The Eternal Gospel

February 21

(Acts 3:17-26 NIV) ""Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. {18} But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. {19} Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, {20} and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you--even Jesus. {21} He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. {22} For Moses said, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. {23} Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.' {24} "Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days. {25} And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, 'Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.' {26} When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.""

(Hebrews 8:10-12 NIV) "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. {11} No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. {12} For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."

Peter used the healed beggar to share the eternal gospel -- a gospel that never changes because it comes from an unchanging and eternal God. He called them to repent and turn to God from their wicked ways. They had sinned and fallen short of the glory of God -- something we have all done. Turning to God would wipe out their sins. The Lord would remember their sins no more. We all need this! Not only would their sins be forgiven, but times of refreshing would come from the Lord. In a dry and weary land, they would have living water. The risen Christ would come to live in them, and their lives would be transformed. Turning to Jesus would not only save them, it would also empower them to be obedient to God and His word. Jesus would become Lord of their lives and they would become Christ-followers. This is the eternal gospel. Have you believed it? Are you living it? -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

There’s Power in the Name

February 20

(Acts 3:15-16 NIV) "You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. {16} By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see."

(Luke 24:45-48 NIV) "Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. {46} He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, {47} and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. {48} You are witnesses of these things."

Christians serve a risen Savior, and because of the resurrection, there is power in the name of Jesus. As witnesses of the resurrection, the early apostles preached of His lordship, His salvation, and His healing. They proclaimed that there was power in the name of Jesus, and that by faith in His name, people could be healed, delivered, and saved. They preached the gospel of salvation. We are called to the same ministry. We must tell people that sin has crippled them and will kill them. We must tell them that God raised Jesus from the dead, and that we are His witnesses because the risen Christ has changed our lives. We must tell them that there is power in the name of Jesus and call them to repent and put their faith in His name. He is the One who can heal our crippled hearts, deliver us from our demons, and forgive our sins. Jesus saves! There is power in the name of Jesus. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day     

The Forbidden “You” Message

February 19

(Acts 3:13-17 NIV) “You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. {14} You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. {15} You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead… {17} "Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders.”

(Matthew 23:27-28 NIV) "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. {28} In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness."

(Isaiah 30:10-11 NIV) ““They say to the seers, "See no more visions!" and to the prophets, "Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions. {11} Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!””

Peter preached to the crowd gathered around the healed beggar, and he did something that modern preachers are told never to do -- he preached a “you” message. He pointed his prophetic finger at them and said, “You sinned and you need to change your ways.” Pastors are told not to preach that way today. People want “positive” messages. But Peter threw caution to the wind, and said: “You handed Jesus over to be killed. You disowned him. You asked for a murderer to be spared instead of Christ. You killed the author of life. You acted ignorantly.” WOW! That would empty a church sanctuary today. But what if it’s the truth? What if God wants you to know your sins and wants you to change? In a way, every message from the Holy Spirit is personal. You can’t receive personal salvation and then refuse to receive personal messages. God is speaking to you. Repent! -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

Pointing People Upward

February 18

(Acts 3:12-13 NIV) ““When Peter saw this, he said to them: "Men of Israel, 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? {13} The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus.””

(Acts 14:11-15 NIV) ““When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, "The gods have come down to us in human form!" {12} Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. {13} The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them. {14} But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: {15} "Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them.””

(1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV) "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

Human beings are plagued by the tendency to worship other humans instead of God. “Celebrity worship” is rampant, whether it be for politicians, athletes, actors, musicians, or preachers. Some will always worship the miracle worker instead of the Miracle Maker. Peter nipped this attitude in the bud. He let people know that it was the living Christ who had healed this man. Peter and John understood that who gets the credit is a big deal. It’s the difference between being a disciple and becoming an idol. They pointed people to Christ. They wanted God to get the glory. They wanted the name of Jesus to be praised. This was their mission and purpose in life. The same goes for us. We all have opportunities to glorify the Lord. God is still glorifying Jesus Christ through those who choose to give Him glory. Everything believers do should be done to the glory of God. Point people upward! -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day