What does our generation need?

Rick L McNally / September 29, 2025

I remember my younger days.  I remember walking up and down Rush Street in Chicago when I was a student at Moody.  I remember seeing the students from another church group preaching on the grimy sidewalk streets.  I remember their words.  I was ashamed of their presentation.

They spoke of the ills of society, about God coming soon to right the books and how the people who passed them by were “going to hell.”  Their tact of standing on the corner was a sign that they were better people, and were part of God’s army — right as rain, clean as wool.  The rabble, however, was the color of the sludge in the street gutters — left out, brown with tobacco smudges and cigarette butts.

I remember being torn in two.  On one hand, I admired their tenacity and boldness, but on the other, I wondered about their tactics — and I was sure some of the truth of their own lives and own souls was a bit exaggerated.  I wondered, do they think their hearts too are “desperately wicked” like the hearts of those they were trying to “reach”?  In the end, I was embarrassed by them — not encouraged.

Years and years later, I thought it might be interesting to do a study on the book of Acts and the evangelical encounters that are recorded therein.  What was the tact of the disciples as they went through the streets of the city from Jerusalem to the city of Rome?  How did they go about it?  

There were plenty of societal ills to condemn in those times.  There was deep and varied promiscuity.  There was idol worship.  There was tons to condemn from soapboxes.  There were great problems that needed great solutions. But, what did they talk about?  What did they emphasize?   How did they share the good news?

I’m going to put a bit of this out there first. It is good news.  Evangelion.  Its emphasis is not on the ills but on the news of grace in the light of the dirty sins of our hearts.  The name  itself should give us a pre-clue.

[See the chart]

What is learned?

Very Little to NO Condemnation of Social Ills / With tons of social ills to cure, the disciples mentioned them very little.  There is a focus on unbelief and stubbornness, but not a peep on the promiscuity of the people they went to talk to, or their “vile” lifestyles.  

Hell Emphasized? / While it is true the Bible speaks of a real place of torment called hell, their discussions with people in the book of Acts never deliberately inject hell, and only on two occasions do they even imply such.  No focus on damnation.

Repentance Mentioned, but Targeted / Repentance is mentioned only a handful of instances and what should be repented from is (1) ignorance and (2) unbelief.

What was their message?  Forgive me, this is a long book, but here is a summary of the message that was told as recorded throughout Acts.

• • The story of Jesus the son of David, Messiah
• • The death and burial and resurrection of Jesus
• • Forgiveness of sins
• • God’s history of his work with people
• • Good news of Jesus
• • God’s lack of favoritism, forgiveness of sins, there are no “unclean” people because of Jesus
• • God makes straight paths.
• • Good news, there is a living God
• • Salvation through belief, joy comes.
• • Finding common ground, God lives in everything, God is near
• • Paul’s story, his testimony told, this happens twice.
• • There is a resurrection.

What about the Tone? / Soft or harsh? / While some of the discussions get a bit heated, the tone is rather tame for most of these messages, and seems to be very cordial.  Peter and Stephen’s “sermons” in and near Jerusalem following the death of Jesus were somewhat hotter but at the same time graceful.  Their tone toward the gentiles in the book mirrors Jesus’ discussion with the woman caught in adultery — there is much grace given and very, very little condemnation.

Two Standout Aspects /

Knowledge — people need to know about Jesus, about his life, about how he fulfills the Old Testament Messianic prophecies, about his holy life, about his teaching, about his death, about his resurrection.  People need to know the content of Jesus, the content of the Bible.  People need to know about the grace that is offered.  People need to know about the gentle and lowly one.  People need to know about his immanent return.

Faith — no, it’s not primarily about “repentance” though that is a part, nor is it all about “baptism.”  Repentance is only mentioned in the message to the Gentiles only twice in an overt manner.  Baptism is only mentioned overtly once.  Conversely, faith and belief are the cornerstone of their message.

Faith and trust and belief are mentioned overtly in seven of these occasions.  It is mentioned indirectly in all of the other instances.  People need to hear the truths of who Jesus was and put their trust in him.  It is not their works, it is not their acts of repentance that save, it is salvation through faith.

Faith can bring about changes in social ills.  It is not the repentance of social ills that bring about faith.  God desires to work on our hearts, but it does not help for us to just yell at others about their shortcomings.  This is not how the disciples went about their business of missionary work.  Bring people to Jesus and let Jesus through his love and compassion push life into us in such a way as the sinful lives we used to live start seeping out of us because there is no room.

There are at least two reasons that the disciples took this tact with people, maybe three.  

First, they knew Jesus.  They knew he wasn’t the one who bashed them over the head for their sinful ways but rather walked, talked, and lived with them.  He did not condemn but loved them and received them for who they were — and worked on them little by little in grace.

Second, they saw how Jesus was a missionary.  They watched his encounters with individuals with grace and mercy.  Note, with big crowds Jesus gave harsher sermons, and with individuals he was kinder.  He was harshest with people who thought that they were righteous and right and condemning toward others.  

Third, they knew their own sin.  Each and every one of the disciples scattered when Jesus was taken.  They saved their own skins.  They were arguing about which one of them was the “greatest” before he died.  How that shallowness must have echoed in their minds.  They were recipients of grace, of Jesus’ grace.

So, okay, there are cultural issues we deal with and live in and like second-hand smoke affect every one of us.  Jesus is greater than those things.  Faith is crucial.  The sins of outright promiscuity and “wickedness” are present — and so are the sins of “self-righteousness” and “arrogance.”  Which of these are worse in the eyes of God?  Which is okay?

In the end, there are two types of people.  Let’s separate them into two groups.  Two types.   There is the righteous — and that consists of Jesus alone.  Then there are the rest of us — the sinners.  That latter group can be separated into two groups.  One group that doesn’t want to acknowledge that fact, and another group that knows the truth of it and has run to (or been dragged to) the God of grace and has been washed in Jesus; righteousness.

Our dogs were sprayed by a skunk the other night.  We had to wash them vigorously with a toxic soap to overcome the stench.  They cannot brag that they were washed clean; they resisted it.  But they are clean. It was not of their doing.

John Newton — ship captain of a slaver vessel — came to faith and found Jesus’ redemption.  His message to people was surprisingly simple: “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch (worm) like me!”

It is good news.  People need to hear the good news.  If there is offense in the gospel, let it come from the gospel message — “for all have sinned” — not from the arrogant mouth of the presenter — “Boy, look how much you sin.”

This article was written by a wretch and a worm who met the Lord and found grace.

That’s all I have.  That’s the core of who I am.