Plain Speaking
Opening Prayer
God, please remind me of why the Gospel is such good news.
Read ACTS 2:22–28
“Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25 David said about him:
“‘I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest in hope,
27 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
you will not let your holy one see decay.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.’
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Are there parts of the Gospel which you find difficult to talk about? Why do you find them so tough?There are whole industries—public relations, brand consultancy and so on—designed to stop companies and politicians from offending people. Clearly Peter wasn’t on their books! He didn’t seem to worry about upsetting his audience (23). I don’t have Peter’s bluntness, and I hate offending people. I wonder if that hinders me (and people like me) from sharing the Gospel effectively. Telling the whole truth is important.
Thankfully there’s another side to this. Perhaps Peter’s willingness to be blunt was because he knew that his message was incredibly important. More than that, if people could only grasp it, it was hugely attractive. Simply, he was telling them about the ultimate defeat of death (24). And who wouldn’t want death to die?
The paradox is that the thing for which Peter was blaming them, i.e., having Jesus killed (23), turned out to bring about the death of death. That may not have been the first time that God turned people’s bad intentions to good (Gen. 50:20), but it was certainly the most important.
Apply
How can you share the truth in love today with someone in your life? Ask God to show you.
Closing prayer
Thank you, God, that You have saved and rescued my life from the grave. I give You all the praise today.
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