I am a woman of comfort. I want the spaces around me to be comfortable. I need my shoes to be comfortable. Entire companies have been hugely successful selling comfort … cozy throws and pillows and sweaters and scarves and slippers. Like stuffed animals for grown-ups. But there is an internal comfort that is unmatched and it is right there in Acts 9.
You may remember that the last words the on-earth Jesus said to His apostles before He ascended into heaven were these: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (Acts 1.8) We have read and been reminded regularly that this is the mandate: Go and tell others who Jesus was and is and what He did for you. Spread the good news wherever you are and wherever you are going!
Whew, that can be an intimidating job. But I bet just like you, and just like the persons who have shared on the Who Told You? video clips the past several weeks, I am so thankful for the people God used in my life to help me know, believe, and receive the gospel, the good news.
If you ever wonder if it is worth it to tell someone, I’ve got a nugget for you to take hold of …
So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. Acts 9.31
The good news is spreading beyond Jerusalem, men and women are being used by the Lord as His messengers. There is peace, there is building up of the faithful. People are not walking hunched over and wary. Their lives are shaped by the appropriate fear and reverence of God and His work in them and through them. They are being equipped for sharing the gospel with the amazing comfort of the Holy Spirit, an internal assurance of being closely held and consoled. And the church was growing, spreading just as the Lord Jesus had intended when He commissioned them as His witnesses.
Acts 9.31 And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it (the church) multiplied.
I pray you will grasp your moment to tell someone how knowing Jesus is hope and freedom and forgiveness and trust. And comfort unmatched.
With joy, Colleen
We are passionately connecting our community to Jesus so God is glorified and lives are changed forever!