Acts 2:36-38
Verse 37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
Peter took the time to point out reasons Jesus had to be the Messiah according to prophecies given but he couldn’t end there. They needed to know it was their decisions which had killed the Messiah. They had to realize what they had denied so they could see the need to change their thinking about what the Messiah was coming to do. Of course the disciples couldn’t be too judgmental since they had also misunderstood who He was and what He had come to do.
Peter’s opening up the truth about Jesus, His Lordship and being the Messiah, would only make a difference to those who were open to the Spirit of God revealing truth. If the Spirit wasn’t working in their heart they wouldn’t have been able to understand the truth of Peter’s words. It was this truth of the Spirit which was cutting those softened hearts to bring His people to full repentance.
We can tell their hearts were cut because they didn’t want to stay the same. They could see there was something different about these men who were obviously not acting or speaking through mere physical effort. The Spirit was helping these people see His work so they could know these were God’s men and it was His message they were hearing.
The revival happening in their hearts which led to the revival happening in the street were because of God’s drawing His people to repentance. When the people whose hearts were being opened to the gospel understood who Jesus was, they also saw the truth about themselves. Through their repentance they were also seeing what it meant to be free from the hold of sin on their lives. As they repented of their sins they felt themselves coming alive, they were being revived in their very soul and more than that, they were being filled with the Holy Spirit, so they were feeling more alive than is physically possible.
This is the revival which can be ours, a breathing of life into our spiritual lives which brings a fullness to our physical lives because we start to see this world is not all there is to life. We should be asking the same thing these people in the street did, “What shall we do?”
Making It Personal
How eagerly do you listen to the message given by the pastor? Do you ask yourself what the Word being taught means to you and what you should do with the info? How has your life become more alive?
Making It Personal Kids
Why is it important to remember Jesus is the Lord and Messiah? What does it mean to you to have Him as Lord? Do you know what you are supposed to do?
Closing Prayer
Father, we repent of not being willing to ask what You would have us do. Give us wisdom and direction to know Your will for us in everyday life but most importantly our spiritual lives. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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