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Jul 24, 2024 06:00am

What’s Your Response?

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“You have got to ride that! And at night it’s way better! You can’t really see where you’re going, so when that drop hits, man! It’s so fast and far down! It feels like you’re going faster than you do in the day. And that twist! Oh yeah! The twist! That was crazy!”

Brody and I were the only two brave enough (or crazy enough) to ride Outlaw Run in the dark. Anyone else that might have dared, was worn out and done for the day.

We couldn’t help talking over one another as we shared with the group about this incredible experience! It was so fun and exciting that we HAD to share it! We wanted them to experience it, too! It was hard to catch our breath after such an exhilarating moment!

Acts 1:14
“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.”

Peter. I love this guy, don’t you? He has such enthusiasm and passion for Jesus and His truth. All eyes are on the disciples because the Holy Spirit has just descended upon them and they are speaking in languages they had never studied or learned. The crowd, full of Jews from various nations can hear and understand what the disciples are saying in their own language!

How could this be? What does it mean? “Could they be drunk?”, some questioned.

Peter gets everyone’s attention.

“15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!”

Then he proceeds to share with them what God intends for them to hear.

In his message found in verses 16-39, Peter declares why this event is taking place.

These men were granted the unique ability to speak in various languages for 5 reasons:

to prove they were messengers sent from God
that it was God’s power, not their own, for them to speak and be understood
so that all would behold the power of God
remind them of the prophecies that foretold the Messiah and the Holy Spirit from Joel and King David
to show who Jesus was

Jesus.

They knew this man. They had heard of Him. Many had met Him during His time on earth, witnessed His miracles, and listened to Him teach. The news had traveled of His death, burial and even resurrection. But was it true?

Throughout these verses, Peter details these 5 truths about Jesus.

He was sent from God and was the very Son of God – verse 22.
He defeated and overcame death – verses 24, 32
He is a direct descendant of David and the rightful King – verse 30.
He is the Messiah – verses 31, 36.
He is Lord – verse 36.

Peter had an incredible experience with the Lord and wanted to share it with others. The crowd heard these things and then, the question that they had hoped for came.

“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?”

And how did Peter respond?

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, he shared what they must do with the information they learned, with the conviction they felt on their hearts.

Verse 21 – “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Verse 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.”

When the good news of who Jesus is and what He has done is shared with you, what do you do with it? What is your response?

These men knew they had sinned against Jesus, have you realized that?

They knew something had to be done to redeem them, have you asked for that same forgiveness?

They were convinced by the testimonies of these men, they were eye-witnesses to one of the most incredible things to ever happen on this earth. And now, we have those eye-witness accounts laid out before us in the Bible. Are you convinced?

“And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 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.”

If you want to know more about becoming a follower of Christ, go to follow.lifeword.org.

And what if you know Jesus? What if you have been saved by Him? Are you sharing about Him? Are you telling everyone you know because what you experienced because of Jesus is so amazing you don’t want to keep it to yourself?