THE GOSPEL’S IMPACT

Acts 19:17-41

Saturday, 28 March 2026

“So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.” -Acts 19: 20

The impact of the Gospel that was spread by Paul and his companions is the context of our reading today. The word of the Lord went forth in the power of the Holy Spirit and was manifest not just by the transformation of lives, but by the signs and wonders done through the apostles.  Others who tried to use the Name of the Lord Jesus to their own profit met with severe consequences. Yet those who rightly responded with true conviction and belief were truly blessed. 

Believing in the true God is the right thing to do, if someone is convinced of the existence and the power of a true God. But we see something contrary from the first humans themselves—Adam and Eve who were living right before God, who created them, should have been the most convinced about their belief in God.  Yet the Bible says they did not truly believe in what God asked them not to do or the consequences of doing it; otherwise they would not have eaten the forbidden fruit. Bible scholars say they doubted the love of God and hence they did not truly believe in Him or in what God commanded to them.

Even among today’s “believers” we see these two kinds of people- who truly believe in God and who don’t, but would like to use God for their benefit. This is what happened to some of the men who tried to misuse the name of Jesus thinking that they could also perform great deeds like Paul did, to their profit. (Acts 19:11-16). But it backfired against them as they did not truly believe in Jesus or have a relationship with Him.

Many among the so-called “Christians” expose themselves of their lack of “true belief” by their actions that traditions and culture might have inculcated in them but are not biblical. Many superstitious beliefs can impede true belief in the Almighty God, unconsciously attributing some kind of power in certain objects. Such seemingly harmless kinds of belief are all serious breach of the first commandment of God: “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). The same commandment was reiterated and made clear to us by our Lord Jesus Christ when He taught us that, “So love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). Those who engage in non-biblical practices, are actually failing to love God with all of their heart, mind, soul or strength.

Nature and everything in it are created by God and in the book of Job we see God who created the universe and everything in it challenges Job by asking him whether he can change anything about this nature, let alone the positions of stars or planets (Job 38:31). In other words, God is saying to Job that He is the Creator— all-powerful, all-knowing and all-present God and Job (for that matter all of us) can unquestionably believe Him.

Moreover, God is love and God Himself defined the greatest love as laying down one’s life for his friends (John 15: 13) and he proved it by despising the shame on the cross and dying for us and for our salvation. In other words, God loved us more than His life. Dear friends, won’t it be so foolish of us, if we refuse to “truly believe” in such a Wonderful God who is the Greatest and yet loved us more than His life? If such a God is on our side who can be against us? 

Thought for the Day: “He does not believe who does not live according to his belief.”~ Thomas Fuller