S127P4 – The early Church: rooted in the word
Acts 3:22-26
“For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.’ Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days. And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”
When I was living in the world, I was under the impression that there is no guide to life. I have always been the kind of person who wants to know what is coming up ahead so that I can be prepared. I still do not like surprises, but I liked them even less back then. I had spent time and money visiting mediums who could give me a glimpse of the future because I just hated not knowing. I felt I had no direction, and with no direction, I was just floundering. Had I known better, and had I searched more diligently, I would have found that indeed there is a guide to life. It does not detail my days minute by minute, but it certainly tells me what is to come so that I can be prepared.
The scriptures tell us that people perish where there is no vision. This is something I think the Lord has been impressing upon me quite often recently. This passage of Peter telling the Israelites that there is a foundation of scripture to substantiate the events in their time is about just that. To be successful, they had to be rooted in scripture, which is what gave them their vision for the future. Prophecy outlined so much of what was happening and what was to come. It might not have been a play-by-play of every day, but it certainly gave them an outline of their present and future. The Church today still needs to hold on to that vision to stay prosperous and fruitful.
When the days for the Church grow dark and more oppressive than we could imagine, we will gain comfort from what the scriptures foretell. We know what we must endure, and we know that there is a great purpose behind it. We also know what will come later. Our call is not for eternal suffering. Our call is for momentary suffering, which brings eternal reward. If we are not rooted in the word, we will not see these events for what they are and will be easily discouraged. We must know what is to come so that we can be prepared. Father, guide us through your word so that we would have the knowledge we need to be ready for whatever is to come.