Devotion by Pastor Dave McCarty
Reading the book of Acts is like reading the daily diary of someone experiencing life to the fullest. This book tells stories like: people from all around the world hearing the Gospel message in their own language (2:6); a cowardly fisherman confidently preaching in public and quoting the Old Testament from memory (2:14-36); miraculous healings (3:6); mass baptisms of 3,000 people (2:41) and 5,000 people (4:4); persecution (8:1, 11:19); martyrdom (7:60, 12:2); the Pharisee Saul becoming the Apostle Paul (9:1-19; multiple mission trips (13:4, 16:1, 18:23); prison breaks (12:7, 16:26); and shipwrecks (28:41).
Luke witnessed God’s work in amazing ways and started this book with the best story of all, The Ascension of Jesus. Luke was one of hundreds of people who saw Jesus after this resurrection on Easter morning (500+ according to 1 Corinthians 15:6). I wonder if anyone else was writing down what they saw. If I had been there, I’m not sure how I would have explained this in my daily journal…
Dear Diary, today I saw Jesus again, listened to his short speech, heard something about waiting for a spirit of some sort, and accepted the assignment about being his witness. Then the weirdest thing happened…”
Death on the cross, followed by hundreds of people seeing him alive and well and then witnessing firsthand the ascension of Jesus, resulted in hundreds of people going forward and sharing the story that would eventually give hope to millions. This is a story that changed the world (and changed me, too!).