Praise for Salvation

September 26, 2021 Background Scripture: Acts 2:32 – 33, 37 – 47 Lesson Passage: Acts 2:32 – 33, 37 – 47 “How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed!” There’s a testimony for persons who receive Jesus as their Savior when they are adults. Prior to receiving Jesus, adults can falsely conclude that they understand what life is truly all about. In fact, the longer one lives as an adult without Jesus the more convinced they are likely to be that their observations comprise the totality of life. When God interrupts this false narrative of life, it is an unforgettable experience. One is left in awe of the realness of God and the limitations of one’s previous experiences in life. The conclusion is: I don’t know very much about anything. This awareness of God and new life in Christ is immediately transforming on the inside. As newborn babies, there is a constant desire for the milk of God’s word and a yearning for spiritual growth. Such was the case with the crowd in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost when Jesus sent the Holy Spirit into the earth to empower and lead believers. The crowd witnessed the strange occurrences on that day and were convinced that only God could have done such a thing. The question that remained was “What shall we do?” Peter’s response was “Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins;”. As they complied with Peter’s directives, they witnessed the power of God transforming them. There was sincere praise for God coming from their lips—probably for the first time. They had no doubt that God had given them eternal salvation and Jesus was going to come back to receive them. The evidence suggests that they expected Jesus to return in their lifetime. Therefore, many of them sold their worldly goods and gave the proceeds for the common good of all believers in Jerusalem. No one needed a house or land since Jesus was coming to get them soon. They didn’t need jobs either. They just spent time with each other, learning about Jesus from the apostles, sharing meals together, and observing the Lord’s Supper and group prayer. Jesus did not come back while they were still alive. As a result, many of them became impoverished, especially those who lived, or chose to remain, in Jerusalem. Other congregations of believers were instructed later to send benevolent gifts to the Jerusalem congregation to provide relief. I think it is necessary to separate their sincere praise for their salvation from the worldly decisions they made after their spiritual deliverance. Christians today should praise God for salvation. The salvation God gives us is eternal. There is nothing we have done or can do to deserve such a gift of grace. Everything we have has been given to us by God. With the breath that is in our bodies we should offer God the sacrifice of praise for His unmerited grace towards us. Those who accept Jesus as their Savior as adults know this all too well. The spiritual transformation that happens immediately is powerful and lasting as a testimony of the eternal life that God has given in Jesus Christ. We can all be certain that Jesus is coming back to this world in a physical body to receive believers just as he promised he would. We are admonished by Christ to live a life in this world that is a testimony to the work the Spirit is doing within us. We are not to live as though we have no responsibilities in this world, but as those who are responsible to carry out God’s agenda of evangelism and restoration. There is much to be learned from the first century Christians. One of the foremost is to offer God the sacrifice of praise for the gift of salvation. Robert C. Hudson August 13, 2021