Scripture Reading(s)
Acts 2:14a, 36-41
2:14a: But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them,
2:36 “Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
2:37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”
2:38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
2:39 For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.”
2:40 And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”
2:41 So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added.
Reflections
This short passage bears witness to one of the greatest responses to the Gospel message recorded in the Bible. This is what you call a true revival. One of my closest friends loves using the word “epic” and in this case, this display of God’s word going out and convicting, transforming, and breaking through the lives of all of these people is pretty epic.
It is so beautiful when a sinner hears of their sin and immediately the response is to ask “what should we do?” Their defences are not up, they are not angry at the words of Peter. Instead their hearts are so overwhelmed and deeply impacted by the message of the Gospel that they long to respond and accept the message of hope and joy.
This passage does not specifically say what kind of people came to Christ. I think thats the whole point. No matter where you are in life, no matter how badly you think you’ve messed up, or even going to the point of thinking that you’re so far from being saved, the message of the Gospel can break through and stump any sin you’ve ever committed. The good news is that through our act of repentance and the saving work of Jesus Christ, we are no longer bound or defined by our sin but now have a new identity in Christ.
The main step to attaining a relationship with Christ is stated right in verse 28 “Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” There are two things Peter calls them to do: Repent and Be baptized.
To repent is to have a change of mind and purpose that turns an individual from sin to God. This kind of change involves more than fearing the consequences of God’s judgement. Genuine repentance knows that the evil of sin must be completely abandoned and the person and work of Christ is completely and whole heartedly embraced.
The be baptized means to be dipped or immersed in water. Back then, for a new believer it was a crucial and costly identification to accept. Baptism is a symbol for being forgiven and cleansed or washed of your sin. However, it is not what produces salvation and the reality of forgiveness precedes baptism. It is the act of obedience and is a public declaration that you are dedicating your life to Christ.
God still extends that same call to us today. At the end of this we read how 3,000 were added to the number of souls that were being saved. That number and more were adopted in to the family and church of Christ. Today, that same urgency is still there and God calls you to be added to that number.
My sin on the cross
My promise of Heaven
My hope is in You alone
You will never falter, You will never fail
Lyrics by:Vertical Church Band