God's Holy Fire: 'Spirit-Foretold'

Saturday, June 21, 2025

And after [the Jewish leaders in Rome] had argued back and forth among themselves, they left with this final word from Paul: "The Holy Spirit was right when he said to your ancestors through Isaiah the prophet ..."
— Acts 28:25 NLT

Key Thought

Jewish leaders in Rome come to visit Paul while he is under house arrest. He shares the good news of Jesus with them. Some believe this message, but some reject it. This situation leads to disagreements among the leaders. But it convinces Paul even more of the need to share the good news of Jesus with all people because many will listen, even if most of Jesus' own people won't. The Holy Spirit had been working all along through history, using prophets to tell about God's plan to reach all people. Now, just as Jesus had promised (Acts 1:8), the Spirit has propelled Jesus' followers to share the message with many nations, and many people were responding. When we serve the Lord, we are not working alone or in isolation. We are working as part of a plan going back before the creation of the world to bring God's children back to him (Ephesians 1:4-5; 1 Peter 1:20). Let's ask the Holy Spirit to catch us up in this work of grace as well!

Today's Prayer

O Father of all people, move us through your Holy Spirit to carry on the mission of the early disciples - to share the good news of Jesus with all people. Empower us, fill us with passion, give us courage, and please grant us success as we seek to share your good news with people all over the world. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

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Illustration

Illustration of Acts 28:25 NLT — "The Holy Spirit was right when he said to your ancestors through Isaiah the prophet ..."

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About This Devotional

God's Holy Fire is a daily devotional about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The Thoughts and Prayer for God's Holy Fire are written by Phil Ware.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked MESSAGE are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

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