By Gobel Brockman
On the Day of Pentecost the 120 who were gathered in the Upper Room were filled with the Holy Spirit. The crowds outside wanted to know what was happening, and Peter preached what was the first sermon of the New Testament church. In Acts 2:34-36 we see that he ended his message with this:
“For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.' Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
The Bible goes on to say that about 3,000 people were added to the church that day. A short while later Peter was summoned to the house of Cornelius, a Roman centurion, where he preached what was the first message about Jesus to the Gentile world. He ended that message with this:
"And God commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is Jesus who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.” (Acts 10:42-43)
The Bible says that all who were there were filled with the Holy Ghost and were baptized. The church was off to a blazing start!
One of the things I find interesting in these stories is the simplicity of what took place. The apostles were filled with the Holy Ghost, they spoke the simple truth that salvation and hope are found in Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost then drew men and women to that salvation. No gimmicks, no trickery, no keyboards playing softly in the background. Just the Spirit of God doing in people's lives what ONLY the Spirit of God could do.
He's still doing it today.
Each week I am both pleasantly surprised and humbled not only by the number of people who read this devotional each week, but also by the number of countries represented. I'm grateful to God for this opportunity. I want to be very careful, however, that I'm presenting the simple truth of the gospel: salvation is found ONLY in the name of Jesus. Regardless of what nation you're living in, and what specific situations your nation currently is facing, my prayer is that the Holy Spirit will enable me to clearly proclaim no other hope than the hope found in Jesus Christ - for without Him THERE IS NO OTHER HOPE. I do not offer you any solutions through politics, self-help, or positive thinking. I proclaim to you Jesus Christ and Him crucified, resurrected, and forever King of Kings and Lord of Lords. No matter where you're reading this, Jesus is what you need.
Acts 4:12 "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
We all live in one world, we all only have one hope, and it's only found in one name. Whoever you are, and wherever you are, I give you Jesus.
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