Today’s reading: Acts 13:44-52
As we sit here today in the 21st century, we don’t give much thought to the fact that the Gospel message of salvation through Christ is for everyone. But 2,000 or so years ago, that wasn’t yet the case. The Jews were God’s chosen people, and it wasn’t until a period of time had passed after Jesus’ resurrection that God specifically directs the disciples to reach out to those outside the Jewish faith with the message of Christ. We saw this in Acts 10 with Peter and Cornelius, and we now see it here in Acts 13 with Paul and Barnabus.
Paul and Barnabus are respectful and careful to offer the Gospel message to the Jews and Jewish converts first, but their emphatic rejection of the message serves to swing the door wide open for the spreading of the salvation message. And those in the community who aren’t Jews are eager to hear and receive the Good News of forgiveness of sins through Christ.
As I thought about this account, it struck me how not that much has changed in 2000 years with regard to sharing the Gospel message. In my experiences sharing Christ, I’ve found that people who have grown up being taught that they must follow a certain set of rules, or who believe that their doing “good” is the means that will get them to heaven are many times less open to hearing about salvation than someone who has no church background at all. But regardless of a person’s upbringing, race, sex, family or status, the message of forgiveness through Christ is for ALL. Which means we have much work to do as followers of Christ.
What’s your experience with sharing Christ? Do you tell others about Jesus? Are you selective in who you approach? Are you intentional about talking with others about Christ? Tami
Source: Tami’s Blog
