Thought for the Week: Day of Atonement

Back on Nov. 29, we suspended our study of the Book of Acts. We saw the Church had consecrated Barnabas and Saul for a new work God had ordained. It was a work to reach out to Gentiles (non-Jews) and bring them to Himself. We spent the following weeks looking at God's Plan of Salvation. I hope those weeks were helpful to you and you responded as God invited you to respond.

Today, I plan to resume our study in the Book of Acts. Of course there will be digressions, because they are needed from time to time. I've said God is ordaining a "new work." That is true. Yet, it is part of what we call Jesus' "Great Commission" (see St. Matthew 28:19-20 and Acts 1:7-8). He commands His followers to preach, teach, baptize, make disciples, in essence to build His Church. To do so under the enabling power of the Holy Spirit and do it all over the world. I might add that His followers are to continue doing this until the Good News of the Gospel is preached in every place in the world known to man. They are to continue this work as long as time lasts and until Jesus returns to gather His church, His people, His bride to Himself for eternity. There was never a time limit established, and so far as I can tell, none of His followers are exempted from the responsibility.

We are studying the Book of Acts but it is often called "the Acts of the Apostles." What we have so far examined is the earliest part of these acts. We have looked very briefly at a few things done by Peter, Stephen, Philip, James, and a few others. We are now about to re-focus. We will not see much of the others anymore but will look a lot at the one we have called Saul of Tarsus. He will mostly be called Paul from now on. We look at him because he had a traveling companion named Luke. Luke was a medical doctor by training but was also a wonderful author and historian. He also wrote the Book we call by his name, "Luke." He may have written primarily for a person called "Theophilus." I am tremendously glad Luke wrote and that his writings have been preserved.

We know there were by this time thousands of Followers of Jesus. Likely many of them were great preachers, teachers, miracle workers, baptizers, disciple-makers and church builders. It would make wonderful reading if we had authors, historians, biographers, to write about these many, but we don't. So, we study about these few and must remember that their stories are just a few of the many. If you've ever wondered what Heaven's-inhabitants will do for eternity,

I might suggest we will listen to these stories of how men and women have served the Christ. Of course we will also spend eons of time worshipping and praising Christ Who is worthy of all the effort made by His followers and the God Who planned it all and executed His plan so beautifully. Let's not forget we will also worship the Holy Spirit Who empowered and enabled the work to be done and the words to be said by Christ's Followers.