| “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” |
| —Acts 3:19 |
When we think of the message of an evangelist, we often picture a rather rotund man dressed in a black suit with sweat pouring down his brow. He is banging his fist on the pulpit, shaking his Bible in the air, telling stories about the horror of a fiery eternity in a place of damnation, and urging sinners to repent. In contrast, when we read of one of the first recorded evangelistic messages after the Apostles received the anointing of the Holy Spirit, we find Peter preaching a very carefully reasoned sermon using a gentle, but persuasive tone, to a crowd of Jews.
This should come as no surprise. After all, Peter was a Jew and the people around him were Jews. Furthermore, it was very appropriate for the mindset of Jewish people to deal with issues in their lives with the careful reason and studied logic that Peter employed. Instead of a fiery message, Peter’s sermon is a simple yet eloquent one. He charts the progress of the relationship between God and His chosen people, the Jews. He leads them to understand that the long-awaited Messiah is, in fact, the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter closes his sermon with the words found in Acts 3:19:
“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”
This simple message is the very same message that we believers have for the world today. And, our present world is just as needy as the world of those long-ago Jews, who were under the captive thumb of the Roman government. More so, these people of God were chained to the sin of their fathers and the sins they had committed on their own—just like people in our world today.
As we begin a new day, let’s remember that our message to the world—in word and deed—is a message of God’s mercy, grace, and abiding love. God is holy and wants to have a relationship with a forgiven, holy people. He has provided the means of salvation through His Son, Jesus. He patiently longs for those He has called to receive His gift of love and redemption.
Our place in all of this is to gently, tenderly, yet forthrightly represent God to a needy world. It is an honor and great privilege to do so. Our message is not a harsh message of condemnation. It is a message of love, seasoned by grace. It is the very best message we could ever have the honor to present to others in need.
Based on a blog originally posted on Wednesday, September 20, 2017
