It’s a known fact that all humanities sins, transgressions, iniquities and abominations effect each of us all over the world. The evidence is the reason why the world is the way it is today (the lack of the Word of God in our hearts), being far from God.

As also our obedience and disobedience to God our Heavenly Father has a cause and effect that either can be a blessing or detrimental to souls for all eternity. And we’ll have to stand before the Lord on the day of judgment and answer for our refusal to minister either by word and by deed.

Ezekiel 33:1-11 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: ‘When I (the LORD) bring a sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, ‘when he see’s the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, ‘then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. ‘He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life.

‘But if the watchman see’s the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity (lawlessness/wickedness); but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.”So you son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth (John 10:4-5&14-16) and warn them for Me.

“When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you shall surely die!’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity (lawlessness/wickedness); but his blood I will require at your hand.” Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.

“Therefore you, O son of man, says to the house of Israel: “Thus you say, “if our transgressions and our sins lie upon us, and we pine away in them, how can we then live?’ ‘Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the LORD GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn from your evil ways! For why should you die O house of Israel?” (James 5:19-20)

In order to make an impact on earth in the name of Jesus Christ The Messiah, Redeemer and Restorer, we have to make a conscious decision to stay plyable in the hands of our Heavenly Father daily. Because truly He is the Potter and we are His clay in His loving hands. He wants to use His church, His bride as instruments of righteousness in His hands through the anointing of His power, to Glorify Him as like in the days of the Book of Acts. Like He did with the Apostle Paul and many others, truly being the light of spiritually darkened places.

The Book of Acts chapter 16 serves as a reminder as we take the time to reflect and allow the Holy Spirit to minister to us (individually and corporately) when we are obedient to the Lord and follow the specific directions with the anointing of the Holy Spirit, we can make a powerful impact wherever He leads us to plant His Gospel. Because again, our disobedience to God and the Lord Jesus Christ can be detrimental to the lives and souls of sinners as well as our own soul for all eternity… Do we have the blood of sinners on our hands?

Acts 16:18-40 (Obedience Is Required)

Audio Length: 12:27

Study Highlight:

*00:04  Acts 16:18
Deliverance and restoration is one out many of God’s will

*03:12  Acts 16:19-24
Jesus Christ never promised us a rose garden

*06:43  Acts 16:25-40
God’s Word shows us the bigger picture of why the Lord leads us to dark places deliberately. And the rewards are immeasurable in result to our uncompromising, unwavering faithful obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Next Study: The Book of Acts 17 (Ministering Through Cultural Barriers)