Acts 20:28

Acts 20:28 "Take heed unto yourselves and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood."

As I read this passage, I take note that Paul emphasizes that the church was purchased with the blood of Christ The words of 1 John 3:1 seem to leap out at me for it is there that John admonishes us to be impressed with the love God has for us. John 3:16 is a most beloved passage, quoted often, "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son….." The companion passage to that is found in Rom. 5:8, "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." There should be a great swell of emotion sweeping over us we go back to that day in the garden when our Lord prayed so fervently (Luke 22:39-44). As we behold him being betrayed into the hands of a mob by one of his own, our hearts should be touched with grief (Matt.26:46-50). Looking on as Jesus is being tried as a common criminal, mocked, ridiculed, tormented and mistreated unmercifully, that grief should become a great swelling tide within us (Mark 14:53-65). And now, as we stand outside the judgment hall of Pilate and listen as the mob cries out, "crucify him, crucify him", our hearts should be in agony (Mark 15:1-14). All too soon we are on a hill outside Jerusalem and now we watch as our Lord is nailed to the cross, we see him suspended in mid air and hear him cry out as the blood flows freely from him (Marl 15:15-37). At this point, our grief has turned to tears and we cry out ,"Why". The answer comes ringing into our ears, 'For Me", "For Me" (Heb. 5:7-9, Rom. 5:8).

We should be so grateful that Jesus died for us, shedding his precious blood in order that we might have redemption, even the forgiveness of our sins (Col. 1:12-14). Because Jesus was willing to go to that cross, you and I can, through obedience to him, be called the sons of God. What a wonderful day it is when we become that new creature in Christ with our sins washed away in the blood of the Lamb (Rom. 6:3-6, Gal. 3:27, Acts 22:16, 1 John 1:7).

It is a great privilege and blessing to be a part of the Lord's church and considering what Jesus did to make that possible, I wonder, are we indebted to the Lord in any way and if so, how do we respond to that debt? From God's word, I have reached the conclusion that we owe him the very best of our love (Mark 12:28-31, John 14:15). We owe him the best of our gifts (2 Cor. 8:1-5, Rom. 12:1, 2 Cor. 9:7, Col. 3:1-2, Matt. 6:19-21). We owe him the best of our labors (Luke 10:7, 1 Cor. 15:58, Matt. 5:13-16). We owe him total commitment (Matt. 6:33, Rev. 2:10, Matt. 25:14-30).

This writer is convinced that our love for Jesus is summed up in our love for his church. He loved the church enough to die for it. How much do we love the church? Make no mistake here, our love for Jesus and his church is shown not only by the words we speak but also by the life we live.

He gave his life for us. What have we given to him? He brings to us exceedingly precious gifts and promises (James 1:17, 2 Peter 1:4). What do we bring to him? Truly, Jesus paid it all and all to him we owe.


Charles Hicks