April 6th Daily Devotion

A SERIES OF DEVOTIONS BASED ON ACTS 

GOD BRINGS THE MISSION FIELD TO US   

Acts 2:5-12 “Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”  

At one time in the Church, mission work was done in foreign countries. Missionaries were recruited from within congregations in the United States, trained, and then sent to countries where there were significant groups of people living where few, if any, had heard of Jesus Christ. Congregations in this country would conduct mission festivals to encourage their members to support the work of the missionaries. At these services one of the favorite hymns was, “From Greenland’s Icy Mountains to India’s Coral Strands which emphasized that mission work was done far away from the borders of the congregation.  

All the while American Christians were thinking about mission work in foreign lands, God was bringing immigrants to this country. In fact, except for the Native Americans, virtually all citizens of this country can trace back their family of origin to a country other than the United States. Without realizing it, right here in this country Christians daily had the opportunity to witness about Jesus Christ and God’s plan of salvation to immigrants who did not have a belief in Jesus.    

The newest immigrants coming today, by and large still have no knowledge of Jesus or at least a faith relationship with Him. God has brought the mission field from foreign lands into our communities. The Holy Spirit remains ever ready to fill you and all your fellow disciples of Jesus to speak the gospel to whoever lives around you and does not know or believe in Jesus. The original Pentecost is repeated on a daily basis as the Holy Spirit continues His work of filling disciples with the gospel to proclaim.  

Prayer: Holy Spirit, use me to spread the gospel to all who do not know and believe in Jesus. Amen. 

The saints in Christ are one in ev’ry place  
To serve the Gospel of His costly grace; 
From those first days to this, our hope the same:  
The love of Christ, one Lord, one saving name. 

In chains for Christ! His pris’ners love to sing,  
For slaves and free rejoice to praise our King;  
What though the Church on earth still suffers wrong?  
The cross of Christ remains our pilgrim song. 

To live is Christ, for us, to die is gain;  
Where then shall be our hunger, danger, pain?  
Our joy to preach good news to rich and poor,  
Then be with Christ, to live forevermore. 

Lord Jesus Christ! Heav’n’s praise let earth repeat;  
The work that You began, You will complete.  
By grace let ev’ry foe become Your friend;  
Your day, O Christ, shall dawn and never end.  

O Christ, Our True and Only Light