~~~ Acts of the Apostles 11:1-18 ~~~ Psalm 42 ~~~ John 10:1-10 ~~~
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
I am the gate for the sheep.
Jesus is not only the shepherd but he is also the gate.
Jesus leads his sheep through the gate.
Staying close to Jesus insures that we
will be led safely through the gate.
Thieves and robbers
attempt to fool the sheep into following them...
most are unsuccessful.
They are unsuccessful because the sheep
know the voice of the Shepherd.
Be confident that you too recognize
the voice of the shepherd.
John baptized with water
but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
The disciples witnessed the total change
in the Gentiles who came to believe.
The disciples followed the urging of the Spirit
as they went among the local Gentiles.
Those who had converted to Judaism at first objected
to the disciples going out to the Gentiles.
God works in surprising ways;
this is evident in the spreading of the disciples message.
God has then granted life-giving repentance
to the Gentiles too.
What if it was a blessings in disguise
for us that Jesus was rejected by the Jews.
Do you think God would have
reached out to the Gentiles too?
The spread of the good news was certainly
an example of early evangelizing.
Today the need for evangelizing
is just as real and vital.
The Shepherd has led us through the gate
inspiring us to go further, to evangelize others.
We are called to evangelize;
to spread or preach the gospel news.
I came so that they might have life and
have it more abundantly.
Follow the Leader
through the Gate to the land of Redemption.
~~~Peace~~~
