DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE OLD OLD STORY

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- TELL ME THE STORY OF JESUS AGAIN

"So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath….On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God." (Acts 13: 42, 44)

On their first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas came to Antioch in Pisidia and as was their custom, they went to the synagogue of the Jews on the Sabbath day. As visitors, they were invited by the rulers of the synagogue to give an exhortation to the congregation. So Paul stood up and told them the story of Jesus -- how God raised Him up to be the Savior; how He was proclaimed by John the Baptist to be the Messiah; how He was rejected by the Jewish leaders who asked Pilate to put Him to death; how He was buried in a tomb, but how God had raised Him from the dead, and that through faith in Him there is forgiveness of sins and justification before God.

When Paul had finished telling them about Jesus, some of the Jews left the synagogue. But there were some Jews and Gentiles who lingered and asked Paul to tell them more the next Sabbath.  To them, it was a new story.

I don't know about you, but I never get tired of hearing the old, old story of Jesus and His love. I have heard it many, many times since my childhood but there is something about the story of Jesus that blesses me every time I hear it. The message never grows old.

We sing songs like, "Tell Me The Old Old Story of unseen things above, of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love. Tell me the story simply, as to a little child, For I am weak and weary, and helpless and defiled. Tell me the old old story, tell me the old old story, tell me the old old story, of Jesus and His love."

Not only that, "I love to tell the story, of unseen things above, Of Jesus and His glory, Of Jesus and His love. I love to tell the story because I know 'tis true, It satisfies my longs, as nothing else can do. I love to tell the story, more wonderful it seems than all the golden fancies of all our golden dreams, I love to tell the story, it did so much for me, and that is just the reason I tell it now to thee. I love to tell the story, for those who know it best seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest. And when in scenes of glory I sing the new, new song, 'Twill be the old, old story, that I have loved so long." May the old, old story never become old hat to us, but fresh each time we hear it.

Love, Dad