Divine Revelation for Salvation
Acts 26: 19- 23
Rev. Thomas Kurian
Oklahoma MTC
v. 20b ..I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove
their repentance by their deeds.
We have
everything at our disposal, with achievements gained by the sacrifices of many
and the message of hope being handed down the generations, but we often find
ourselves facing the dilemma of finding the means to communicate the truth of
repentance to our own and to others. In Psalms 12:1, 2 David cries out, “Help,
O Lord, for there is no longer anyone who is godly; the faithful have
disappeared from humankind. They utter lies to each other; with flattering lips
and a double heart they speak.” The age that we live in sometimes reveals the
notion of ‘What to repent and Why Repent?’
As we are in the search of examples and role models to look up to and be
inspired, Paul in this scripture portion depicts how he stands boldly with
firmness upon troubled waters and pricks us spiritually to be the “Means of
Gospel through repentance”. In his encounter with the risen Jesus on the road
to Damascus, he was forgiven and transformed so as to be created for good works
being dead to sin and alive in Jesus (Rom 6:1-11, Eph 2:8-10). The grace that
he was saved by, regenerated his faith to stand against forces and giants that
came his way, where he affirms the truths of the gospel with Passion, Priority,
Persistence and Power in the courts of King Agrippa and Governors Festus and
Felix.
Paul, being obedient to the heavenly vision of establishing deeds with
repentance, joyfully draws water from the wells of salvation, and even plants a
question in Agrippa’s mind when he asks, “Do you think that in such a short
time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” Paul connects the situation with
hope received from the resurrection of Jesus and he says, “Short time or long,
I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become
what I am, except for these chains” in Acts 26: 28, 29. The words
mentioned were competent to bring the Covenant of God, as Paul reminds the
church to be a letter from Christ, written not with ink but with the
Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human
hearts. (2 Cor 3:3)
Ronald Sider in his book, “Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger” mentions that
Christians read the Bible from a corrupt perspective, where he contends that,
“Have we allowed our economic self interest to distort our interpretation of
Scripture?.. Biblical repentance involves more than a hasty tear and a weekly
prayer of confession. It involves conversion. It involves a whole new
life-style. The One who stands ready to forgive us for our sinful involvement
in economic injustice offers us His grace to begin living a generous new
lifestyle that empowers the poor and oppressed”. In our life, the witness that
we radiate and reveal is not for marketing and manipulation, but offering our
lives to manifest the God of the last, least and lost. On the first day of the
New Year let us bring in a lifestyle with true repentance that we wisely and
widely distribute God’s blessings to be a message of His salvation
PRAYER
O Lord, let your
Grace teach and tear our hearts to submit ourselves with true humility. Amen
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Are we ‘styling the
self’ or ‘submitting the self’?
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