Friday, 25th August, 2023
By Pastor Chris Oyakhilome
“Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John” (Acts 8:14 KJV).
In Acts 8:14, the apostles in Jerusalem received news that Samaria had embraced the Word of God. Promptly, they sent Peter and John to minister to them. These apostles possessed a remarkable mindset that we should emulate. To them, Samaria belonged to them because the Word of God had taken root there.
Understand that not everyone in Samaria had become a Christian, but the seed of the Word had been sown, and the spiritual ground had received it. Consequently, the apostles considered Samaria taken over by the Gospel.
When Peter and John arrived in Samaria, the first thing they did was similar to what Paul did after he journeyed to Ephesus in Acts 19: they ministered to the people to receive the Holy Spirit (read Acts 8:14-17).
We are to have the same mentality with the apostles. Their conviction stemmed from the words of Jesus, who likened the Kingdom of Heaven to a mustard seed that grows into a towering plant, surpassing all others. The growth is unstoppable (Luke 13:18-19).
Once the Word of God was planted in a place, be it a city, town, community, country, or nation, the apostles knew they had taken over the place; they knew what to do with the Word in such places.
We need to seize cities and communities with the Gospel. Think like the apostles; adopt their mindset. Think like Paul, who, when he arrived at Ephesus, knew he was conquering not only that place but the regions beyond.
PRAYER/CONFESSION
"Dear Father, I thank you for entrusting me with the divine responsibility of reaching those in my world and in distant lands with the message of the Gospel. The light of your glorious Gospel that I bear dispels the darkness in the hearts of the unconverted, destroying the bonds of wickedness, and establishing them in your righteousness. Indeed, the Word prevails in my city, and the regions beyond, in Jesus’ Name. Amen."
FURTHER STUDY
Matthew 28:19-20 (KJV); Mark 16:15 (KJV)
1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
1 Corinthians 10:1-13 & Psalms 135-138
2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Luke 18:35-43 & 1 Samuel 13