What is the Christian Message?

Cornelius was a Roman Centurion who lived in the Roman coastal city of Caesarea. He invited Peter, a close confidant of Jesus, to visit him urgently. A large group of Gentile people had been called together to greet him when he arrived. Peter spoke to this crowd and gave them a concise summary of the Christian message which is timeless.

The Greatest Need

Peter began to speak,

“I now realise how true it is that God does not show favouritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.” Acts 10:34

This point is fundamental. The Christian message is about how any individual, of any race or creed, can be accepted by the God who made and sustains the universe. Life is not primarily about our having a satisfying time here on earth, with a great group of friends. It is about being right with God. Surely to be accepted by God is the greatest need of us all.

The Gospel is a Message

“You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Christ Jesus, who is Lord of all.” Acts 8:36

Churches are primarily here to deliver the God’s message to all God’speople. It is the message about God’s chosen king, the Messiah, the Lord Jesus, and all he has done for us. It is he alone who has enabled us to find and live in peace with God. This relationship will continue on to eternity.

It is obvious why this message is for people of all nations – Jesus claimed to be the creator and Lord of the whole world.

The Message is all about Jesus

“You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached – how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power.” Acts 10:37-38

How often people begin to talk about Christianity as if it were simply a work God is doing to help people in the present. In the Bible the message is all about Jesus and what he has done for us. This historical figure was someone extraordinary. Although brought up as a Jewish boy in the Galilean village of Nazareth, he demonstrated supernatural power which was demonstrated in his miracles, his teaching and finally in his resurrection.

Clearly everybody, at that time, knew about what had been happening in Israel. They were all talking about John the Baptist and the way he called people back to God, reminding them that their sin was the barrier. He taught the crowds that the solution was to turn back to God and ask him to wash away their sin, which was symbolised by baptism. He taught that ‘sin’, rebellion against God, was the problem.

Jesus Healed People

“. . . and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.” Acts 10:38

Paul now introduces the spiritual battle that is raging in the world. The devil wants control yet his rule brings harm to people. Jesus came as the Saviour of all people; his message is ‘Good News’. He heals the ‘broken hearted’ and is so powerful that he can counter the devil’s influence in people’s lives.

The Apostles were Witnesses

“We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people but by witnesses whom God had already chosen – by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.” Acts 10:39-41

Peter again emphasises that the Christian faith is a historical one. It depends on there being a real, if extraordinary, person who lived in Israel at that time and was executed. Without the real resurrection of Jesus there is no Christianity. The historic creeds of the church speak of the ‘Apostolic Faith’. This refers to the teaching that was given, once for all time, by the Jesus’ apostles. These apostles had been chosen by God before Jesus became famous, to be eye-witnesses of everything that Jesus did, so that they could inform the rest of the world. They had no doubts that the resurrection really happened. Jesus rose from the dead, not as a ghostly apparition, but as a real person who ate and drank with his future apostles.

The Apostles were to Preach about Jesus

“He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.” Acts 10:42

These apostles were not just to be witnesses but were to pass on what they had experienced to all people. The message mattered that much. The urgency comes from the fact that all of us, whether still alive or dead, will be judged on how we have lived. This role as judge has been given to Jesus, the Son of God. If we are honest we all know we will be found guilty of treason against God. The solution to our crisis is that someone else has paid the price for what we have done. This is why everyone needs to hear this message and become friends with Jesus.

Other Evidence

Convincing as the apostles’ evidence is, there is further support for the remarkable claims of Jesus. The Old Testament prophets all look forwards to the coming of God’s chosen king who would save the world. There are 330 prophecies about the Messiah in the Old Testament, of which 60 are major prophecies. They can be independently studied by all. They confirm that the Messiah would enter the world as a baby to be born in Bethlehem, be brought up in Galilee, would visit the temple in Jerusalem, and would proclaim the gospel before being executed by crucifixion. They also taught that he would rise from the dead three days after his execution. Anyone who wants to reject the apostles’ evidence needs also, logically, to find an explanation for all these prophecies.

The Core Message

“ . . . that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” Acts 10:43

It is our rebellion against God and his right to rule over us that is the root of man’s problems. God is able to give us paradise, he can arrange for us to live in a Garden like Eden; he can live again with man on earth. This is exactly what he has said he will do in his own time. He is waiting till all those who are due to be in his new world are signed up. Admission is through a genuine commitment to live under the authority of his Son. To such people, and them alone, he grants the forgiveness of their sins and the right of admission to his eternal kingdom.

Today

This message of the apostles is the same message that the church is commissioned to pass on to others today.

BVP

Jan 2010