have been appointed to eternal life. The Father shall lose none of all that He gives to the Son (John 6:39).
Give the Gospel to someone today. You may be giving it to someone chosen from before the creation of the world, appointed to eternal life, and you are the one God is using to bring that eternally chosen one into the Kingdom today. What an awe inspiring thing it is to have God orchestrate eternally planned things through us. It should make us very humble, very bold, very optimistic, very faithful and full of indefatigable joy.
Do not use this truth to argue and debate. It was meant to encourage the saints, just like it did those believers in Acts 13.
Recent Comments