on the walk

The spirit of God causes a disturbance.  God creates an opportunity and the church responds.

You can read it all in the second chapter of Acts.

There are a lot of wonderful details in this text that I will ignore.  For this exercise I want to simply consider what this event is as an event. Here are a few things that I notice.

1. They did not plan for this event but they did prepare for it.  They were together and in prayer. This resonates with so much of my experience.  Most of my most effective evangelism has been in situations that I did not plan but I did prepare for.  We prepare not because we can anticipate the specific event but by immersing our selves in prayer and study, in worship and service.
2. God initiates the event and they jump on board.  There is a much quoted line from Bono, that we ought to see where God is working and go there.  I think that is good advice and certainly that is what is followed here. God begins the event.  God empowers the gathered church and draws
3. God has seriously good timing.
4. Peter lets the event that has attracted them draw their attention to Jesus.  He does not ignore the moment and in fact seeks to explain it but he does not dwell there.  This is in contrast to much street preaching today (and even most beach evangelism, etc.)  We just start preaching even though nothing has gathered a crowd and created an atmosphere of interest.  In this case, the work of the spirit has created a setting in which people are interested to hear what Peter will say.  This still happens today.  The work of the spirit may not happen in the same way, but I have seen the church led by God’s spirit work in ways that cause crowds to wonder, “What is going on?”  and as the church answers they get to draw people to Jesus.
5. Peters lets the people respond.  I find it so remarkable, that Peter let’s them ask what they should do.  He presents the truth and lets this truth lead them to the crisis of decision.  And then in that crisis he responds to their questions.

Because this event flows from the work of the spirit, it isn’t exactly repeatable.  Nevertheless we can be a people who are together, and are praying and are prepared so that when God’s spirit creates an opportunity, and those who witness wonder what is happening we can proclaim the gospel in that moment.

on the walk

-Ethan

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