November 13th, 2007

Last night my wife and I went to the family in the big city. I was very unsure of where to go with the stories at this point, because the woman was showing a desire to believe and the man was demonstrating unbelief and rejection of the gospel message. I prepared the story of Acts 4:1-22, continuing the story that I had told the week before.

In this story, the chief priests, some of the very ones who condemned Jesus, arrested Peter and John for healing the lame man and saying it was by the power of the resurrected Jesus of Nazareth. This story put belief and disbelief face to face.

After telling the story and having them tell it back to me, I asked some questions. These were the key questions.

• How had the crowd reacted to the healing of the lame man in the name of Jesus?
• What was the reaction of the chief priests when they saw the healed man and were told that it was by the power of Jesus that he had been healed?
• Why do you think the religious leaders did not believe in Jesus?
• What do you understand that Peter was saying when he said that there is salvation in no one else, that God has given no other name in heaven or earth by which we may be saved?
• Do you believe that?

What followed, I didn't expect. Both the man and the woman, who had not even sat together this time said that they believed. I led both of them to confess their sinfulness before God and receive Christ. I could see by the tears of the man that he had really been wrestling and resisting these past several weeks. He gave himself over to God and the change is already obvious.

God be praised.