The Main Thing

Yesterday, July 14, we were privileged to have Nicole Potts with us to bring the Sunday morning message. Nicole preached from Acts 14:8-20, reminding us that at every turn the gospel truth and the Holy Spirit’s power are intended to point us to Jesus. Our temptation may be to get our attention focused on people (even good people), institutions, or programs, easing Jesus out of the center to the periphery. Whenever we do this, we are in danger of losing touch with the central truth that brings us to the fullest life. Nicole reminded us that the story of those who witnessed God’s healing power in Lystra and wanted to worship Paul and Barnabas as gods, is a cautionary tale told to help us keep the main thing the main thing.

This coming Sunday, July 21, will be an opportunity to continue to explore the book of Acts. Having been equipped with the power of the Holy Spirit to be Christ’s witnesses in every corner of our world, that mandate is not without challenges. We will be looking at Acts 4:13-21, which references another story of healing and the unwillingness of the Jews to celebrate it. The authorities warned Peter and John to not speak the name of Jesus, to which they responded, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19-20) The prevailing cultures in which we live are not always friendly to our faithful attention to Jesus. As a matter of fact, we often find ourselves in circumstances where our attempts to live as faithful disciples will meet significant resistance. We will be attempting to find encouragement to stay firmly anchored to the truth of the gospel.

Given the events of this past weekend, let us be ever mindful to continue to pray for our country and our leaders. The climate of violence that almost resulted in a successful assassination is evidence that we have lost our way. I remember hearing Charles Colson say during a campaign season, “Let’s be clear about one thing – the Kingdom of God is not coming in on Air Force One.” Political rhetoric suggests that the one thing we need more than anything else is to elect the right person. The Bible begs to differ. The one thing we need more than anything else is God’s intervention, an outpouring of the Spirit’s power, a revival of faith in Jesus. Let us be among those who pray to that end.

I look forward to seeing you on the 21st. Blessings to you all.

Paul Walles

Scripture reading for next Sunday

Acts 4 : 13-21