Introduction

It seems that anti-Christian sentiments are increasing.  Groups opposing the Church of Christ and persecuting it appear to be growing worldwide.  At the same time, there are reports of declining effectiveness in evangelism within the church.  The number of congregants is decreasing, and it's said that churches are closing their doors more frequently.  Young people are leaving the church, and it's becoming increasingly elderly.  The outlook for the church doesn't seem very bright.  What should we do?

We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  We must hold fast to the promise of the Lord and gather together in prayer, crying out to God.  We especially need to repent of our sins in accordance with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  We must turn around.  And we must obey God's Word.  God's Word says, "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 must proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ as His witnesses.  We should start by sharing the Gospel with our family, relatives, and loved ones.  Additionally, we must share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with our friends, coworkers, and close neighbors.  We should not limit the Gospel to our own people.  We must also bring the Gospel to people of other nations.  We must spread the Gospel to the "ends of the earth."  This is the mission for all of us.  We must become fervent workers for this mission.  We should be Spirit-filled Christians and faithfully bear the responsibility of spreading the Gospel.  In bearing this responsibility, we will face adversaries.  Because of them, we may encounter difficulties, suffering, and persecution.  However, even in such challenging and trying circumstances, we must rely on God's help and continue to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We should not hesitate to devote our lives to fulfilling the work of evangelism.

The reason I wanted to meditate on the Book of Acts was because I wanted to understand in more detail how the Holy Spirit of God fulfilled the word of Acts 1:8.  Therefore, I hoped to glimpse how the same Holy Spirit was working abundantly in our church, advancing towards the fulfillment of the promise given by the Lord to our church, "... I  … will build my church" (Mt. 16:18).  In particular, like the word in Acts 2:47, I began to meditate on the Book of Acts with the desire that our church would not only receive praise from many people, but also become a church where the Lord adds to the number of those being saved every day . In the midst of this, as I meditated on Acts 28:23-31, the conclusion I reached was that the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is unstoppable.  No matter how much anti-Christians or those opposing the church move according to Satan's strategy to try to stop the preaching of the Gospel, they cannot prevent the spread of the Gospel.  The reason is that our Lord, who ascended to heaven, is spreading the Gospel through the Holy Spirit.  As this fact became a firm conviction in my heart, it brought great comfort to me.  I hope and pray that the same grace may also be with you.

Joining in the unstoppable work of spreading the Gospel of our Lord,

James Kim

(August 2015, praying to live a life as a witness according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit)