Acts 2:38

Acts 2:38 - Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Imagine this, an ordinary fisherman. He had no schooling or training other than living with Jesus for a few years. Peter witnessed Jesus life, His death, and then saw Him resurrected. Now he was living in fear of the Jews. He saw what they did to Jesus and was afraid he would be next.Then the Holy Spirit came upon him.

Peter now had the power of God inside of him. This was the same man who had been with Jesus. He had denied him, ran away when they took him and had been afraid for his own life, but now he had confidence; he had Christ in him.

Peter was with the other disciples and they all received the Holy Spirit. With all the confusion and excitement of what was happening, a crowd started forming around them. Peter stood up and began to speak. His words cut straight to the heart of the people and they were convicted of their sin. “What must we do?” they asked.

This was Peter’s answer, “Repent and be baptized, everyone of you.” It is amazing how God used Peter and the other disciples. They had no background of speaking, no training in how to deliver a message, but God used them anyway.

See, a lot of people have talent and ability, which is good, but without passion it will amount to nothing. What God really wants is a heart after Him. If you seek God, He will use you. With His Spirit inside of you, He will give you the words to say. Seek Him and let Him take care of the rest.

Acts 2:38

Acts 2:38 - Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off - for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

Peter spoke this on the day of Pentecost after the Holy Spirit was poured out on all the disciples. They were all together waiting, as Jesus had instructed them, and then it happened. God’s Spirit came upon each one of them. At this time the people around them did not understand what was going on. They could all hear the disciples speaking in their own languages and probably acting a little crazy.

With the Holy Spirit in Him Peter stood up with a boldness that he never knew before. He began speaking to the crowd and explaining all that had happened. First he told them of Jesus and that He had been turned over and been crucified. As he spoke these words it brought conviction to those he was speaking to. They asked him what they could do to be saved and this was his answer, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” He explained how Jesus would forgive their sins and then give them the gift of the Holy Spirit.

This was true for them and it is true for us today. When conviction comes don’t let it condemn you, but let it inspire you to change. Turn from your old ways and receive the promised gift of the Holy Spirit. It is for you and your children and everyone that God calls, and it is His desire that all men be saved. God wants to see everyone walking in the truth with His Spirit inside them. He has made this promise to all mankind. This gift is available to all of us, but we have to choose to receive it.