"Let's Be Straight About It"

 

Acts 8:1-4 "And Saul was consenting unto his (Stephen's) death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the Apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentations over him. As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and hauling men and women committed them to prison. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the WORD."

     As believers, it is vital for us to understand that we are not called to "save" others, nor are we allowed by GOD to change the Gospel message or clothe it in worldly garb in order to attract the attention of the unsaved. If unbelievers refuse to listen to us or deem the good news we proclaim as untrue or irrelevant, so be it. Our command from the LORD and our personal responsibility to HIM and others is simply this: to declare the Gospel message, both by way of testimony and through verbal proclamation. This is what JESUS told HIS disciples when HE commanded them to "be witnesses" (Acts 1:8 pictured above) and "teach all nations" (Matthew 28:19-20 pictured below) throughout the Earth. JESUS' followers obeyed and proclaimed HIS Gospel. They did not use gimmicks or subterfuge in the attempt to attract a wider audience, even though doing so might have caused their message to be more popular in the eyes of men. Rather than embracing a pragmatic philosophy of ministry or evangelism, they simply obeyed their LORD's command and allowed GOD the HOLY SPIRIT to work in the hearts and lives of others.

     Notice the response to the proclamation of the Gospel in the first century. Saul persecuted believers and "made havoc of the church" (v.3). These Christians experienced tyranny to the point of martyrdom for telling the world that JESUS had died and risen again for man's sin. But how did they respond ? "They that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the WORD" (v.4 pictured at top of post). These faithful believers did not change the message, nor did they try to convert others through gimmicks or deceptive means. Even in adversity, may we boldly and straightforwardly share our faith. MDC

Your servant in CHRIST,

Julie

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