Acts: The Spread of the Gospel

This study is taken from John MacArthur's "Acts: The Spread of the Gospel." My prayer and goal for this devo is that we will learn more about how the early church laid the foundation for what we possess today, and that we would allow God to use us to turn our world upside for Him!

This will be an exciting journey, so encourage others to join you! I'm looking forward to the interaction we will have on this blog as we study the book of Acts!

The devos will differ in format from day to day, but two things are constant: 1) a daily reading, and 2) additional Scripture passages that are in bold. Be sure to read any and all of the readings/bold verses that appear so that you can see the full picture of what is taught that day.

Remember, you can access any of the previous devos that have been posted from the "Blog Archive" section on the left side of this page.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Destruction and Devastation! - Part 1 - Devo for 04/06/2009

Reading
Revelation 17:1-18:24

Drawing Near
1. Thinking about the reality of evil helps open our eyes to see the very real spiritual battle we are engaged in every day. What evidences of this spiritual battle have you seen lately in your life?

2. What resources have been most helpful to you in fighting the good fight?

The Context
Revelation reminds us that there is a cosmic battle going on now and will be going on in the future. No one can be neutral. Each of us is either part of the domain of darkness or part of the kingdom of God. As we yield to one sphere or the other, we become the companions of God or the companions of Satan. To doubt this reality is the gravest mistake any of us can make, because making the wrong choice results in eternal disaster.

God offers all people the life-giving gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Satan and the forces of hell lure people to their destruction by dangling before them the "passing pleasures of sin" (Hebrews 11:25). There is coming a day when the siren call of hell will be so loud as to be all but irresistible. This passage tells us that people of that time will ignore the repeated powerful preaching of the gospel and the warnings conveyed by the terrifying judgments from God. Having rejected all offers of grace and mercy, they will see death come upon mankind on a scale unprecedented in human history. Yet even then they will not repent; in fact they will curse God. People at that time will have made the irrevocable choice to side with the forces of hell.

This section (chapters 17-18) reveals the dark destiny of this satanic kingdom - called by the symbolic name "Babylon" - and the beast who leads it. We see God's judgment on religious Babylon - the evil "religious" system of the end times, and the destruction of the beast's vast economic and political system.
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1 comment:

Taye:) said...

1. Well, I think that God has something great planned for me, so satan is trying to get me to do whatever wrong that I can. Like, with my attitude toward my parents and laziness.

2. Reading the Bible, talking to someone about it, and just calming down.

May 21, 2009 at 11:47 AM

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