Monday
I heard it said that there are three types of people, “Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen and those who stand around and wonder ‘what just happened.’” Well these critics go beyond wondering what just happened; to criticizing what was happening. Seriously, they thought they were drunk? Do you remember Jesus being accused of this before? (Luke 7:34 – Jesus was a glutton and drunkard who partied with sinners and other undesirables.) They mistakenly take someone who if filled with joy, as someone who has had too much to drink. Unfortunately for them, they will miss out on the greatest gift they could ever receive from God.
So Peter, you remember Peter; the bold, brash Peter, always jumping feet first into the water? Well, now we find out why Jesus selected Peter to the be “the rock” the leader (Matthew 16:18). Peter stands up before the crowd and gives his first recorded sermon. He tells the crowd about who Jesus is and what He has done for them. How Jesus was crucified (by them) and was raised by God, freeing Him from the power of death.
He uses the scriptures to confirm everything he is saying about Jesus is true. Who Jesus is – the Messiah, the Savior that
I love what verse 37 says… “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’” What a beautiful moment in the life of a person, to recognize who Jesus is, what He has done for us and wanting to know how to be a part of the life He has for us. I pray that more people will hear this message and be “cut to the heart”.
So what does Peter tell them they need to do? “Repent and be baptized in the Name of Jesus.” Repenting literally means “to turn from” – to change direction and baptism is the outward act that symbolically shows the inward change that has been made. Baptism is the perfect picture of being cleansed from sin and becoming a new creation in Christ. Being baptized identifies us with Christ and other believers, like circumcision did for the Jews. And about 3,000 did that day. WOW!!! I can’t imagine what that would have looked like. I just know that it had to have been an incredible day.
And what did they do next? “Devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayer.”
So, it is pretty straightforward what you need to do. How to become a Christian and how to live your life after you’ve accepted Christ.
I don’t know if I will ever experience anything quite like that, but I do know that I have experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in my life and I know that I need to continue to do those things every day that will draw me closer to the Father. Pray, read, fellowship, serve.
Praising God
Pastor Kathy