01.07.24 - To Be Continued....

January 07, 2024

Jay Vanderbur

On the very first occasion when someone stood up in public to tell people about Jesus, he made it very clear – this message is for everyone! It was a great day – often referred to as the day that the church was born in Acts 2. The Holy Spirit had swept through Jesus’ followers and filled them with new joy and a new sense of God’s presence. Their leader, Peter, who just weeks before had wept in shame after he denied even knowing Jesus, was now on his feet in front of a large crowd explaining that something had happened which had changed the world forever! What God had done for Peter, He was beginning to do for the whole world... new life... new hope... forgiveness... was available and it was for everyone! “The promise is for you,” he said, “and for your children, and for all who are far off” (Acts 2:39). While the Book of Acts tells the story of the beginning chapters of the Church, it is not only the story of the apostles and earliest churches, it is the story of the Church – the church that Jesus established, the one that He promised the gates of hell would not prevail against, and the one that carries the message, “This promise is for you... and for all who are far off!” It’s a story that continues in our church and churches all over the world!