Completing the Unfinished Work

The Bible tells us that Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit. (1 Peter 3:18)
 
That should be glorious news to those who are convicted of their sin. However, the work of Christ is not yet finished. The rest of the story gets completed as we do our part in telling others the good news about what Jesus Christ has done to save sinners and ministering to their needs.
 
Jesus appointed Ananias, a highly respected Jewish Christian, to meet Saul (Paul), who had been blinded by the encounter with the risen Lord, to restore his sight, and to tell him what he must do to proclaim the name of the Lord to the Gentiles, their kings, and the people of Israel. He then directed Saul to get up, be baptized, and receive the Holy Spirit. God used Ananias as His means to get Paul started in his new life in Christ. (See Acts 9:10-13)
 
God also used Barnabas to introduce Paul, the former persecutor of Christians, to the apostles and other disciples in Jerusalem at a time when they were all highly suspicious of his true motives and supposed conversion. Later on, the Holy Spirit called out Barnabas and Saul from the church at Antioch for the work to which God had called them. (See Acts 13:1-3)
 
When Paul came to Paphos, on the island of Cyprus, God used Paul to share the word of God with Sergius Paulus, an important Roman administrator. Although there was a sorcerer named Bar-Jesus, who was opposing Paul’s efforts, Paul called upon God to strike him blind for a time; and this miracle convinced the official to believe Paul’s message.
 
Paul’s practice, when he entered a town, was to first visit the synagogues and deliver the message of salvation that God has fulfilled His long-ago promise to raise up a Savior – Jesus, who was condemned to die by those in Jerusalem and their rulers. But God raised Him from the dead and He was seen by many witnesses. And through Jesus, everyone who believes is forgiven of their sins and justified before God. While many Jews opposed Paul’s message, those who had been appointed to eternal life believed. (See Acts 13:13-41)
 
Paul’s ministry was difficult, but successful, because God used him as His chosen instrument to bring the hope of salvation to all people. God uses all His people in various ways to help usher sinners into the Kingdom of God. What part has God called you to fulfill in order to finish the work yet undone?
 
By Jim Connell