Core Business

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. 

Acts 1:8

 

What was the core business of Christ’s people in the New Testament? It was the proclamation of Christ. Our text is the last recorded statement of Christ before He ascended. It articulates His purpose for His people. He says, ‘you shall be witnesses to Me.’ As we read the book of Acts, we see how the Apostles understood these words and how they carried out this assignment. Peter stood up and preached Christ on the Day of Pentecost. He preached Christ after healing the lame man in the Temple. Stephen preached Christ before the leaders of the Jews and died under a hail of stones. Peter preached Christ to the gentiles. As soon as Saul of Tarsus encountered Christ on the Damascus Road, he began to preach Christ. This is the pattern of the New Testament and should still be the core business of the followers of Christ today. The value of teaching and preaching should be measured by its’ Christ content. It is not enough to preach from the Bible without preaching Christ. He is the Message. He is the Grand Subject. This is our core business. 

Our Glorious, Living Savior, 
we praise You that we have the opportunity 
to declare You as the only Redeemer. 
We rejoice that where Your message goes forth, 
You will draw all manner of people to Yourself. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning