Gafcon's Lift Up Your Hearts Devotiona‪l‬ Gafcon - Global Anglican Future Conference

How long after becoming a Christian should one wait before sharing their faith? Three years? Four? The disciple Philip waited only two verses! In John 1:43 Philip becomes a follower of Christ. In verse 45, he’s found sharing the gospel with Nathanael!



Then as now, sharing the gospel was met with skepticism. Nathanael’s doubt revolved around Jesus’ hometown, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” While Nathanael’s question may seem straightforward, it’s more complex than it first appears. This is typically the case in evangelistic encounters.

In 1 Chron. 10: 13-14, we see that David is the rightful ruler of God’s people, but his reign isn’t yet recognized by everyone. We noted in yesterday’s devotional that this is the already/not yet position believers find themselves in today—Christ’s kingdom is here, but still coming. It behooves us, then, to observe of how the Israelites handled their “in-between” time. Today, we’ll take note of the fact that the people live unworried and with understanding.

Yesterday, we took note of the fact that believers live in the already/not yet of Christ’s Kingdom. His reign has been inaugurated, but not consummated. This is the position God’s people found themselves in when David is anointed King, but Saul’s reign is still in effect. By seeing how they lived in today and tomorrow’s devotionals, we’ll see how we ought to live. Today, we’ll look at 1 Chron. 10: 13-14 and take note of the fact that the people live with unction and with unity.

How should citizens of a heavenly kingdom live while on Earth? In his seminal book Paul and the Faithfulness of God, N.T. Wright gestures towards that very question:
“The new creation—both the new creation and the new creation—has already been launched, and Messiah-people must learn how to live within that new world. They are ‘already in the new age.’ Equally, the final new creation is yet to come, and their behavior must look ahead to, and live in accordance with, something which is ‘not yet’ a present reality.”

In yesterday’s devotional, we noted that God rules over all of creation, not just the “religious” parts. Today, we’re going to consider how God rules—through us.

Where does God rule? In asking that question, it’s easy to answer, “the church,” or “places of religious work.” But the message of Scripture says something very different. God’s rule is final, and all-encompassing. We see this from the very first pages of the Bible.