Over the last couple weeks in the book of Acts, we’ve been learning of God’s strategy for world missions. Simply stated, He speaks! God accomplishes His work by His living, powerful, authoritative word. So we have seen throughout Acts that our exalted Lord Jesus Christ is gathering, shepherding, and multiplying His flock – the church. He’s doing this through the proclamation of His word, in the power of the Holy Spirit, with the participation of His people, and amid the pains of His providence (see these elements at work, for example, in Acts 14:19-28).
Because of the indispensable centrality of God’s word in all His work, God’s people must have a relentless confidence in His word. As Paul exhorted Timothy in 2 Tim. 3:14-17 –
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
Beloved, God saves us through the preaching of His word (1 Pet. 1:22-25); He grows us through the nourishment of His word (1 Pet. 2:1-3); and He designs to use us – all of us – as ministers of His word (1 Pet. 4:10-11). What a privilege and responsibility we have to share God’s eternal word with others (friends, co-workers, spouses, neighbors, children, parents, etc.), trusting that He will use His word for His purposes (see Is. 55:10-11).
To strengthen your delight in, and desire for God’s word, here are the excellent resources I mentioned at the end of last Sunday’s sermon:
- Taking God at His Word, by Kevin DeYoung
- Reverberation, by Jonathan Leeman
- One-to-One Bible Reading, by David Helm
Praying and trusting the Lord to keep accomplishing His “word work” in us, and through us,
Pastor Greg