Meditation

11/26/2019

Peter replied, “repent and be baptized, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in he name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will received the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts2:38)

The New Testament usually followed the outline of the gospel. This context of proclamation is referred to by the Greek word “kerygma, for proclamation. This included 1) Jesus’ descent from David as qualification to be Israel’s Messiah; 2) His death, fulfilling Scripture; 3) His resurrection, fulfilling Scripture; 4) His ascension and exaltation to God’s right hand, proving He is Lord and Christ or Messiah; 5) His deliverance of sinners to eternal life; 6) A call to repent; and 7) the promise of Christi’s return to establish fully the kingdom.

All of these were fulfilled by Jesus in His coming to this earth as fully human and fully divine. He did not come to force us to do anything; rather, He allowed then as now, for us to choose to accept Him as our Lord and Savior, the Messiah and by coming before Him truly repentant for our sins, and thus receiving the Holy Spirit and forgiveness of our sins.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY:

Precious Abba, our prayer this day, is that working through us and by Your direction, others will come to You and accept You. You have told us that when we ask for forgiveness with repentant hearts, that You will give us forgiveness and that our relationship is restored. Today, we seek this for ourselves and also for those who have accepted You, but may not have asked yet. Our relationship with You, is more important than anything else we might ever ask You for. This we ask in Jesus name. Amen.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY:

“Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles; it empties today of its strength.”

KNOWING GOD:

“Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was reached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.” (1^st Timothy3:16)

The central theme of Christ summarized in this hymn is the center of the Christian confession of faith. Jesus’ mission included incarnation—becoming human; resurrection—God’s Spirit showing Christ, and not His enemies was right in God’s sight; victory—angels witnessed His power over all spiritual forces; proclamation—His gospel broke the barriers of race and religion to reach all nations; acceptance—people around the world believed in Him for salvation; and ascension—He was taken into glory.

I AM:

“Worship, Central Theme:” (Acts8:4–5)

The persecuted church scattered and found further evangelistic opportunities to share the good news of he word (Greek – euangelizo). God’s word of good news is the central theme for the herald of the heavenly King. Philip shared the good news by proclaiming Christ. Jesus is the center of God’s word, being the Word made flesh (John 1:14).

Second Thought of the Day:

“As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’” (Matthew 10:7)

The presence of God’s kingdom was the central theme Jesus preached. The kingdom’s presence meant God was in Jesus fulfilling His promises and inaugurating His new order of life under His rule. Proclamation was not limited to one place or one time. Both Jesus and the disciples when everywhere proclaiming the gospel.

Proclamation was a part of their total ministry, which included healing and other ministries to the deep needs of people. The proclamation of the gospel is one way God establishes and invites participation in His kingdom. Clear enough?