Sunday April 14, 2024
Theme: “Breaking the good news to the authorities”
Text: Acts 26:24-29
24. As he thus spoke for his justification, Festus said aloud: You are mad, Paul! Your great knowledge makes you unreasonable. 25. I am not mad, most excellent Festus, replied Paul; on the contrary, these are words of truth and common sense that I pronounce. 26. The king is informed of these things, and I speak freely to him; because I am convinced that he is not unaware of any of them, since they did not happen in secret. 27. Do you believe in the prophets, King Agrippa?... I know that you believe in them. 28. And Agrippa said to Paul: You will soon persuade me to become a Christian! 29. Paul answered, Whether soon or late, would it be to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, may become as I am, except for these bonds!
Let's remember:
To announce the good news to the authorities, one must be invested with the Holy Spirit. Now, he who is invested with the Holy Spirit is beyond his own control. It is led by the Holy Spirit and it loses intellectual reasoning, and is based on faith. This is when the authorities call us crazy. Yes, a worker of God is almost crazy about God, he is transformed by the renewal of the intelligence. However, these are words of truth and common sense that he speaks. The Christian must instruct the authorities in the things of God, and he must speak about them freely. The Spirit of God will persuade them to become Christians. The authorities have the right words to confuse the announcer of the good news. They know how to disorient the conversation to change the subject. The authorities like to belittle those who tell them the good news. Paul was called crazy, but some authorities can call us beggars, hungry, unemployed, liars, ignorant, inactive, incapable, in short we are called everything that is despicable. Casualness and contempt are common characteristics among authorities so as not to listen for long to the announcer of the good news. Several other strategies of the authorities are used to avoid listening to the good news. Let this not discourage us, let us just insist. Let's not forget those around the authorities, they too must hear the good news. Excellent Sunday. Amen
Alain Louz.-
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