KEY VERSE : 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.”
With many
other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from
this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three
thousand were added to their number that day. (Acts 2:38-41)
This is the instructions of Apostle Peter how one can receive
the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The Word of God Must Be Heard
First, the Word of God must be heard. Peter has preached that in
God’s plan Jesus was crucified, raised, and exalted as Lord over all the
universe and that forgiveness of sin and spiritual renewal can be had from him.
The Word has been heard.
The Sovereign God Must Call Men and Women
Second, the sovereign God must call men and women to himself, or they
will never come. Verse 39 says, “The promise is to you and to your children and
to all that are far off, everyone to whom the Lord our God calls to him.”
No one comes to faith in Christ unless the Father draws him (John 6:44, 65). The preached Word is
heard with conviction and power only when the effectual call of God lays hold
on the hearers.
We Must Receive the Word
Third, we must “receive the word.” Verse 41: “So those
who received his word were
baptized.” Receiving the Word means that it becomes part of you so that you
trust the Christ it presents. You trust his provision for your forgiveness. You
trust his path for your life. You trust his power to help you obey. And you
trust his promises for your future. And that radical commitment to Christ
always involves repentance — a turning away from your own self-wrought
provisions and paths and powers and promises. And when you really turn to Christ
for new paths and new power, you open yourself to the Holy Spirit, because it
is by his Spirit that Christ guides and empowers.
We Must Express Faith Through Water Baptism
Finally, we must give an open expression of faith in the act of water
baptism in obedience to Jesus Christ. Baptism was the universal experience of
all Christians in the New Testament. There were no unbaptized Christians after
Pentecost. Christ had commanded it (Matthew 28:18–20) and the church practiced
it. So we do today.
Therefore, I invite you to
experience the greatest thing in the world: Repent, trust Christ, open yourself
to the power of his Spirit, be baptized in his name, and you will receive the
gift of the Holy Spirit.
(Adapted from
bibia.com)
