The Precious Human Life #5: The Minister And Witness Of These Things

 

 

INTRODUCTION TO OUR SERIES:

 

This is part of a series that is looking at the preciousness of life and the need for a more serious examination of the Scriptural validity of taking a human life under any circumstance.  Folks, our world has devalued the taking of human life to the point the loss of human life is “no big deal” and “JUST a part of the world in which we live.”

By God’s grace, as we continue through this series, my prayer is that the Lord would open all of our spiritual eyes and come to a more complete realization of the great value of human life.  Also, we need to carefully consider the results of our actions, and the circumstances surrounding the taking of human life, making sure that in each situation, the taking of life is Biblically justifiable and absolutely necessary.

Our devotional series will contain six daily devotions, all of which will emphasize the wondrous nature of the human creation and the loss inflicted upon mankind when a human life is taken from their midst…

1. Thou Shalt Not Kill (Exo 20:13)
2. The Glory and Honor Of Man (Psa 8:4-6)
3. God’s Image & Likeness (Gen 1:26-27)
4. Fearfully and Wonderfully Made (Psa 139:14-16)
5. The Minister and Witness Of These Things (Acts 26:16-17)
6. Prepare To Meet Thy God (Amos 4:12)

 

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL:

The Minister and Witness Of These Things (Isaiah 6:8-12, Psalms 66:16, Acts 26:16-17, Romans 10:13-17)

Acts 26:16-17 KJV

“But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;   Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,”

 

Psalms 66:16 KJV

“Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.”

 

Isaiah 6:8-12 KJV

“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.   And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.   Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.   Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,   And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.”

 

Romans 10:13-17 KJV

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.   How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?   And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!   But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?   So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

 

Man, A Minister and Witness of The Lord and His Works For Us

In Acts 26:16-17 and Isaiah 6:8-12, we find the call to ministry of Paul and Isaiah respectively.  In both instances we see the ministry of these men involved telling others about the Lord and His work that was done on behalf of His people…

 

To Paul:  “to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;”

 

To Isaiah:  “Go, and tell this people,…”

 

This calling of men to the ministry of the Lord is shared by all men who have come to faith in Christ.  Although not all men are called to full-time ministry, all men who are saved are called to share the gospel message with those around them.   David, although not called to full time ministry as a minister of the Lord, understood and accepted this great responsibility…  “Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.”

Folks, this responsibility given to saved mankind is of great importance.  Without the proclamation of the gospel message, the lost of this world are without hope with salvation unavailable to them…  “…and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? …  How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! …   So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

 

Folks, every human life that is taken from this earth is one who has, or is potentially one who has been given the responsibility to take the gospel into this world.  Whether they be saved, or potentially a future recipient of salvation, by taking away physical life, we are silencing one who may be used of God to accomplish great things in His service.

It is important to note that NONE of us can know whom the Lord will call to salvation.  Even the most wicked and vile of mankind can be called to salvation through the call of God.  Therefore, even when the life of a lost man is taken, from a strictly human standpoint, we can never know if he would have been saved and what he might have accomplished for Him.  The Apostle Paul is the perfect example of this type of individual (Acts 26:1-23).

Please note: I am a firm believer in the sovereignty of God in salvation… He will save those who are chosen and none will be lost (John 6:39).   However in matters of this nature, concerning man’s responsibility, we must look at things from man’s vantage point without regard for God’s unknown workings of providence.  More about this principle in our next devotional.

 

In our next devotional, we will be being looking at the preciousness of human life by examining man’s need to “prepare to meet thy God” during our lifetimes on earth.

 

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