IN DENIAL

A little servant girl blurted, "This man was with him!" Peter's immediate response was soiled loins. Then denial. It happened twice more (the denial part) in rapid succession. That was before King Jesus emerged from Joseph’s tomb.

Peter went to Galilee, just as Jesus instructed. Atop the mountain, The Resurrected King gave His disciples a direct imperative, "Disciple all nations." Immanuel, God with us, simultaneously clarified and solidified life for every would-be follower: Disciples disciple.

Soon after that “Great Commission,” King Jesus ascended.

50 days later, Pentecost arrived. The Holy Spirit descended in a ridiculous flurry of wind and fire. Things got crazy. As is His M.O., God’s timing was perfecto! There were dwelling in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. God-fearers were people who followed almost every custom of the Jews. When folks started talking about cutting stuff "south-of-the-border," they drew the line.

Christ’s Disciples, all from the immediate area, began speaking foreign languages. The celestial display, rushing wind and fire, along with the ensuing phonetic fandango, apparently had the God-fearers perplexed. Others in the group joked, "They're drunk!" Peter cleared up the nonsensical confusion pointing out, "It's only 9:00 a.m." Apparently, Beer:30 was still a few minutes away.

Then things got real.

In his speech (Acts 2:16-36), Peter pointed out some stuff to these “God-fearers from every nation under heaven:”

-Peter revealed Scripture is always 100% trustworthy. What they'd just witnessed was the pouring out of the Holy Spirit prophesied in the book of Joel as "The Day of the Lord."

-Peter revealed, present or not, everyone is guilty of crucifying Christ. Jesus' crucifixion and death were at their hands. That includes you too.

-Peter revealed everything happens within the scope of God’s perfect plan. God is never caught off guard or surprised. God allowed Jesus’ death to happen according to His plan and foreknowledge.

-Peter revealed Jesus died a literal physical death. Even death has nothing on or over Him. Jesus was raised from death because He’s the King.

-Peter revealed Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of all Hebrew Scripture and theological history. Jesus is the prophesied and everlasting Davidic King.

Peter wraps up his opus with, "Therefore, let all Israel know with certainty God has established this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ!” Peter preached the undiluted, uncomplicated Gospel: Jesus, Anointed One, descendant of David, the Risen King.

The result? The droves of God-fearers were cut to the heart.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul confirms the content, power, and effect of the Gospel, “I’m not ashamed of the Gospel (Jesus, Anointed One, descendant of David, the Risen King.) for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone believing…”

The undiluted unadulterated euangelion positively pierces our petrified and putrid hearts. Its power should cause us to query, “What shall we do?” Peter’s answer, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the Holy Spirit’s gift.”

Peter did NOT tell God-fearers from every nation under heaven to ask Jesus into their hearts. He didn’t ask them to repeat a magical prayer of salvation or to participate in some mystical, magical water ceremony of salvation. Throughout Scripture, the Apostles never mention “personal salvation.” In stark contrast to what is preached and taught today, Peter’s response to “What shall we do?” was simply this: “Repent and be baptized…”

After being “cut to the heart,” realizing we are personally responsible for rejecting Jesus and His crucifixion, we learn forgiveness of sins comes only in repenting (literally turning) from our independence, autonomy, ego, and our selfish personal/private lives to Jesus to be baptized (literally immersed) into the abundant life of the Risen King’s Gospel-community, i.e. His Body, His Bride, His Church. That’s what happened to the God-fearers from every nation under heaven:

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” There’s nothing “personal” or “private” about it. “All the believers were together and had everything in common… Selling possessions… sharing with anyone who was in need. With one accord they continued to meet daily in the temple courts and to break bread from house to house, sharing their meals with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

But that doesn’t sound anything like what we preach or the way we do “church” today.

Personal salvation jibberish doesn’t drive Gospel-community. It drives us deeper into sin under the guise of religious activity. Personal salvation doesn’t foster devotion to anything but the sin of ego. Personal salvation can’t create Gospel-community any more than a desert wind can create water.

Sometimes “church” today evokes momentary flashes of “charity” when adequately promoted, marketed, advertised, and sufficiently convenient or popular. Even then, this version of “church” never fosters “favor” with anyone. The only numbers added are more fickle, fair-weather “personal salvation,” fans flocking from the old to the new in a selfish attempt to upgrade “personal” experience with better music, better programs, funnier topical preaching, more convenience, and easy… because ultimately, everything is all about me. It's all about me and my "personal salvation."

Paul saw things very differently.

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body/flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

-Galatians 2:20

Paul points out the selfish “life” is a death sentence; it's not living. God’s definition of death is alienation from His perfect will, original design, and life-giving Presence.

Paul was cut to the heart on the road to Damascus. He allowed his selfish desires to be “crucified with Crist,” and to become truly alive in “the Body, by faith in the Son of God” as an evangelist, missionary, church planter, teacher, preacher, and discipler. That was true even to the point of prison, beatings, starvation, and death. Paul understood Jesus gave Himself for us to the extent we realize His salvation is from the sin of autonomy. Life only ever exists within Gospel-community, the Body, the Bride, His Church.

It’s only in our repentance from self to complete immersion into Gospel-community that we receive the Holy Spirit’s gift: the Risen King’s Gospel-community. That’s where Immanuel said He would dwell forever.

The false-gospel of “personal salvation” preached today is tragically all about me, mine, my, and I. This “end-user” pseudo-gospel results in cataclysmic consumer cultures of parasitic preference. It spawns communities of personal prosperity and convenience whose hope and faith reside in a mythical “personal savior” found nowhere in Scripture.

The Gospel: Jesus, Anointed One, descendent of David, the Risen King.

The Gospel cuts to the heart. It causes us to ask in humility, “What shall we do.” The answer has been, is now, and will ever be: “Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. Then you will receive the Holy Spirit’s gift,” Risen King Jesus’ Gospel-community.

Now that you’ve heard the Gospel, what will it produce in you? Life in Christ or death in self? Gospel-community or something “personal?”

Blessings,

-Kevin M. Kelley

aMostUnlikelyDisciple.com