By Scott Franks
Peter was very concerned that the story of Jesus was told accurately. From a jail cell, the apostle wrote, “We did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty” (2 Peter 1:16).
When Peter and the other apostles wrote what became the New Testament, they weren’t just writing a story, they were speaking God’s Word to his people. It is more than a story—it is our only hope. It is not just entertainment or history, it is salvation. It is the story that can actually change how we live, now and forever.
When we gather each week to take Communion, we confess that this story is our story. We are part of what is true. If we come together right now because of some ancient fables or a clever fiction, we are the most ridiculous people on earth. But by taking these symbols of Jesus’ body and blood, we announce we believe there really was a Jesus, and he really did die for us and carried all our sins down to a grave, where they were buried from God’s sight forever.
We also testify that he really did rise from that grave—that he conquered death—and if we will accept the forgiveness he offers, we no longer need to fear that grave or those sins. That true story has forever changed our story.
Scott Franks preaches for the Edgemere Church of Christ (Edgemere.org) in Wichita Falls, Texas. He also contributes weekly devotionals to the 728B site on Facebook.
Great connection that our actions of faith are also a testimony to the participation in God’s redemptive plan.