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But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.’ 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?’ 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. 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.’ And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.’ So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. (Acts 2:14A, 36-41)
Sometimes all it takes is to hear something from a new perspective and suddenly everything makes sense. Such was the case with the religious crowd gathered to celebrate an ancient holy day. Jerusalem was packed with visitors, tourists, and celebrants. The Holy Spirit came and filled the place, and among those filled and used by the Holy Spirit was the disciple Peter. After sharing his faith, Peter says, "There let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made (Jesus) both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified." Bam! The Bible says "they were cut to the heart" and began to ask, "Brothers, what should we do?" Don't you love when the Church does it work and people begin to ask what they should do to become disciples or better followers of Jesus? That is the work of the Holy Spirit, if we would just allow Him to come in and do His work among us; confessions of faith would increase, baptisms and confirmations would increase and we would see the future of the Church brightened. You see the message has not changed and neither has the Messiah. The message is still good news; that God so loved the world, Jesus was sent there to bring us into new relationship with God; our sins are taken away, and new ways of living can take place. The Church can become that which blesses society with clarity and purpose as she leads people away from the "corrupt generation" into the fullness of life.
I love how this passage ends: "So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added." Lord, how we long for that Sunday when we can welcome in new believers in a great ways, knowing that just one who gives his or her life to You will bring great rejoicing in heaven and in the hearts of those who love you.
PRAYER: Lord, let me be a part of great celebrations and revival as we seek to build up Your church. Let me be a vessel of Your grace to those in need. May my life speak volumes of Your love so that others can ask, "What must I do, to have what you have?" And this prayer goes up to You in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
