Is Jesus Our Lord And Christ?
"Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." (Acts 2:36)
The Jewish nation that gathered at Jerusalem "from every nation under heaven" needed to hear the truth concerning Jesus Christ. Not only did they need to hear, but they needed to respond in repentance and commitment concerning Him. On this day of Pentecost, by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, the disciples were able to speak in the various tongues (languages) of the people that were there that day.
We have Peter's sermon that truly laid out the responsibility the Jewish people had concerning Jesus Christ. *"The people of Jerusalem had rejected Jesus, and had seen Him crucified. They had turned their backs on Him, and His claims over their lives. But Peter boldly declared to them that God had taken the one they had crucified and made Him both Lord and Messiah, or Christ. It is with boldness to say that Peter laid it on pretty thick. But he had to, because these people needed to hear the truth, and repent, and make things right.
Peter's message is for us as the church today. We need to recognize Jesus as Lord, and God's anointed today. Yes, this is critical, because I see the church today as being apathetic, weak in our relationship with the Lord; and uncommitted to the call of Jesus concerning evangelism and ministry. We get so caught up in the social activities to feed our bellies, instead of feeding our souls, and reaching out to lost souls, in our world.
Jesus came into this world to lead the way in the soul saving business. The church today has taken it's eyes and hand off the throttle of "The Great Commission." We have become so focused on polishing the fire truck, that we are not involved in putting out any fires.
Peter said to the people, "God has this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." My questions for us as Christians today: "Is Jesus our Lord? Is He in first place in our lives? Are we allowing Him to have His way with our lives, instead of ourselves? "Is He our Savior" chosen by God to rescue us from our sins, and sinful nature? Have we established a saving relationship with God's Anointed?
The question then, is still the question for us today, What will we do with Jesus? GP
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