The word for this week is "turn". We'll be looking at these verses:
Luke 1:15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. 16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. KJV
Acts 11:20 And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord. KJV
Acts 14:15 And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein: KJV
Acts 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. KJV
These are all the Greek word "epistrepho". Strong's Concordance says: to revert. Thayer's Greek Lexicon says: To turn to, to cause to return, to bring back, to turn oneself back, to come back. Vine's Expository Dictionary says: to make to turn towards, to turn oneself around, an immediate and decisive change, consequent upon a deliberate choice, a voluntary act in response to the presentation of truth. I was listening to another Brandon Lake song called "Tunraround" and Holy Spirit reminded me of all the loved ones that I have prayed for and shared the TRUTH of the Gospel with. Some believed right away and others not for some time. The ones who haven't yet, I simply keep praying the prayers of Paul in Ephesians and Colossians, and believe that HE will bring the right people to them that they will be able to receive from. There are so many turning to the Lord all over the world right now and many returning who had turned away!
My brother Dan was one of those. I had shared the Gospel with him way back when we had first been born again, but he was not interested at all. He actually called himself an atheist. I was told not to share with him anymore, so I asked the Lord to bring the right laborers to him. He believed that there was nothing after this life. When he was in the Veterans Home in Chippewa Falls, simply waiting to die from cancer, I took the opportunity to share a quick suggestion to Him that the Lord had laid on my heart. The next time I visited him, he couldn't hear very well and couldn't speak clearly, either. I went to visit him one last time with Greg and he was sitting up in bed, smiling with clear eyes and a smile on his face. He said that our friend Dave had come to see him and talk to him, referring to Dave Kroening. I knew that Dave would speak plainly to him so I was happy to hear that. On the way home I had a thought that I shared with Greg and when we saw Dave and Anita that night I asked them and they had never been there! Dave DID say that he had been praying for Dan! I truly believe that Dan saw them in the spirit, and listened! Then my nephew Josh, Dan's son, visited him and Dan told him that where he used to believe that there was nothing after this life, he now knew that there was! Dan is now there with the rest of the family who were waiting!
We may never know who we have affected by sharing the Word in this life, but we have the guarantee that God's Word will NOT return to Him 'void' (having no effect)! Isaiah 55:11:
So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
I know that you have shared the TRUTH with family and friends, so I want to encourage you that Holy Spirit will use any and every means to make the TRUTH real to them! They will have a "Turnaround", so here is that song!
