Telling the Good News Next Door and Far Away
Month 12: On Mission & Finishing Well · Loving Others
Today's Scripture
Read together: Acts 16:13-15,30-34
13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river, where it was customary to find a place of prayer. After sitting down, we spoke to the women who had gathered there. 14 Among those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15 And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us. … 30 Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 Then Paul and Silas spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house. 33 At that hour of the night, the jailer took them and washed their wounds. And without delay, he and all his household were baptized. 34 Then he brought them into his home and set a meal before them. So he and all his household rejoiced that they had come to believe in God.
Memory Verse
“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek.”— Romans 1:16 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Hebrews 11–13
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 350 of 365 — the great hall of faith.)The Heart of It
In one chapter of Acts, two very different people meet Jesus in the same city. First there's Lydia. She's a successful businesswoman. She's religious. She's gathered with other women by the river to pray. Paul shares the gospel, "the Lord opened her heart," and she and her whole household are baptized (). Then, hours later, there's a rough Roman jailer in a prison cell. He's a working man who'd never set foot in that prayer meeting. After an earthquake he falls down trembling and cries, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" Paul tells him, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved." And that very night his whole family is baptized and rejoicing ().
Look at the beautiful variety. A wealthy woman and a working-class jailer. A religious seeker and a desperate stranger. Both swept into the family of God on the very same day. This is what it means that the gospel is for "everyone who believes." Loving others on mission means we don't only reach for people who look like us or live next door. We start there, yes. But we carry the same good news to the businesswoman down the street and to the person nobody expects. We carry it near and far. And notice how often whole households believe together. God loves to save families. The same Lord who opened Lydia's heart can open the hearts of the people in your neighborhood and across the world.
Around the Table
A rich lady and a prison guard both got to know Jesus! Jesus' good news is for everybody.
Let's do it: Wave to "someone near" with one hand and "someone far away" with the other. Jesus loves them both!
Lydia and the jailer were very different. But the same gospel saved them both, and their whole families too.
Let's talk: Who is someone near us, and someone far away, that we could tell about Jesus?
The gospel crosses every line. It crosses money, background, and culture. God opened Lydia's heart. The message itself does the saving.
Let's go deeper: Is there a "kind of person" you'd find hard to share with? What does say about that?
💬 Conversation Starter
Who lives closest to our house that we don't know yet? How could our family show them Jesus' love this month?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Luke records ordinary details we can check. Philippi was a real Roman colony. Lydia sold purple cloth from Thyatira, which was a real trade. And Roman jailers really did answer with their lives if a prisoner escaped. These small, accurate touches are the fingerprints of true history, not invented tales.
For Dad · Go Deeper
We can drift into thinking evangelism is only for "gifted" people or far-off missionaries, and so we quietly excuse ourselves. But shows mission happening over a riverside conversation and inside a jailer's home. These were ordinary moments where someone simply told the good news. Sam Rainer often points out that the most fruitful gospel sharing flows through everyday relationships, not programs. Your family already has a mission field. It's the cul-de-sac, the team, the checkout line, the relatives at the holiday table. Pray by name for a "Lydia" and a "jailer." Pray for one religious person and one who feels far off. Then watch for the door God opens. He's still the One who opens hearts. We just keep showing up with the news.
Draws on: Sam Rainer, The Surprising Return of the Neighborhood Church.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You that Your good news is for everyone, near and far. Open the hearts of the people around us. Give our family courage to tell them. In Jesus' name, amen."
The gospel is for everyone. It's for the neighbor next door and the stranger far away. So I'll carry it to both.