We are a 21^st century people with a 1^st century Faith. So how do we live today while holding to beliefs that were established 2000 years in the past? Does it really make sense to believe in something that happened such a long time ago? Many in our culture would suggest that our beliefs are terribly out of date, hopelessly old-fashioned, and (worst of all) actually harmful to the progress of humanity. How do we respond to such thinking?

            The answer, of course, is that as Christians we uphold “the faith that was once for all delivered” to us (Jude 3). We believe that what we believe is not of human origin, but from God through Jesus Christ. That means our faith is not founded on the thinking of man, but from the very mind of God (1 Corinthians 2:6-10). This also means that God’s Word is not open for revision or selective obedience. God has spoken through His Son (Hebrews 1:1-2) and we must decide if that Word is true and if we will put our trust in what He has said. Calling Jesus Lord means we believe that these 2000 year old truths are just as valid today as they were when Jesus acted and spoke. Only God’s Word provides the stability and consistency each generation needs to survive the instability and inconsistency of human behavior.

            So if it is valid in the 21^st century to live a faith established in the first century, it is also vital that those of us who hold to that faith share what we believe about Christ with others. As we witness the rapid changes in our culture, it is imperative that we offer Good News to a world that seems to only create or value “bad” news. The Gospel has always been relevant to the needs of the human heart and condition, and is so even today.

            And just like the Christians of the 1^st century, we have a mandate to take Christ’s message to every corner of the world. Jesus commanded His first disciples to be His “witnesses…to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8), and since He hasn’t returned yet, this command includes and applies to us as well! Our task, then, is to share this “faith once delivered” with all who will listen, with all who ask, with all who seek. The question is not IF we should tell others about the salvation offered in Christ, the only question that remains is HOW we do this.

            The answer to “how” is easier than we would expect. It is not found in special programs or training, but in the simple conviction that the Gospel has the power to save, and that without believing this Gospel we are eternally separated from God (Romans 1:16-17). This is something every Christian can, and must, do! The first believers carried that conviction with them as they were sent out by Jesus to go to all the nations (Matthew 28:19-20). They obeyed, carried the life changing message of Jesus with them, and turned their world upside down (Acts 17:6, KJV).

            And so can we, for we have the same message giving the same answer to meet the same need as first given by Christ to His Church. To believe this Gospel compels us to share the Gospel. To help us know how to do this, over the next two months the preaching will come from the Book of Acts where we will see how Christ’s disciples expressed their faith to a skeptical and sometimes hostile world. We can learn from them and be encouraged to know that God’s Gospel is still powerful and life changing. We will also see that our time is very much like that recorded in this journal of the early Church (in fact I believe the Book of Acts is the most relevant book in the New Testament for our times because it shows how the Church lived in a non-believing culture).

            How to share the Gospel is very easy. The only real question is, will we? Let us be confident and courageous, believing that since the message hasn’t changed, neither will the results. May we continue to uphold and share the faith once delivered!

Denis Whittet