“Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:10-12)

Peter had been involved in the healing of a paralytic. When asked for alms by the paralyzed man, Peter responded with a well-known response, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6). His celebration over his new-found legs captured the attention of the religious leaders. Subsequently, Peter and John were arrested and questioned by the High Priest as to the source of the power by which they healed the paralyzed man. They responded with the quotation above. Boldly, Peter asserted that it was because of Jesus Christ they were able to do what they had done. His response reminds us today of two important truths. First, it is Jesus who makes us whole. Peter said, “it was by Him this man stands before you whole.” Second, there is no one else who can do it. Again, Peter said, “for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Jesus provides a healing that no one else can. There is much talk today about the many ways that a person can be saved. The Bible is exclusive in its claim that salvation is found in Jesus alone. He is our Savior and Lord. He is the church’s message today.

Reflection Questions:

What other means do people depend on to get them to Heaven? Write down those that come to mind.

If someone challenged your belief by saying that “salvation is through Christ alone” is     narrowminded, how would you respond? Does it matter?

“I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” (Romans 1:14-16)

To be “in debt” means “to owe something to someone else.” We understand the concept of debt. Most people go into debt when they buy a house, a car, or secure a loan for college. When we become a Christian, we have a double-indebtedness. We are indebted to those who shared Christ with us. We owe them a “thank you” for loving us enough to share Jesus with us. We are also indebted to the lost. The gospel has been entrusted to those who have been changed by it. The reality that we have been changed by the gospel creates an obligation to share it with those who have not.

Questions for Reflection:

Would you be a Christian today if the person who shared Christ with you possessed your current passion for evangelism?

What gets in the way of you discharging your duty to others when it comes to sharing your faith?

“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you–unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

Paul was very clear with the Corinthians about the nature of the true gospel. The gospel is good news. It is the good news of His death. Jesus died. He was not rendered unconscious by the actions of the Roman soldiers at Golgotha. He died. This, too, is important. If Jesus had not died, He could not have been God’s sacrifice for our sin. He was buried and was resurrected. This is important. His resurrection testifies that the prophecies surrounding Him were true and that the words He spoke during His earthly ministry were also true. A dead Savior can’t save anyone. Our baptism is the picture of His death, burial, and resurrection. The gospel is not anything we want it to be. The gospel is not man’s thoughts on how to get to Heaven. The gospel is not one way of many. Man’s only hope of salvation is found in the resurrected Jesus. The gospel is God’s way of restoring man to Himself. It is this gospel that Paul not only taught, but that he had also received himself. Share what you know.

Question for Reflection.

What are the substitutes man has put forward in place of the biblical gospel?

How would you describe the way you felt when you believed the gospel and placed your faith in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?

Shouldn’t everyone have the opportunity to feel the same way?

A little over a month ago I completed my final DMin ministry project. Included in this project were 20 devotionals (five per week for four weeks) distributed to adult Sunday School classes that served to reinforce the four purposes of Sunday School. I will be sharing those devotionals here during the month of June.

“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” (Ephesians 2:1-3)

Why evangelize? One reason: lostness is real. Paul paints a very unflattering picture of what the life of a lost person looks like. Terms such as “dead,” “trespasses and sins,” and “children of wrath” are ones with which we would rather not be associated. They do, however, accurately describe our lives before Jesus saved us. We did what we wanted, lived how we wanted, and said what we wanted to with no regard for God and His holiness. Paul said that our natural tendency was to satisfy our fleshly, earthly desires. In this condition, we were completely separated from God, and had we died in that condition, we would have been eternally separated from Him. Millions and millions of people, perhaps your friends and family, are in this state of lostness today. It is not God’s desire for people to perish in their lostness. It is His desire that all come to repentance. Those who have been saved by God’s grace have a story to tell, a story of redemption and rescue.

Questions for Reflection.

What comes to your mind when you think about the condition of the those who are lost and far  away from God?

It is very likely that you know someone who is lost. Would you commit to pray for them daily?

1 Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery, just like the love of the Lord for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans. ” 2 So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver, and one and one-half homers of barley. 3 And I said to her, “You shall stay with me many days; you shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man—so, too, will I be toward you.”

Often you will find powerful and challenging stories of God’s dealings with His people in the more obscure and skimmed-over books of the Bible. Such is the case with the book of Hosea. It is one of those books that rarely sees the light of day. It is one of those books where there are likely few, if any, hand-written notes in the margin. It is one of those books that you need the table of contents to find. That being said, the book of Hosea contains, in my opinion, one of the clearest portraits of God’s love to be found anywhere in the Bible. It is the story of God’s man Hosea and his prostitute wife Gomer. God directed Hosea to marry this woman with knowledge of her past and, what she will do in the future. Gomer continues in her ways and finds herself the property of another man who is not her husband. In the beginning of chapter three we find Hosea, again following the voice of God, off to take back his wife. Hosea finds his wife this time on an auction block, for sale, available to anyone with enough money. Imagine the shame in Hosea’s eyes and on his face as he sees his adulterous wife for sale. Imagine the anger swelling up inside of him as he looks upon her and sees what her sins have done. Imagine the whispers and finger-pointing of those present at the auction that day. Imagine God demanding this much obedience. So, Hosea pays the price and buys back his wife. Most definitely a story of crazy love.

Hosea’s relationship with Gomer is a symbol of God’s love for the nation of Israel. Time and time again they left the faithful love of God and played the harlot to other gods. However, God remained true. This story is also about us. Hosea bought his wife off the auction block. The word for “bought” in verse three is the word ‘redeem’, which literally means “to purchase with a price”. There was a time in our lives what we were in a similar position to Gomer; enslaved, imprisoned, and held hostage to the power and control of sin. The death of Jesus Christ on the cross for the sins of mankind was the ransom price that it took to free us. He has bought us back. He redeemed us. His blood was the purchase price. How do we respond? Do we seek constant communion with Him in prayer, or do we seek Him only when we can’t handle things ourselves. Do we share His wonderful love with others, or do we hope and count on someone else to do it? Do we follow his direction and guidance in our daily lives, regardless of where he leads, or do we just tell God that we know better?

No school. Longer days. Scorching heat. This can only mean one thing – Summer. For families, it is a time for vacations, cookouts, and road trips – good things. For families, it is also a time of bored children and interrupted schedules – bad things. The things that are good for the family during the summer are in turn bad for the church. As families travel, attendance decreases in scheduled worship times. As families spend more time together, less time is spent in church ministry. This poses a difficulty for churches. Does the church accept the fact that summer is going to be a time of little or no activity, or does it take advantage of the season? At Port Royal Baptist Church, we take advantage of the summer season. Summer is our most productive season of ministry because we place a high value on summer ministry. Here’s why.

1. School is out. There is a natural tendency for families to scatter with preexisting schedules being set aside for three months. It is our desire to give families something meaningful they can do together.

2. Historically, churches take one of two positions during the summer: scale down or shut down. It is our desire to shatter the expectation that the church will be less effective during the summer by offering meaningful service opportunities. Although summer is a time of declining attendance, it doesn’t have to be that way. Meaning summer ministry is our way of reversing the tide.

3. The community is very active during the summer. People are moving about the beaches, farmer’s markets, and community festivals. It is our desire to be active alongside them. We believe in discovering where the community is meeting and joining them.

Two things are important in making summer ministry important at Port Royal Baptist Church.

1. Summer Family Ministry Challenge. Instead of surrendering the summer, we challenge our families to serve together. Our theme for 2016 will be “The Summer 70” and will run from June 11^th – August 20^th. Over the course of 70 days, there will be 14 service opportunities in 7 different locations. These ministries are varied: daytime and evening, weekday, and weekend. These ministries involve different skills and abilities, demographics, and ministry approaches. We intentionally schedule opportunities that allows the entire family to participate.

2. Summer Sermon Series. I do something as a pastor during the summer that goes against all conventional wisdom. I break the unwritten rule: do not start anything new during the summer. During the summer, I lead our church in a sermon series that lasts about 10 weeks. I do this because it serves a connection point for our people. I want them to feel as if they missed something by not being there. The feedback has been good.

You may ask, “Isn’t that a lot for people to feel they have to be involved in?” Good question. Our philosophy for missions and community outreach is simple. We don’t want you to be involved in everything. It’s not possible. We ask that each one find the ministry that meets their passion and then give their heart and energy to it.

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2015 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 4,600 times in 2015. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 4 trips to carry that many people.

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