Acts 2:39-41 NLT
'This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away – all who have been called by the Lord our God.” Then Peter continued preaching for a long time…Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day – about 3,000 in all.'
The spread of Christianity is a remarkable story. From persecuted sect to state stakeholder, the Church emerged from the shadows within 300 years of Christ's death and resurrection. As those first disciples gathered in obedient uncertainty in the upper room in Jerusalem, no one could have imagined the future influence of the spiritual transformation that awaited society. Despite setbacks and continued persecution, a faith born in the Middle East somehow spread to embrace the whole world. According to a 2011 Pew Research Center survey, there were 2.18 billion Christians around the world in 2010. The growth continues.
Where once St Paul had to travel throughout the known Mediterranean world at great personal risk to carry the gospel message, today new technology means that Premier, through its broadcast, digital and publishing programmes, can share the good news widely, while also encouraging Christians to build up the household of faith.
Life never stands still. I’m encouraged and resourced through Premier in being reminded not only of my call to mission but of the steady advance of the Christian Church down the centuries. I am an inheritor of the great works of faith of my Christian forebears. I am myself invited to play my part in living and sharing the gospel. Join with all of us who make up Premier’s Church on the airwaves to see God’s will and purpose emerge through the apparent setbacks society faces.
QUESTION: Will you, like that band of frightened disciples, renew your commitment to God and invite the Holy Spirit to renew your resolve to serve God’s purposes on earth?
PRAYER: Lord, we are grateful for Premier’s huge impact on effective mission over the last 25 years. Today we pray for your gospel to continue to spread through every street in every town and city across these islands of ours. We commit to supporting Premier as a critical partner in mission for this time.

Released on 4 Jun 2020