Power of God Unto Salvation
“And trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Acts 16:29-31
On Sunday, a lovely miracle occurred. After being invited by one of our youth, a young man came to our church for the first time. When he left the service, he was a new creation in Christ!
When I spoke with this young man after the service, he shared with me that during the message on the Gospel, “Good News for Every Heart,” he felt hope enter his heart. He felt a purity touch his heart for the first time.
During the altar time at the end of the message, he trusted in Christ as His Savior and was born again into God’s family. I met with him this week and gave him some books from our library to get him started on his faith journey. He also connected with our youth group. Please pray for this precious young man. His name is Jarred.
A similar story took place in the town of Philippi in the Scriptures. A jailer who was assigned to watch over some prisoners, Paul and Silas, had an encounter with the power of God. As Paul and Silas were singing and worshipping God in the prison, an earthquake hit that prison and all the prisoners chains fell off. Talk about a miracle!
Terrified for his own life, the jailer cried out in fear. Then Paul and Silas reassured him that the prisoners were all still there. With a tender heart, this humble jailer rushed up to the two missionaries and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” He asked an incredible, life-transforming question.
Paul and Silas said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus.” That was it. After hearing the gospel, and seeing the power of God, this simple man wanted the same life and power he saw in those men of God. His heart was ready to be saved.
The rest of the story is that he did not find Jesus alone. The Bible says that he was saved and all of his household. When God does a work in someone’s life, it touches everyone around them!
I learned again on Sunday that you and I do not change anyone’s life. The power that changed Jarred and the jailer’s lives was the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Romans 1:16 says,
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to all who believe, to the Jew first and then to the Gentile.”
The Gospel is power. The gospel has power to draw men and women to Jesus. The gospel has power to save a person’s soul. The gospel has power to give eternal life to everyone who believes.
I encourage you to read again the Gospels in Scripture: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Then read the book of Acts. See how often Jesus spoke of the Gospel of the Kingdom. See how lives were transformed when people heard and responded in faith to the gospel.
The early disciples knew they had a stewardship of the Good News: the message of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. They learned again and again how powerfully that message changes lives.
That message changed my life forever. Many people in this city have never truly heard or understood the gospel. Oh that many would come to us and ask, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?!”
You never know how God could work in someone’s life. Our job is to love them, care about them and share the Good News as God empowers us. That gospel message, shared in love and faith, may change their lives forever.
It changed the lives of the jailer and it changed my life. Let’s pray now for God to continue to draw people to Jesus through our church and our every day relationships. Thousands of people in Asheville need the Good News.
Let’s commit to being a place where anyone can hear the Good News, believe in Christ, and receive His salvation and life. This is our mandate from Jesus: preach the gospel and make disciples. God, help us to be faithful to this call!