Sensitivity to the City
Key verses: Acts 16:16-19, 25-31; 17:16-22
Key thought: Our light will shine brighter when we are sensitive to the darkness around us and respond by letting our light shine.
The necessity of discerning darkness
- We must use all our God given resources to perceive the darkness in the city – it is not so obvious that we all apprehend what darkness is.
- We can use our natural and supernatural abilities to locate and deal with darkness.
- We need the help of the Holy Spirit to discern darkness when it is not so obvious.
- Darkness thrives when believers we are not sensitive to it, we are blind to its existence.
- If we are going to light the city, then darkness can no longer remain none of our business!
- Engaging the darkness
- Knowing about darkness and doing nothing about it is equally not profitable.
- We must translate our sensitivity to darkness into action, in both stories Paul did something after bring troubleb in his spirit.
- In Athens Paul engaged the people by sharing the gospel, he created space for people to have a truth encounter with word of God.
- In chapter Acts 16, Paul confronts the demon, there is a power encounter. There will be need to confront the powers of darkness in the spiritual realm.
- We can only engage better in spiritual welfare when are aware of what we are dealing with.
- We spend time fighting needless battles because we are not aware where the real darkness is.
- Leverage on the fruit of engagement
- Paul’s engagement with people in Athens generated interest. Our gospel will be welcomed and rejected, but even rejection may not be the end of everything.
- We must be alert to the doors that will open after as we engage people in darkness.
- In prison Paul and Silas continued to sick and praise God, even after the earthquake they did not run, when the jailer was about to kill himself, they told him not to. They seized the opportunity to light up the entire jailer’s family
- Our goal is that people not only people encounter light, but that they should walk in light too.
Conclusion
There are those that are insensitive to darkness.
Those that are sensitive to darkness but are do nothing about it – it’s none of their business. There are those that perceive the darkness and respond by shining their light