Daily Dose of the Word of God - Acts 2: 14-21

Jason Turner, Director of Congregational Engagement 

Transcript

Jason Turner  0:06  

Welcome to Elmhurst CRC’s Daily Dose of the Word of God. This is Jason Turner. It’s Wednesday, May 20th. Today’s reading is from Acts 2:14-21. It is the Season of Easter and we are Living it Forward!

Jason Turner  0:25  

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was by the prophet Joel: “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Jason Turner 1:25  

The disciples received the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. In this Bible passage, we learn from the prophet Joel that God promises the final fulfillment of the Holy Spirit on all people in the last days. There's a lot to learn in this passage. Let's focus on Peter. Peter begins a sermon in this passage, preaching to the crowd, representing the group of disciples. Notice the Holy Spirit's design here - the speaking in tongues stopped when Peter began to preach. The focus would now be the spirit working through his preaching.

Jason Turner  2:03  

Have you ever attended an ECRC worship service and felt convicted to act? You thought that message was just for you - that's the power of the Holy Spirit at work in your life. One Bible scholar put it like this: "There was a remarkable change in Peter. He had courage and boldness that was a complete contrast to his denials of Jesus before being filled with the Holy Spirit." Peter went from one extreme to the other. He preached like a messenger. We learn later in Acts 2 that when Peter preached, about 3000 people were saved, baptized and added to the church. What a powerful response to God's conduit - Peter preaching a spirit-filled message of repentance. We don't all have to be preachers like Peter, but we can cooperate with the Holy Spirit and receive courage and boldness to share our story of what God has done for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. "And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Jason Turner 3:23  

Let us pray. Holy God, may our lives be a testimony to your saving grace, truth, and the power of the Holy Spirit teaching us, helping us, and allowing us to point others to the saving power and plan of Jesus Christ. Come, Holy Spirit, come. Amen and have a great day.