A declaration of truth
“Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, “Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen:” Acts 13:16 NASBS
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I often find myself concerned that we miss valuable opportunities to share the faith that has liberated us from defilement and corruption. It is vital that we always remember the incredible love God demonstrated through His grace when He saved us, even while we were still sinners and in rebellion against Him.
God is holy, just, and perfect in all His ways, and He cannot coexist with sin or tolerate it in any aspect. In light of this truth, it is entirely fitting that we, who are born into sin, have a high priest like Jesus Christ— who is holy, innocent, undefiled, and exalted above the heavens. This remarkable high priest now stands in the very presence of God on our behalf, interceding for us and ensuring that we are covered by His righteousness.
Beloved, let us rise each morning with hearts disciplined towards godliness. May the King of Heaven work mightily in our hearts through His Spirit, so we do not miss any chance to proclaim Christ and Him crucified to all who will listen.
As Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”
Notice that Paul emphasized this as of first importance. He understood that humanity stands under divine judgment and that without the gospel of Jesus Christ, all are lost and without hope, subject to the demands of God’s law, which requires perfection.
For this very reason, Paul devoted both himself to the pursuit of heavenly matters, fully recognizing the profound responsibility he bore in sharing the divine truth that had been revealed to him by God Himself.
His mission was to convey this truth with confidence and without any shame to all who would listen. When he was granted the opportunity to share the boundless riches of Christ with those of Jewish descent, he boldly proclaimed, “Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, ‘Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen.’” Seizing this pivotal moment, Paul traced the history of Israel, effectively demonstrating that Jesus is indeed the promised Messiah. He made it clear that genuine forgiveness for sins can only be found in Him, emphasizing the importance of recognizing that there is salvation and no one else, but Jesus Christ.
As he spoke about the death of Jesus, he stated, “And though they found no ground for putting Him to death, they asked Pilate that He be executed. When they had carried out all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb. But God raised Him from the dead; and for many days He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now His witnesses to the people. And we preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers, that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘You ARE MY SON; TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU.’” Therefore, holy brethren, partakers in this divine calling, let us be inspired from Paul’s example and be diligent in managing the time that God has graciously bestowed upon us. It is essential for us to be prepared at all times to share our personal testimonies of His abundant mercy and grace.
We should earnestly seek the strength that God provides from within us, equipping ourselves to proclaim His wondrous truths, especially when opportunities present themselves to warn others about the impending judgment that awaits those who remain outside of Christ.
In these moments we must carefully explain to them God’s redemptive plan, which has been fulfilled through Jesus Christ, so that they may come to Christ in faith and repentance and be saved from everlasting destruction. May the Spirit of God deeply impress upon our hearts the significant responsibility that has been entrusted to us with this glorious message of salvation, motivating us to share it boldly and compassionately with those around us.