“Go and stand in the temple, and tell the people all about this life.” (Acts 5:20)
It’s intriguing what the angel tells the apostles to go preach to the crowds in the temple: this life. That’s because the gospel isn’t primarily a set of doctrines to believe. It’s not a list of rules to follow. It’s a new life we’re welcomed into through the love of the Father, the grace of Jesus, and the power of the Spirit.
This is why the early Christian movement was called “The Way.” That’s a label we’ll hear repeated six times in the book of Acts. The early disciples had a counter-cultural way of life, no matter what culture they were found in.
For the disciples in Acts 5, “this life” was marked by intolerance toward hypocrisy, selfishness, and deceit (1-11). This life was marked by compassion for the sick and oppressed (12-16). This life was marked by boldness to proclaim their risen Savior (17-32).
Life with Christ isn’t something we can just add to the already-full buffet plate of our already-existing life. It’s something that turns our plate upside down and reorders all our priorities. Are you part of this life?