In last Sunday’s lesson from The Acts of the Apostles, Peter tells the marvelous story of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, concluding with the astounding news “for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” (4:12) The Gospel’s spread is dependent on us finding our voices, as did Peter, to tell what we know about the joy of new life in Christ.
From that verse alone you get a powerful and directive lesson in which we are to be doing as Jesus People: telling the story. Lots of people do that and lots more struggle about what or how to do it. So I have a suggestion for how and what to tell.
We see the story of Jesus’ resurrection in changed lives in our world today. Tell people about where you are seeing lives change. For me I have to tell about people coming to faith in small on-line groups, about people joining the church – during the pandemic – in on-line services, about what the Body of Christ (the church) has been doing through its ministries. Those ministries include celebrating and sharing the good news going on at some remarkable ministries you and I have helped create and sustain:
- The Methodist Home for Children
- The Methodist Retirement Homes
- The NC Conference camps and retreat centers
- The feeding ministries that are in almost every Capital District local church
- The tutoring programs that enrich the lives of children and families
- The disaster relief work still being encouraged within our Conference
- The work of 12-step and recovery ministries housed and supported by our churches
- And the list goes on . . .
To tell the story of redeemed lives tells people about resurrection power, about the Holy Spirit living in and acting for us.
We don’t have to preach; Jesus simply asks us to tell.
Speaking out,
[Harvey] Gray
If you would like to view past editions of Hello from Harvey,
follow this link: https://capitaldistrictnc.org/category/from-the-ds/