Acts Chapter Two
Here we are in day two of this adventure to read the Book of Acts in January. Read a chapter a day and meditate on the message of the chapter. Feel free to post your comments. Click on the comments button at the end of this article, write your thoughts. The comment will not post immediately, but it will come up soon on the web.
What a chapter this is!! The outpouring of the power of the Holy Spirit on the church gave it LIFE. This power was given to the church till Jesus comes to take us to be with Him. The world is powerfully challenged when the Holy Spirit is actively working through believers. We need this power today more than ever.
What are some of the key points of this chapter? I don’t claim that this is an all-inclusive list of key points.
They were in unity, v. 1
They were filled with the Holy Spirit, v. 4
The mockers showed up (I guess we can still expect this), v. 13
Spirit-anointed preaching gets to the heart of the matter, v. 14 and following
Jesus was resurrected from the dead, v. 24
The conclusion of this powerful sermon – changed lives, v. 37
Repentance from sin is required, v. 38
All generations need the baptism in the Holy Spirit, v. 39
Faithfully follow the Scriptures, v. 42
If you take time to chew on these specific points, you will see the application to the church today.
As we are going through Acts this month, one of our discussion points is "What should be normative for the church?". The power of the Spirit, the Spirit-filled life must be normative for the church. Do you want to see the supernatural happening? We need the power of the Spirit. The main reason why the early church was so powerful and influential in the world was the power of the Spirit flowing through them and empowering them to an awesome work. History over the past 2,000 years has shown that the work of the Holy Spirit through believers is necessary for the church to be effective. As individuals we can become very knowledgeable and effective, but we don’t have the spiritual power necessary to win the battle against evil. We must follow the Biblical directives regarding the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
There are other sections of this chapter I could also focus on, but let me comment on v. 37-39. Peter’s sermon pricked their hearts (cut to the heart, stung) and they had to do something about the sin in their lives. The convicting power of the Spirit doesn’t allow a person to play around with sin. Repentance is crucial. Jesus didn’t come to give us religion, but relationship with Him that comes through our repentance. Water baptism is a step for believers to publically state that they are followers of Jesus. The baptism in the Holy Spirit must also come. Our world today needs to repent. There are many sitting in churches on a regular basis that need to repent, as well. We cannot hide sin in our lives. Psalm 66:18 tells us that if we cherish sin in our hearts that God will not hear us. The Spirit-empowered sermon that Peter preached caused the listeners to be cut deep in their hearts and make some radical changes in life.
Lord, we need to see radical changes in the lives of millions of people.
