In Acts 26, the Apostle Paul does a masterful job of being a gospel witness, teaching us many potential aspects of being an evangelist:

– His introduction (vs 2-3) makes it clear that he knows his audience; King Agrippa is “familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews.”

– After a quick rebuttal of the charges against him (vs 4-8), Paul continues his personal testimony of the change Jesus brought to his heart and mind (vs 4-18).

– He claims support for his arguments from the scriptures (vs 7, 22).

– He acknowledges that his help comes from the LORD (vs 22).

– He tells the work that Jesus has done, providing forgiveness of sins (vs 18) and proclaiming salvation to all the nations (vs 23).

– He tells the miraculous work that God has done, raising Jesus from the dead (vs 8, 23).

– He states the response required, that men should repent and turn to God (vs 20).

– He prays to God for the salvation of all who hear his words (vs 29).

Since Luke, the author of Acts, did not have a tape recording device, the content of chapter 26 is likely not the exact words that Paul used.  But Luke does a masterful job of weaving in the important points Paul strived to include in all his teaching – desiring to know nothing but Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2.2) and to include the things of most importance (1 Corinthian 15.3-11).

Blaise Pascal was a deep and prodigious thinker in both Mathematics and Christian Theology. His famous Pensees, actually collated and published after his death, contained an analysis (thought #233) that has come to be called Pascal’s Wager – it will be of greater benefit to believe in Jesus than not. He was not trying to prove the existence of God, but giving a mathematical approach for making a choice about belief.
His work was one of the first to examine Expected Value in decision making. There are two parts to expected value – the probability of a particular event occurring and the reward (value) of that event.

Pascal’s Wager examines the costs and benefits of believing in Jesus. The cost in this life would include the study, discipline, and potential ridicule involved in being His disciple. Assigning a value to such a cost is very subjective, but let’s just say the cost is 1,000 units. The reward for belief would be eternal paradise – an infinite amount.
Now we factor in the probability that Jesus is, indeed, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Suppose you have grave doubts and only give a 1% possibility of this being so. The expected value of believing is the (probability that the God of the Bible exists times the reward of believing) minus the (probability God does not exist times the cost of believing). With our assigned values:

1% x infinity – 99% x (1000)

The stunner in the math is that infinity outweighs everything else. If there is just a tiny possibility that Jesus is right, and even if the price of discipleship is very high, the expected value of an eternity in heaven makes it a good bet to believe.

The potential reward of eternal life is a powerful incentive, but some are weighed down when they count the cost. Others can’t imagine such a thing as a sovereign creator providing a solution to man’s greatest problem. And still others are oblivious and don’t know that a wager is even being made. In any case, the Bible addresses Pascal’s wager in 1 Corinthians 4.17: “…this light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison…” Infinity outweighs everything else.

This advent hymn, written by Charles Wesley (first and fourth verses) in 1744 and Mark Hunt (verses two and three) in 1978, captures the continuity of the Old Testament to the New Testament, with Jesus as the fulfillment of all covenants.  Israel was looking for the Messiah (the promised Rod of Jesse), and believers since His birth have the good news of redemptive salvation (Christ the Lord has come to earth – Redeemer, Shepherd, Friend).

“Come, though long-expected Jesus, born to set thy people free; from our fears and sins release us; let us find our rest in thee.  Israel’s strength and consolation, hope of all the earth thou art, dear Desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart.

Joy to those who long to see thee, Day-spring from on high, appear; come, thou promised Rod of Jesse, of thy birth we long to hear!  O’er the hills the angels singing news, glad tidings of a birth: “Go to him, your praises bringing; Christ the Lord has come to earth.”

Come to earth to taste our sadness, he whose glories knew no end; by his life he brings us gladness, our Redeemer, Shepherd, Friend.  Leaving riches without number, born within a cattle stall; this the everlasting wonder, Christ was born the Lord of all.

Born thy people to deliver, born a child and yet a king, born to reign in us forever, now thy gracious kingdom bring.  By thine own eternal Spirit rule in all our hearts alone; by thine all-sufficient merit, raise us to thy glorious throne.”

Indeed, Lord Jesus, bring in your kingdom and raise us to thy glorious throne. Amen.

Peter, John, Paul and the other apostles made much of being eyewitnesses of the life, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus.  John takes it further, in a sense (pun intended), in 1 John 1.1-4 when he describes the experience of interacting with Jesus: “which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands…”

This Jesus was “from the beginning” (vs 1), “the eternal life” (vs 2), “with the Father” (vs 2).  This man is also God, and he “was made manifest to us” (vs 3).  Many miracles are recorded in the Gospels and Acts; their purpose was to give credence to the testimony of Jesus and the apostles.  John is saying that this enormous miracle of God becoming man is still the reason why he will testify and proclaim all that he has experienced.

John knew Jesus as a man and a friend; he came to know Jesus as his Master, Lord and savior; he continues to grow in his understanding of Jesus as God and creator of the entire universe. He hopes for many to have this same saving fellowship with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ (vs 3).  He knows that it is another massive miracle each time the Holy Spirit changes a heart of stone to a heart of flesh and opens the eyes of a dead sinner to see and believe the truth about Jesus.

John’s personal testimony is very heartfelt – we heard him, we saw him, we TOUCHED him.  This same John records in John 21.28 that Jesus knew already about the generations to come who did not have this same level of interaction – “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”  God’s church continues to grow as his disciples testify to the truth that they know, even though they have not yet seen, heard, or touched Jesus.

Psalm 127 ends with the phrase “Blessed is the man who…” Psalm 128 expands the list to say “Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways.”  It goes on to say the main ways they will be blessed, which suit the context of the Israelites who would sing this song: a good farm, a good wife, and plenty of children.

Sorry if the title of this post is misleading – notice that the promise of blessing is only to those who fear the LORD. Other people might have a good job, a nice family and enjoy prosperity, but unless they fear the Lord, they are not covered in THIS blessing.

The blessed people fear the LORD, which is explained as “walking in His ways.”  This means an acknowledgment of God as the creator of the universe and everything in it, the one who has revealed himself in the Bible, the one true Sovereign who knows all the hairs of our heads, the one whose goodness, mercy, and justice are unsurpassed yet are in perfect balance.

Obedience to the greatest commandment – to love the LORD with all your heart and soul and mind and strength – shows a walking in His ways.  So those who ignore Him, those who don’t repent of their sinful ways, and those who don’t believe Jesus’ purpose are missing out on an even better blessing than farm, wife, and kids – the eternal life offered as a free gift to those who fear him and walk in his ways.

It seems like the apostles had an unfair advantage when they told their neighbors about Jesus – they had miracles going on all around them – lame guys walked, their shadow falling on sick people made them well, deceitful pretend-disciples dropped dead.

But they always came back to the same message – Christ crucified. In Acts 3, while walking through the temple grounds, Peter has no money to give a lame beggar, but he gave him the ability to walk, “in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth” (vs 6).  The man’s leaping, jumping and just plain walking were amazing to all the people who had gathered for prayer.  So the miracle brought in the audience, and Peter was ready with the explanation:

“Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.  But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead.  To this we are witnesses.  And his name – by faith in his name, – has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

“And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled.  Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus…”

Peter goes on to declare that Jesus is the fulfilment of God’s covenantal promise to Abraham in Genesis 12 – that all nations of the earth would be blessed. Jesus was sent first to the Jews, and then his disciples will be carrying the good news to all the other nations of the world.

It turns out we also have God working miracles for us – it is a major miracle whenever anyone hears the gospel, turns from sin and believes in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Not always as dramatic as the leaping beggar, but just as powerful.

As has been observed many times in many ways by many people, Paul’s prayer in Colossians 1.9-14 is awesome.  He asks for two things, gives seven reasons for the requests, and closes with a doxology – a praise-filled description of the work of our glorious God.

The first request, for the church in Colossae, is that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.  The purposes for better knowing God’s will, as proclaimed in the Bible, are fourfold, that they would:

– walk in a manner worthy of the Lord

– fully please Him

– bear fruit in every good work

– increase in the knowledge of God.

The reasons work together to provide an increasing God-loop – know His will, obey and please Him, bear fruit, and get a better understanding of who he is, which provides more knowledge of his will. Repeat.

The second request is that youmay be strengthened will all power, according to his glorious might.  The power comes from God, and is meant to provide

– endurance

– patience

– joy

The growth in wisdom, endurance, patience and joy leads to giving thanks to the Father, not just for the growth but for what he has done through Jesus.  He has

– qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light

– delivered us from the domain of darkness

– transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son

– provided us with redemption, the forgiveness of sin.

Paul’s prayer for these disciples is that they would “get it” richly, that they would know abundantly the plethora of blessings provided by their loving Father.   And notice how Paul’s prayer started with YOU pronouns and ends with US pronouns; as we read it, we are included in the blessings!

The believers had asked for boldness at the end of Acts 4.  In the next chapter they have a chance to use the gift given in answer to that prayer.  The Sadducees (the party that denied any resurrection from the dead) and the high priest, “filled with jealousy,” arrested the apostles and threw them in jail.  An angel rescued them in the night and told them to go back to the temple and “speak to the people all the words of this Life.”

The arresting council members were freaked that their prisoners had escaped past locked doors and sentries, but they were still very angry and jealous.  The captain and the guard may also have been angry but he had the good sense not to force the apostles to come with him – not only did these apostles have prison-breaking powers, but the people were on their side.

The council members warned Jesus’ followers once more to cease and desist from telling the people about who killed Jesus, but Peter, knowing whom he served and what he had seen (including escape-by-angel), boldly proclaimed “We must obey God rather than men.  The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.  God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.  And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

The council members were enraged, but they had heard the gospel:  Jesus died on the tree, was raised from the dead, and sits at the right hand of the Father.  His death provides forgiveness of sins to those who repent and believe.  And, there is a new player – the Holy Spirit – giving boldness, comfort, and wisdom those who obey God,  and being a witness himself.

The apostles were roughed up and released.  But they rejoiced, remembering that they would be blessed because others reviled them on account of Jesus Christ, their Lord, King, and Savior.

What a wonderful hymn extoling, praising, and recounting the wonders of Jesus.  It was written in the 17^th century by German Jesuits and published in the Münster Gesangbuch in 1677.

 

Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature, Son of God and Son of Man!

Thee will I cherish, thee will I honor, thou, my soul’s glory, joy, and crown.

Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands, robed in the blooming garb of spring:

Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer, who makes the woeful heart to sing.

Fair is the sunshine, fair is the moonlight, and all the twinkling, starry host:

Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer, than all the angels heav’n can boast.

Beautiful Savior! Lord of the nations! Son of God and Son of Man!

Glory and honor, praise, adoration, now and forevermore be thine.

 

The lyrics borrow a page from Hebrews, where He is described as better than Moses, angels, the law, human high priests, and animal sacrifices.  Here Jesus is praised as also being fairer, purer, and brighter than the best things nature has to offer.

1 Corinthians 15.3-6 gives a quick summary of foundational tenets of the Christian faith:

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas , then to the twelve.  Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.”

The basics are that Jesus the Christ was crucified, dead, and buried; he rose from the dead and appeared to many.  But the three verses contain a boatload of implications (at least five) for what we believe and how we act.

1. The events are historical facts. This early creed was written during the lifetime of eye witnesses who were available for questioning. 

 2. There is a plan.  The events happened “in accordance with the scriptures“ so there was foreknowledge of the crucifixion and resurrection.

3. The plan included Christ dying for our sins.  The pinnacle of God’s plan was the historical event of Jesus’ redemptive death on the Cross.

4. The Scriptures are valued as an authentic and accurate resource.

5. Perpetuation of the faith is already in motion.  Those who were not eyewitnesses are telling the good news that they received and believed.