“So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” (vs46-47)
The Lord adds to the Church as she is in order - preaching in the power of the Spirit, gathered together, faithfully testifying of Christ. We read, “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved”. This isn't something that we do by tricks and schemes; it is God's work by the truth and the Spirit, whereby Christ is revealed in His glory, and men bow to Him, as promised. He says, “For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (vs39).
The Lord is victorious, so He has received the reward of the Spirit, whereby faith and love are given, so that men may believe. We have nothing to fear, and we need no other tactic than getting Christ for ourselves, speaking of Him faithfully, and relying upon the Spirit to give the hearing. They will come to Christ by God's supernatural call, even as He called us. He says “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (vs37).
Don't involve yourself in man centered religion, a religion that starts with man and thus caters to man. God doesn't save by these tactics, and we are not after numbers. We're after faithfulness, so the elect may be saved. 1 Cor 4:2 says, “Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful”.
God calls men by the revealed Christ... the One they hated... being seen in His beauty as the Savior of sinners, exalted to God's right hand. He says, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (vs36). It is not ours to hide the gospel because of its offense; it is ours to worship Christ ourselves, and then to make known exactly Who has been revealed to us. We preach Him lifted up on high, victorious over death, and we preach Him as Lord and Christ, Master and Savior, Boss and Redeemer.
People say, “But surely, we must change the message, because they will not receive the Christ they've already rejected”. It doesn't matter. It is not our mission to adulterate the word. We read, “For we are not, as so many, huckstering the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ” (2 Cor 2:17). He's exalted His Son for SAVING sinners chosen beforehand. Now, He has sent the Spirit to us, so that He may make Christ known by us, so that He may convict others to salvation, calling them in. He says, For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (vs39). Salvation is God's gift, whereby decidedly anti-Christ sinners are changed and brought in, made willing and obedient! He says, “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them” (vs42). The gospel's power is in Christ's simplicity; it is looking to and worshiping Him personally, so that I may speak of Him publicly, so that God, by the truth and Spirit may call His elect to life, calling them from the grave (Ezek 37:9-10).
Depend on the Lord Jesus Christ and see Him by the Spirit, exalted on high, ruling and saving. Depend on the Spirit to take otherwise murderous haters of Christ and CHANGE them into repenters, people who bow before the Lord and confess Him in baptism. Peter said, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (vs38). We receive gifts, not on our terms, but on His, being GRANTED surrender to His terms, so that we can receive the remission and the Spirit. Jesus Christ is how God calls men to Christ, and the Spirit makes the call real in your life and mine.
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