The Ongoing Story
Scripture Reading — Acts 28:17-31
He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!
There are family stories that are worth repeating. They anchor us and bind us together. They help us to know where we came from and where we are going.
This devotional series concludes a two-month journey through Acts (May 2018 and June 2019) that you can retrace by going to the website todaydevotional.com. At the end of the book of Acts, we see Paul again meeting with local Jewish people to explain who Jesus is from the Law of Moses and the Prophets. Some of his listeners believe, and others do not. And again Paul notes that God’s salvation is not limited to one group of people but is available to people of all nations.
At the end of this chapter, we see Paul under house arrest. To the eyes of people on the street, Paul is limited in what he can do. But to the eyes of faith, Paul continues to reach out as he boldly preaches the kingdom of God and the good news of Jesus—even to us today!
I am part of the family of God formed by faith. This family is not to be segregated or separated. This family is to welcome strangers and be willing to take down walls of custom and tradition that can burden the newcomer. The ongoing story is about the Father’s love, the Son’s sacrifice, and the Spirit’s testimony that still moves among people to create a new community. And the Lord calls this community his church!
Lord God, thank you for guiding your people, the church, all the way to the present day. Continue to build us up. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
About the author — Julius T. Medenblik
Rev. Jul Medenblik is a former attorney who was called to pastoral ministry and became the founding pastor of a church in New Lenox, Illinois. He is currently serving as president of Calvin Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Jul and his wife, Jackie, are blessed with a son, Joshua, and a daughter, Julianne.
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