Friday 1 May 2026

Psalm 37:30-40

Background
I remember being adamant for a long time that I was not going to preach and no amount of persuasion from God was going to change my mind. I had two small children at the time, a home, a husband and other responsibilities in the church, so I just didn’t have time for all the work and commitment that training to become a local preacher would entail.

And I managed to keep the Holy Spirit at bay until one morning  in a worship song it broke in and demolished all my objections. After the excitement had died down, I was left reflecting "Well that’s all very well, but how is it actually going to happen?"

After all the activity of the Holy Spirit at Cornelius’ house (Acts 10:1-33) Peter returns to Jerusalem to face criticism from the other Apostles. "Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?" they asked.

Perhaps, like me, they couldn’t quite believe what they were hearing and were wondering (a) if it could possibly be true and (b) what the next steps would be if God really did love Jews and Gentiles alike, and wanted to bring them into his church.

It would have been easy for Peter to respond by getting into an argument. However, I can recall the priest and author Nicky Gumbel once saying that he never heard of anyone saying they became a Christian because of an argument with a friend in which they came off worse! Instead, Peter calmly recounts his experiences at Cornelius’ house and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Gentiles.

When we get the opportunity to give testimony, we should grasp it with both hands because it’s one of the most powerful tools we possess in evangelism: the story of what Jesus has done in our lives. No one can really argue with it.

And when the other Apostles heard Peter’s testimony, they couldn't argue either, with him or with what God was doing. It was an open and shut case, the evidence was there for all to see: "Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life." (v. 18)

To Ponder:

• How easy do you find it to give your testimony in everyday life?
• Is there something God wants you to do that you are resisting?
• Have you ever been swayed in an argument by another Christian with an opposing view?

Bible notes author: Sue Moore
Sue Moore is a visiting Anglican preacher on the Methodist circuit in West Norfolk. She is candidating for the role of Distinctive Deacon and together with her husband runs a bereavement support group. They have two greyhounds who keep them fit with plenty of walking.