DEVOTION - TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2011Follow us on Facebook1

“The Message of Salvation by Jesus”

BY

DR JOHN BARNETT

Have you ever wished you could sit in the back of the crowd and listen to the greatest man who ever lived, Jesus Christ, and hear what He said to the lost and seeking crowds? Have you ever wondered how Jesus led someone to salvation? We have the records of Nicodemus, the woman at the well, the man at Bethesda, Zacchaeus, and so on. But, the actual method, words, gospel presentation and so on would be fascinating wouldn't it?

Today we are going to do just that. We are going to hear the soul winning methods of Jesus. How? Through the eyes and ears of those who spent time alone with Jesus and through the hearts and minds of those who heard Him soul winning for 3 plus years. Thus the Book of Acts is the most critical source in the universe for our views of evangelism. Acts records the first 30 years of evangelism from the lens of inspiration, on the film of God's Word! Through the inspired words of the Gospels and Acts when we listen to the Message of Jesus captured by the Apostles of Jesus.

If Jesus saved us to share the Gospel, the Good News of Salvation, then there are few things more exciting than to actually learn from Him our Master, His message and the way He called men and women, boys and girls to Salvation.

Now turn to the launching pad. It is found in the book of the Acts of the Holy Spirit. That is the sequel to Luke. Luke wrote as the Holy Spirit inspired Him what happened (that is the content of the Gospels) and then he wrote how they shared what happened (that is the book of Acts) and then in the Epistles we have why all this had to happen. That in brief is a summary of the entire New Testament.

So Acts is a video report of how the Apostles and disciples shared the Gospel message in every possible setting. What we get is to see how the eyewitnesses shared with the world what happened in the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. As we go through all 28 chapters we find that there are 22-recorded events where a Gospel Message is presented.

The first Gospel Presentation is in Acts 2. The time has come, after being called to be a fisherman for eternal souls. After being given on site, hands on training for three plus years. After being tutored privately, commissioned publicly, and filled with the very Holy Spirit of God, Peter steps up to the microphone to deliver his first sermon. I'm sure his pulse was throbbing in anticipation, his heart pounding with excitement to at last say what he had been taught, shown, and commanded him, to say. So here it is, here is Gospel Presentation number one in Acts chapter 2. Peter preaches the first sermon after Christ's death, burial, resurrection, and sending the Holy Spirit down to indwell the Church. What does he say?