Get to the Gospel

Scripture: When Peter saw this, he said to them: "Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus ..." Acts 3:12-13a

Observation: With people astonished by the healing of the lame man, Peter immediately responds in three ways:

1) He acknowledges their surprise and that something important has happened.

2) He deflects the credit away from him and to God.

3) He immediately jumps into the Gospel message about Jesus.

Application: How often do I (or others) stop short of Step 3?!? When we gain the opportunity to engage with someone for any reason, we may try to make the conversation personal (talk about ourselves), and hopefully get around to bring God into the conversation ... but do we dare utter the name of Jesus?

Peter doesn't just mention Jesus, he immediately makes the entire conversation about Jesus. It isn't even "look what God did, and he could help you too if you have faith." The message is, "If you think this was good, God gave us Jesus, his son and our messiah, who was crucified for you and resurrected to life, and if you believe ..."

He barely even pauses for breath before launching into the Gospel message. This is a critical lesson for me and every other Christian.

Prayer: Jesus, my lord and savior, may I glorify you in word and deed. May I not try to tell people about God - instead, may I show people and tell people about you, Jesus, and then you can show them your father. Even among firm 'non believers', I feel there is still a hope of God. May I show them you, so they understand that their flawed understanding of God should actually reside in a love that radiates from you, Jesus.