February 23, 2025

What Shall We Do?

Pastor: David Weber Series: Acts Scripture: Acts 2:36–41

Acts

For most of human history, the information you received had a direct impact on your life and required action. But as communication technology advanced, information became more distant and less actionable. Prior to the invention of the telegraph, the only news people received was what they could witness firsthand or hear from someone nearby. If a storm was coming, you saw the clouds and took shelter. If there was news of war, it was likely because enemy troops were at hand. If a fire broke out, you grabbed a bucket to help your neighbor. Information and action were inseparable. You had to respond.

However, with the invention of the telegraph, news could travel faster than people. You could hear about an event happening across the country, where there was little you could do about it. Newspapers made it so that suddenly, people were reading about distant famines, political conflicts, or crimes in cities they would never visit. The result? A growing sense of knowing without doing. You were informed but powerless.

The rise of TV meant that not only could you read about events, but you could now see them unfold in real-time. Wars, disasters, and political upheavals were broadcast straight into homes, creating an illusion of closeness. But what could you do? The experience of watching tragedy and turmoil without a way to act led to a kind of paralysis.

Today, with the internet and our smart phones we receive constant updates: wars, elections, celebrity scandals, medical breakthroughs, natural disasters. None of which require any action from us. We scroll, we react emotionally, we share a post, but we rarely do anything. As a result, we have become conditioned to believe that information is primarily for awareness, not action.

But our passage for this Sunday from Acts 2:36-41 flips this reality upside down. The message of the gospel is not just another piece of information to be consumed. It is not a headline to be scrolled past. When Peter preached on Pentecost, the people didn't treat it like distant news. They didn't just acknowledge it and move on. They were "cut to the heart" and asked, "What must we do?" Unlike so much of the information we receive today, the gospel is intensely personal and urgent. It is not merely an event that happened long ago; it is news that demands a decision. And what we will see this Sunday is that the good news of the gospel demands that we each ask, “What shall we do?” To come prepared for the sermon, take time this week to read and meditate upon Acts 2:36-41, Joshua 24:15, Isaiah 55:6-7, Mark 1:15, John 3:5, Romans 10:9-10, Ephesians 1:13-14, and this article on Faith and Repentance.

As we gather to worship our loving Father this Lord’s Day, we will join our hearts in song, singing the Hymn of Praise “God Moves in a Mysterious Way,” the Acclamation of Praise “Before the Throne of God Above,” and the Hymn of Response “Dear Lord and Father of Mankind.” Let us come to worship this Sunday prepared to hear God’s Word, to receive it in faith, to love and treasure it in our hearts, and to practice it in our lives so that we may continue to glorify and enjoy Him!