Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Then Peter said unto them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, "Save yourselves from this untoward generation."
Then they that gladly received His Word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." (Acts 2:37-47)
This must have been a tremendous event, given that 3,000 souls gave their hearts, souls, minds, and strength to the Lord Jesus (who is both Lord and Christ) but these willingly were water baptized in His Name -- the precious holy Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. When these did as Peter (standing with the eleven) instructed them to do, these received the gift of the Holy Ghost. They did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart. And thankfully, for us who were once lost but now are found, the Acts 2 message is still being proclaimed in the world to this day.
But sadly, as we also know, the modern day religious culture is continually adding to the teachings of the apostles, (with their creeds and catechisms) and in some ways turning our liberty in the Lord Jesus into a form of bondage. Still, we are instructed to "stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." (Galatians 5:1) And to "continue steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." (Acts 2:42)
These together serve as good counsel for each and every one of us to move forward in our faith journey -- for when we stand firmly in Christ Jesus, the Rock of our salvation -- the world is no longer able to toss us to and fro. (Galatians 5:1) In fact, the more we become grounded in His Word, the less we will focus on the things of this world. In this way, we have "come out from among them" (or as another scripture states -- out of her) so that we do not suffer the plagues that will come forth. (II Corinthians 6:14-18; Revelation 18:4)
It is in this context that we who believe are so diligent about aligning our beliefs directly with His Word because the Comforter -- the Holy Ghost wherein the Father and Son are ONE -- desires to lead us into all truth. (John 10:30; II John 1:9; Hebrews 6:1-2; John 14:6-12)
Jesus told us that "Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come." (John 16:13
Jesus said in another place -- "But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My Name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you" (John 14:26)
"Until the day in which He [Jesus] was taken up, after that He [Jesus] THROUGH the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom He had chosen: to whom also He [Jesus] shewed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God ..." (Acts 1:2-3)
Yes, this same Lord God Almighty who willingly became our Saviour on a cross 2,000 years ago is still inviting us into His kingdom. Inviting us to the most elaborate wedding feast of all time. Yes, He wants to renew our minds and hearts with His wisdom and knowledge and power. His desire is to clothe us in His righteousness so that we too can become disciples of the good news message of our Lord Jesus to one and all. And to help each and every one of us fulfill the purpose He placed in our hearts whilst we were still in our mother's womb.
As Jesus told His disciples when the 120 tarried in Jerusalem, this faith journey does not start and stop with asking Jesus into our heart. There is so much more to experience and to learn and to enjoy. He wants to fill our hearts with His joy -- and as David the psalmist said, "My cup runneth over!" (Psalm 23:5)
"For this God is our God for ever and ever: He will be our guide even unto death." (Psalm 48:14)
This is why the Word was made flesh, God in Christ -- "to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." (Luke 1:79)
Now we know that the Lord Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us. Indeed, He promised His gift to all those who believe in Him and are water baptized in His Name, and who in their hearts continually desire Him -- our Lord God and Saviour Jesus the Christ. As the scriptures state, "ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:8)
Don't let another day go by without asking the Lord Jesus to lead and guide you into His fullness of knowledge and wisdom and truth. Take hold of His truth in your heart this day. Find a New Testament and begin reading His Word so that you will know the truth that will set you free. And let the Holy Ghost (His Name JESUS) save you from your sins too.
Stand in the offering plate.
No comments:
Post a Comment