I love the boldness the apostle Peter has after he’s filled with
the power of the Holy Spirit. We remember his fear that led to
denying Christ three times before the Crucifixion. But a lot has
transpired since then.
Peter is now emboldened with the power of the Holy Spirit, and
through his first sermon, 3,000 are led to salvation in Christ.
In Acts chapter 3, God has empowered Peter and John to heal
a man who had been lame for 40 years. A crowd immediately
gathers, and Peter seizes the opportunity to preach again. The focal
point of his sermon is Acts 3:19:
“Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins
may be wiped away.” (NLT)
That’s the gospel message.
Pure and simple.
We sometimes forget that salvation is this simple.
Oftentimes, we hear so much added to it—
flowery language,
philosophical rhetoric,
personal ideas and opinions.
But the truth is, God doesn’t need us to add to His already
perfect message. He is perfect, and His message is perfect.
Sure, He wants us to spread His message.
He desires us to preach His message.
And He will empower us to live His message.
But add to it?
No.
Let’s keep it simple.
Let’s keep it pure.
Let’s keep preaching the Truth.
Thoughts?
I’d sure appreciate your prayers as I’m speaking in Ohio July 12-15.
I just returned from my annual missions trip to Quito, Ecuador.
God truly blessed and brought many Ecuadorians to faith in His
name—through the simple gospel message. If you’d like to participate in my missions trip next summer, we’ll be going to Costa Rica June 29 to July 12, and I NEED you! Private message me for more information.
