“Thank You, Lord Jesus, that You are choosing us to be co-workers and co-labourers with You in bringing people to faith in You. We commit ourselves into Your hands for this glorious task that You are entrusting to us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.”
Acts 1:21-22 “Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, (22) beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.” Peter is presenting the crux of the matter of choosing a replacement for Judas. Peter makes clear the essential qualities for the person to be chosen, to be numbered among the eleven.
These are the qualities that apply to us, for we are chosen by the Lord to be His witnesses and bring people to faith in Him. Acts 10:34-43 Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. (35) But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. (36) The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all— (37) that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: (38) how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. (39) And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. (40) Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, (41) not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. (42) And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. (43) To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”
Peter is sharing the gospel with a Gentile audience. The person to be a witness to Jesus must be ready and prepared to speak to any audience and present Christ to that group. This sharing of the message needs to be with love, conviction, clarity, and logical flow but without compromising the truth. Peter, begins by expressing that God shows no partiality and that a person of any persuasion, who is genuinely seeking God, the Lord will reach out to Him and give that person the opportunity to know the truth. Peter establishes the uniqueness and exclusivity of Christ, for man to be reconciled with God. There can be no compromise here. There is no other way for a person to be reunited with God and this must be made known to any audience. Jesus is the Lord of all. Today people and society are in turmoil and God longs for man to come back to Him and experience His Shalom, both individually, as well as, in communities, societies and nations.
Peter is picking up the life and message of Jesus after the baptism of John. In other words, Peter is showing what the baptism of John provided man and how the message of Jesus was building up on the message of John the Baptist. The message of Jesus was that He was anointed by the Holy Spirit. Jesus did and taught what He did in the enablement of the fullness of the Holy Spirit. This fullness of the Holy Spirit in Jesus also made Him a person who went about doing good, healing and delivering people from sickness and other oppressions. This is what must happen through us as we witness Christ. The fullness of the Holy Spirit operates through us and there will be healing and miracles that will take place, for we are reaching people and bringing people back into the Shalom of God.
Then Peter, in his message to this Gentile audience brings across the centrality of the cross. In all our sharing with any audience, we must bring out the significance of the cross of Christ, how through His death on the cross, our death was settled by Jesus. People must know that without the death of Jesus on the cross, man cannot be made righteous before God. Therefore, with the death of Jesus on the cross and by faith in Him and on His finished work, a person is declared righteous before God.
The message included the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Being witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus was critical. Not only is man declared righteous before God by faith in Jesus but now the person must live the life of righteousness. This life is only possible in the enablement of the Holy Spirit, who raised Jesus from the dead. Being a witness to the resurrection of Jesus was vital. Peter brings across the matter that remission or forgiveness of sins is only possible because Jesus was the sinless Lamb of God, who was slain for the remission of man’s sins. Then the matter also needed to be explained that Jesus is the Judge, who will judge all people, both living and dead, and this will decide where man will spend eternity. Will it be in the place of eternal destruction or in the place of eternal dominion?
“These are the essentials that need to be in place to be a co-worker and co-labourer with Christ. This is our work as we bring people to faith in Jesus.”