WOW!!  What an ending (or beginning). That last verse sent shivers down my spine “And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it.” (v.19) and the book of Acts tells us all about what happens next.

Two things generally stop me from “proclaiming the good news”, one is knowing the words to say, the other is how do I prove it, what can I do to back it up?  These are quite weak excuses when I stop to think about it, especially in the light of that last verse. If ‘the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message’, then He is the one who will do ‘the work’ of backing up the message.  

The way of seeing Jesus confirm the message is also answered in (John 14:13) where He says “I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.”.  We just need to ask.  

And, my first ‘excuse’ is answered by the many passages in the Bible that boil down the gospel into one of two sentences. How about “God loved the people in the world so much that he gave his one and only Son to save them. As a result, everyone who believes in the Son will not die. Instead, they will live forever with God.” (John 3:16 - Easy English Bible), or "But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8 - NRSV)or many of the songs and hymns we sing on a Sunday, or something God has taken you through that someone you’re talking to is going through now.

It’s a challenge that is very much out of my comfort zone, but after reading this, and some of the preceding chapters, how can I not?

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Thought:

See if you can use this Easter as an opportunity to share the gospel.

Prayer:

Father, please give me the courage to share the gospel with someone this Easter and to remember that you’ll accompany me and confirm the message.  Amen.