The Gospel Train

...a synopsis of Acts

I can remember in my childhood years singing the song, “The Gospel Train.”  Little did I know that while it was a hymn sung by many protestant denominations in the 1900s, it’s origins run deep into the Unground Railroad.  It was actually a song sung by slaves that were planning to escape and head north for freedom.  Slave owners had no idea that a group of slaves were planning to escape because singing was a common part of any slaves’ day.  But when I think about the phrase the Gospel Train, I think of the book of Acts.  You see the book of Acts is the inspired story of the one and only Gospel train that shoved off from the station in Jerusalem and didn’t stop until it rolled into its destination in Rome.  There were many people who got on the train, but there were also many unsuccessful attempts to stop this train.  When Luke wrote the book of Acts he wanted to show his readers that nothing could stop the Gospel from traveling to its intended destination.  It began with Jesus in Jerusalem (Acts 1) and would travel all the way to the Gentiles in Rome (Acts 28).  

Upon reading the last few verses of Acts 28, a feeling of closure is far from the words of Luke.  Acts ends quite abruptly (much like the book of Jonah) and leaves many questions unanswered.  Or does it?  For Luke, his chronicle of the Gospel’s work through a variety of men and women was finished, but for us, who read the book of Acts in the 21^st century, we realize that the work of the Gospel is not finished! In many ways the Gospel train is still rolling from destination to destination.  The question we must ask ourselves is what are we doing to direct people towards that train?  Are we hindering people from getting on that train, or worse, are we trying to stop that train?  Sometimes I think we live like the train never existed, at least that is what our actions show.  But we cannot get away from that whistle; a constant nagging that there is room for more people to come aboard.  Some just need an invitation from a friend, while others might take a little work on our part...aren’t they worth it? 

Ray Stedman, an author and pastor, entitled his written sermons on the book of Acts as, “God Unfinished Book.”  It’s a great description of the book because it shows that there is still more to be written.  The stories of Peter and John, Stephen and Barnabas, Paul and Silas, may be ended in a historical sense, but they have passed the baton on to the Christians in the 21^st century.  Our methods may be different, and our culture a little dismal at times, but our message will always be the same.  Like it or not, we are part of God’s Unfinished Book.  May our stories reflect the same earnestness, faithfulness, and compassion as those before us.