God sends His Holy Spirit in dramatic fashion to His believers in Acts 2 to fulfill what Jesus promised them. Crowds gather to see what is happening and Peter takes the opportunity to preach to them about who Jesus really was… the Christ… the Messiah… God Himself in the flesh. As we continue in Acts 2:36-47 we see how most of the crowd reacts to Peter’s sermon, which he preached while filled with the Holy Spirit. Thousands come to Jesus and create a community of believers that are filled with joy and praise for God while helping one another.

     36“Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”

      37Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” 38Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39“For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” 40And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” 41So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. 42They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

      43Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. 44And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; 45and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. 46Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Many were moved deeply, “pierced to the heart”, by the good news Peter shared about Christ. They asked him what they should do next. Peter’s response is important to take note of… it is fundamentally the same message as that of Jesus and John the Baptist and many the prophets of God. Turn away from your wrongful ways and turn toward God, living according to God’s instruction.

38Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Note that Peter clearly identifies that we must be different from “…this perverse generation!” We must change our behaviors to do things God’s way instead of the way of the world. This is not just true at the Pentecost, but is still true today. Those who do not follow God are lost… perverse… motivated by selfishness and sin nature rather than the things of God.

Three thousand people made the choice to respond to Peter’s sermon.  We are always called to make public choice for God. Peter did not call the three thousand to just remain in the crowd amongst the others who did not accept Jesus that day. He called them forth. They took action… a conscious and public action to demonstrate their submission to Jesus. Baptism is a symbolic, public proclamation that we are submitting to Jesus.

But Baptism is just the beginning of our journey with Jesus, not the end. That is not all there is! After baptism, the followers of Jesus devoted themselves continually to receiving teaching, fellowship, breaking bread together, and to prayer. There is much to do to develop ourselves as disciples for Christ after we accept Him as Lord. Our personal relationship with Jesus takes us on a  journey to become more like Him that lasts our lifetime.

 42They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

God allowed many wonders and signs through the apostles. Notice the joy and praise-filled attitude that the early church had. They rejoiced in sharing God together and living according to His instruction. They voluntarily gave and shared to help one another. But take note, at no point is there a reference that the government took their wealth to give to others who did not share their beliefs or work to contribute to the community. There was no central “church” organization that collected everything from them. The sharing was done voluntarily, joyfully, by individuals to individuals in the name of Jesus. Neither a government nor large church bureaucracy was required. No one gave out of guilt or obligation. It was a genuine communion of fellow believers celebrating life in submission to Jesus and His teachings. It is no wonder in this environment and with this attitude that their numbers grew.

One last observation, however, scripture clearly shows it was the Lord who grew their numbers… not the disciples, not the people… but the Lord. This is how the Holy Spirit works. Coming together in prayer and fellowship, learning to live according to God’s word and the Lord will move amongst the people and the numbers of true believers will grow.  Prayer and the Holy Spirit are essential. We can not do it successfully without God.

Each of us should consider… what changes can I make to live my life more like that of the early followers of Jesus Christ? How can I help others with joy and praise for God? Am I coming together with other believers in prayer and fellowship?

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.