The Often Missed Message of Acts - Day 5

So this is it, the final day of our search for the often missed message of Acts. If you haven't realized the theme of Acts by this time, you haven't been paying attention. The theme is: No matter what difficulties you encounter, no matter which way the world and/or other churches influence you, no matter what society says is important, the gospel is our only message and it is bound to affect our favor with the world.

Before you read the final act of Acts, please consider this: If you were called to preach, you were never called to preach about social ills. If you were called to preach, you were never called to make a list of right and wrong for people. If you were called to preach, you were called to present the good news that salvation is freely and gracefully given to those who will repent of sin and will trust in, and only in, the finished work of Christ at the cross of Calvary.

It might or might no come a a surprise to you, but I am not a perfect person. I make mistakes just like you do. I sin just like you do. If you find error in this series, feel free to point them out. But whatever you do, don't miss the main message of Acts. Preach the gospel.

We learn in chapter 24 and 25 that the man who succeeded Felix was Festus (not the guy from Gunsmoke). Festus heard the charges against Paul, and after learning that Paul was a Roman citizen, who appealed to Caesar, he agreed to let Caesar hear him.

But King Agrippa was visiting Festus and wanted to hear all about Paul. In fact, he wanted to meet him.

The Jewish community had demanded that Festus kill Paul. Festus declared that Paul had done nothing worthy of death. In chapter 26, Agrippa tells Paul to speak for himself. Seizing the opportunity, Paul gave his testimony and preached the gospel to Agrippa.

King Agrippa was almost persuaded to become a Christian, but not quite. He decided Paul should be sent to Rome to face Caesar.

Chapter 27 is about the journey by boat to Rome. They encountered a storm. They were shipwrecked and wound up in Malta.

In chapter 28 we have the often misused account of Paul being bitten by a poisonous snake and surviving. If the rest of the Bible is correct, there is no way to turn this section into a general doctrine about snake handling.

Paul arrived in Rome. While there, he did what he always did. He preached the gospel from, of all places, the Law of Moses and the prophets.

According to this last chapter, Paul, boldly and without hindrance preached the gospel and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.

So there you have it! The book of Acts. I suggest to you that the theme of the entire book is nothing more and nothing less than the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Again and again, when the gospel is preached, there are those who want it stifled. Again and again the religious leaders wanted to kill the preacher for preaching the gospel.

The gospel is disturbing. Jesus said it would be and He was right. But it is the only message we have. It is the only message we need. It is the only message the world needs.

If we believe the book of Acts, we must preach the gospel and nothing else. Something else might tickle the ears of the listener. Something else might seem scholarly. Something else might feel good philosophically. Something else might seem pious, even righteous. Something else might seem morally correct. Something else is not what is needed.

What the world needs now is not some generic “love, sweet love.” What the world needs now is the gospel.

For Christ’s sake, PREACH THE GOSPEL!