The Rest of the Story

After finishing the last chapter of John, I thought what a miracle the spread of the gospel was. The twelve men chiefly responsible for spreading the Good News of the Messiah were mostly fishermen, mostly from Galilee and none of them were influential in any way. They were loyal though and stayed with Jesus from the beginning of His ministry. At the end of John's gospel we see an aimless group of men wondering what to do next now that their Lord's ministry was over. Jesus gives them two simple tasks... Follow me and Feed my Sheep!

In the book of Acts, which records the "rest of the story" after Jesus death, we find that Jesus was with them for 40 days after His Resurrection "speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God"(v.3). They had now seen what Jesus "kingdom" was all about. Their idealistic and nationalistic ideas gave place to the reality of God's Plan for Salvation. They received an intensive crash course in what would soon be called Christianity.

At the end of the 40 days, Jesus commissioned these men to go and tell what they had seen and heard throughout the world. They were to be Jesus' witnesses. They were to go out further and further gathering, protecting and "feeding" a huge Flock of believers. But they didn't go alone.

Jesus said "After that the Holy Ghost comes upon you" (v.8). Now here is the key! These men only had to be willing, the Spirit of Jesus did the rest. With His death and resurrection, Jesus released the power of the Holy Spirit into the world, carried by those willing to be loyal to their Savior. This Holy Spirit does what Jesus did when He was alive here on earth. He teaches, heals and loves. The Power and Grace of God does the rest! Within just a few short decades, Christianity had spread to such an extent that even the mighty Roman empire was fearful of the huge number of believers.

The miracle of the spread of the Good News continues today. The Holy Spirit uses the power of an Almighty God to draw men to the saving power of Jesus Christ through the willingness and loyalty of those who believe in Him. We carry within ourselves the power that changes lives even though we are not always thinking about it. What if we were to think about it? What if we were to be more conscious of being Christ's ambassadors to "the ends of the earth"? Each person whose life you touch, even briefly, matters to Jesus and you have the power within you that can change their lives. Let the Holy Spirit of a Living and Loving Jesus speak through your words, your eyes and your actions. God will do the rest!