Do you have friends struggling with sin?

If you have friends struggling with sin, the prayer in this article by Scotty Smith is powerful and very helpful.

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November 18 – Acts 14-15

Bible Reading Commitment, Encouragement, and Challenge

November 18 – Acts 14-15

Observe with some (Interpretation in Parentheses)

• There is a lot in these chapters that could be meditated on!
• In Acts, the divisive nature of the Gospel is often displayed
• With the preaching of the Gospel, people were often divided, some believing in Jesus, and some hating the message about Jesus
• And those who hate the message so often persecute those who believe in Jesus
• Yet, the persecution of those who hate Jesus does not stop the spread of the Gospel
• Often, it actually helped spread the Gospel
• As Paul was forced out of a location, he went to another place to preach, and many more were saved in a new location

How Points to Christ

• Jesus Christ is the focal point of the Gospel
• People’s response to Jesus divides people

Apply

• Our responsibility is not to make people like or love Jesus
• Our responsibility is to present Jesus accurately to the world in our lives, and in our words
• Please pray that Christians and churches would recognize the divisive nature of the Gospel and not try to change the Gospel, but be faithful to accurately and regularly preach the Gospel in all its glory
• And please pray that God would show grace and mercy to many people, leading them to salvation in the Gospel

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November 18 – Prayer for the World and Unreached

May God increase our desire for His glory to spread to all nations and peoples – Operation World. and Joshua Project!

Unreached of the Day

Please pray for the …

Azeri Turk of Iran

Population: 14,657,000

Language: Azerbaijani, South

Religion: Islam

Evangelical: 0.00%

For more details…

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November 17 – Acts 11-13

Bible Reading Commitment, Encouragement, and Challenge

November 17 – Acts 11-13

Observe with some (Interpretation in Parentheses)

• There is a lot in these chapters that could be meditated on!
• What melts my heart is seeing the Gospel go in full force to the Gentiles
• There were glimmers of hope and promises of Gentiles being included in God’s people in the Old Testament and in Jesus’ ministry
• But, now, in these chapters, the Gospel is spreading rapidly among the Gentiles
• The same Holy Spirit falls on them that fell on the Jews
• And they receive the same salvation from God through Jesus Christ

How Points to Christ

• The Gospel of Jesus Christ saves both Jews and Gentiles

Apply

• Please pray that I would never stop being amazed by the undeserved nature of the Gospel
• As a Gentile, I am so thankful that the Gospel is for all nations
• God did not have to choose anybody.  God did not have to choose people outside of Israel.
• But God graciously chose to, granting to Jews and Gentiles repentance that leads to life
• Please pray that Christians and churches would preach the Gospel to all the nations and to people not like them

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November 17 – Prayer for the World and Unreached

May God increase our desire for His glory to spread to all nations and peoples – Operation World. and Joshua Project!

Unreached of the Day

Please pray for the …

Bhat, Hindu of India

Population: 1,285,000

Language: Hindi

Religion: Hinduism

Evangelical: 0.00%

For more details…

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November 16 – Acts 9-10

Bible Reading Commitment, Encouragement, and Challenge

November 16 – Acts 9-10

Observe with some (Interpretation in Parentheses)

• There is a lot in these chapters that could be meditated on!
• What continues to amaze me is the sudden conversion of Saul
• Saul was a murderer
• Saul was a persecutor of the church
• Saul hated Christians and the Jesus Christians proclaimed
• Saul wanted to silence all Christians either through prison or murder
• Yet, in an instant, when Saul encountered the Risen Lord Jesus Christ, everything changed
• When Ananias prayed for Saul to have sight, the physical scales that fell from his eyes symbolized the spiritual scales that fell from his eyes
• (Saul was now able to see the GLORY of Jesus and how all of Scripture points to Jesus)

How Points to Christ

• Jesus can save any and all sinners in an instant by showing His glory through His Word

Apply

• Please pray that I would believe in the power of the Gospel to instantly save sinners
• Many times in my life I struggle with evaluating people’s “likelihood” to be saved in my own estimation
• But being reminded of who Saul was before his conversion, and even remember my life before my conversion, it is true that God, through Jesus, in an instant, can save sinners for His glory
• Please pray that I would believe and love and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all those around me
• And please pray that I would grow in prayer for sinners to have the scales of their eyes fall off so that they can see the GLORY of Jesus and fall at His feet in worship

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November 16 – Prayer for the World and Unreached

May God increase our desire for His glory to spread to all nations and peoples – Operation World. and Joshua Project!

Unreached of the Day

Please pray for the …

Mongol, Khalka of Mongolia

Population: 1,826,000

Language: Mongolian, Halh

Religion: Buddhism

Evangelical: 0.00%

For more details…

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November 15 – Acts 7-8

Bible Reading Commitment, Encouragement, and Challenge

November 15 – Acts 7-8

Observe with some (Interpretation in Parentheses)

• There is a lot in these chapters that could be meditated on!
• In Stephen’s speech and preaching, he preaches through redemptive history
• And one thing is clear about redemptive history
• God is faithful and the people are faithless – they are idolatrous and keep turning to idols, to the works of their hands
• They are stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears
• (The nature of sinful people is sinful hearts that are prone to wander to idols)

How Points to Christ

• Only Jesus in the Gospel changes hearts
• Only Jesus addresses the core problem of humans – their hearts and desires

Apply

• Please pray that I would recognize my own proneness to wander to idols, that God would reveal idols in my heart, that I would quickly repent of them
• And please pray that churches would be Gospel-centered, not behavior-centered, because only the Gospel can transform people from within, producing lasting change from the heart

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November 15 – Prayer for the World and Unreached

May God increase our desire for His glory to spread to all nations and peoples – Operation World. and Joshua Project!

Unreached of the Day

Please pray for the …

Maranao, Lanao of Philippines

Population: 1,138,000

Language: Maranao

Religion: Islam

Evangelical: 0.00%

For more details…

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November 14 – Acts 4-6

Bible Reading Commitment, Encouragement, and Challenge

November 14 – Acts 4-6

Observe with some (Interpretation in Parentheses)

• There is a lot in these chapters that could be meditated on!
• Jesus’ warning to His disciples that in this world they will have tribulation is coming true
• After miraculously healing a man, and telling people about Jesus and His resurrection power, the authorities are trying to force the disciples to stop preaching the Gospel
• Yet, in Acts 4:19, they respond: ¹⁹But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, ²⁰for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”
• (The Gospel was so glorious to them that it didn’t matter what people thought – they simply needed to speak what they have seen and heard)
• (The disciples could not determine the response of the people – some believed, some blew them off, and some tried to persecute them)
• (But, the disciples knew that one thing was required of them and compelling them from within their hearts – faithfulness to the Gospel, to live it and to preach it)

How Points to Christ

• With Jesus Christ in the disciples’ hearts, the disciples could not help but tell other people about Jesus Christ
• Jesus Christ is so glorious and His Gospel so amazing that as we meditate on it in our hearts, it will overflow to others

Apply

• Please pray that every day, I would seek to fill my own heart with the glory of Jesus Christ and the wonders of the Gospel
• And please pray that my heart would be freshly affected by the Gospel every day so as to simply overflow in Gospel words and Gospel love to all those I interact with
• And please pray that churches would believe that the Word of God focusing on the Gospel of Jesus Christ is what changes people and motivates people to serve and love – may churches be Gospel-centered churches

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