Lord & Messiah

• Acts 2:36 (NLT)

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Peter's statement here is crucial to how we present the Gospel in this age of "practical atheism". Peter emphasizes that Jesus is both Lord and Messiah. A lot of times we are quick to emphasize and believe the Messiah part - that Jesus was the promised one who came to free us from our sins. Everyone wants that, most sense the need for it, and if it's a free gift, why not? In our culture, the Messiah part is not a hard sell.
But Peter also mentions the "Lord" bit, which is a harder pill to swallow. The fact that Jesus is LORD means that he's boss of my life. That I don't call the shots anymore and that He takes over.
When we present the Gospel, especially in our culture here in America, we need to emphasize both (perhaps OVERemphasize the Lord part) because if we don't, our churches will be filled with practical atheists - people who believe in God but deny him by the way they live.

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