The Church’s Beginnings
Monday— And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (v 4)
Acts 2 is Luke’s carefully documented account of a historical event that changed the world. Jesus had done all that was necessary to reconcile sinful man to God. He paid the price, rose from the dead, and then handed the work over to the second Person of the Trinity. To a small room in an ordinary house, the Holy Spirit arrived. With a WHOOSH!, visions of fire, and a tornadic wind, 120 trembling believers experienced the most transformational act in human history. Nail-biters turned from whispering “SHHH!” to shouting the gospel in a matter of minutes. God had entered into man and He came bringing gifts.
Being filled with the Holy Spirit may not always be so earthshaking, but it does change us. When He saves the soul of a repentant sinner, He then moves in and begins to clean house. But often we’re hovering over His shoulder trying to snatch things out of His hand while He works. Our supervision limits what God can do in and through us. Spirit baptism is when we step aside and say, “Whatever, Lord. You take over. I’ll be in the back.” What He does then may knock our socks off, but it’s not a magic show. The Holy Spirit has no interest in us behaving like lunatics, drawing attention to ourselves, or feeling superior. That’s Satan’s domain. The first thing these Spirit-filled believers did was “proclaim the wonderful works of God.” And to their amazement, people were hearing in languages they understood. Why? It accomplished God’s—not their—purposes.
Challenge: Have you been filled with the Holy Spirit? When that happens, your life is all about Him and only Him.
Prayer: Father, have I limited your Holy Spirit by hovering over His work and vetoing what I don’t like? I want what these first believers had. I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit to accomplish your purposes, not mine. I surrender. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Tuesday— And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (v 21)
Islam teaches that if your Koran-approved good deeds outweigh your bad, and Allah has mercy, you will be saved on Judgment Day. Buddhism requires that to reach a higher plane of existence, you must believe in the Four Noble Truths. Judaism says that keeping the law and living a righteous life will earn you salvation. So imagine the shockwaves when Peter began proclaiming that anyone who called on the name of the Lord would be saved. What? No good deeds? No hoops to jump through? No checklist? How’s that possible? You can’t have a decent religion with no checklist. So what did he mean?
The “name of the Lord” is like an embassy in a hostile kingdom. Any citizen in trouble can run to the embassy for help. Foreigners can seek asylum. Spiritually speaking, there are only two kingdoms and we’re all a part of one or the other. When we look to the cross as our only hope, renounce our former life, and call on Jesus as our new Master and Lord, He guarantees us asylum. But just as the name American belongs only to citizens of the United States, the name of the Lord belongs only to citizens of His kingdom. However, entry is possible for anyone who wants to call on that name. When we renounce Satan’s kingdom, we receive citizenship in God’s—without credentials or proof that we’re worth it. Christianity has open borders.
Challenge: God’s kingdom is open to anyone willing to renounce their former citizenship and call on His name.
Prayer: Lord God, you are King whether I acknowledge you or not. Search my heart—to which kingdom do I belong? I want you as my fortress, my embassy, my safe place. I renounce my former citizenship and call on your name: Jesus. Amen.
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Wednesday— 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.” (v 38)
“If you want the Holy Spirit, you need to come to our church,” stated Shayna. “We’ve got the spirit over there! Nearly the whole congregation fell out last week and Mrs. Jones prophesied there’d be no tornados in 2025. We know how to get the Spirit!” Deb looked confused. “But I thought He was for anyone who asked—” Shayna waved her away. “No, you have to be taught how to demonstrate the gits of the Spirit and most churches don’t know how.” Deb frowned. “But I could swear I read in the Bible…”
You did, Deb. Shayna is mistaken. The Holy Spirit began to indwell believers at Pentecost and has never left. Anyone who repents of sin, turns to Christ for forgiveness, and gets baptized to indicate the change, can receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. It’s not an exclusive club. Nor must we be taught anything. We can simply ask, with a surrendered heart, and invite Him to take over every part of our lives. And He comes bringing gifts. Those gifts are tools He wants to use in and through us to impact His kingdom and build up His church. We may not even be aware of the gifts until we find ourselves serving in ways that others notice. Barking or flopping around like a fish is not evidence of the Holy Spirit. A joyful, obedient lifestyle of service is.
Challenge: If you belong to Christ, you have the Holy Spirit. The more you obey and surrender, the more He fills you.
Prayer: Father, thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit. He empowers me to serve you better, love you more, and edify the church. May I not be fooled by counterfeits. That’s not how you work. Let my life prove His presence. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Thursday— With many other words he…strongly urged them, saying, “Be saved from this corrupt generation! ” (v 40)
“I like this one!” cried Skye, tugging a long post from the pile. “This will make a great shelf for my room.” Winston came to examine it, but quickly tossed it back. “Nope,” he said. “Won’t do. It’s corrupt.” Skye nudged her brother’s arm. “What do you mean? It looks great to me.” Winston lifted the pole. “C’mere,” he motioned. “Look straight down the shaft. See the curve? You try to make legs out of that and your shelf will wobble.” Skye flopped to the ground. “Man!” she exclaimed. “It looks fine to me. What’s a little curve if the rest of the wood is so nice?” Winston let the post drop. “Trust me, curves make a big difference.”
That’s what the word “corrupt” means in this verse—curved. Humanity has been curving since Adam bit into the fruit. We know ABOUT God, we may even believe in Him, His word, and Jesus. But since the beginning, we’ve curved away just a little at a time until our whole society is perverse. But it’s just a little curve. Why does it matter? It’s only a little white lie, a little greed, a little lust. We want God within earshot, but we assume, like Skye, that our little curves away from Him don’t matter. Even 2000 years ago when Peter made this speech, people were curving away from God. How much more so today. But God offers to pluck us out of the wood pile and straighten our curve. If we’ll align our attitudes with His word, we become useful to Him.
Challenge: What little bit of curve (corruption) in your life might be keeping you from being useful to the Lord?
Prayer: Father, if you held my life up like Winston did the post, would I be corrupt? What little sins do I harbor that curve me away from you? Find those curves and help me overcome them so that I’m useful in your kingdom. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Friday— Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all. (v 41)
A stranger stood in the pastor’s doorway. “How do I git my kids baptized?” she asked. Three tiny faces peered from behind her filthy coat and fixed Pastor Dan with unblinking eyes. He rose from his desk and walked toward her, hand out. “Hi, I’m Dan,” he said. “I don’t believe we’ve met.” The woman rubbed watery eyes with a grimy fist. “No, I ain’t been much for church. But I got baptized as a kid and now I got my kids back, I wanna be sure they’re proper baptized too.” Dan pulled four chairs in a semicircle and motioned for the family to be seated. Then, he gently began to explain that’s not how it works.
Baptism is one of the most misunderstood practices within any religious culture. It can represent being accepted into a religious group, washing sins away, or simply a ritual done to please someone else. None of those is scriptural baptism. In the gospels, baptism represented a change of allegiance. John was baptizing people before Jesus showed up as a way to prepare them to receive their Messiah with repentant hearts. Jesus and the apostles began to baptize as people believed His message and wanted to follow Him. But baptism alone has no power. It’s only water. Without repentance and a change of ownership, baptism is only another way to get wet. However, following a heart change, baptism is like saying, “I’m now on Team Jesus!” Pastor Dan couldn’t baptize the woman or her children, but he did explain the gospel and give them the opportunity to respond.
Challenge: Have you been scripturally baptized or did you only get wet?
Prayer: Lord, search my baptism experience. Did I truly surrender my life to you or did I get wet for some other reason? If I need to be scripturally baptized to indicate publicly that I’m on Team Jesus, make that clear to me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
