May 2, 2023 – Acts 2
Have you ever had a transformative experience? Maybe you were part of a championship sports team, and the moment you grasped that big win is engrained in your memory forever. Maybe you’ve experienced the birth of a child, and your mind could take you back to that exact moment you held that new baby. In Acts 2, we read about the moment Holy Spirit arrives on the scene for everyone who wants it! I use “Holy Spirit” without an article (namely, ‘the’) because Holy Spirit is like another person of the Trinity – God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit.
In the Old Testament, we see God send Holy Spirit to specific people at specific times to accomplish specific purposes. The day of Pentecost marks God sending Holy Spirit to anyone and everyone who believes. It was a miraculous sight! The people who weren’t bought in yet thought the crowd was drunk!
One of my favorite parts of this story is what the crowd does after this experience. They ask Peter, “What should we do?” (verse 37). Peter gives them next steps – repent and be baptized. Then the church continues to grow and they hang out in community together, sharing in everything. The early church can be a model for our churches today. What should we do? Well, we, too, can repent, be baptized, feel the amazing power of Holy Spirit, and invite others to experience it too!
Questions for reflection:
- Has Holy Spirit invaded your heart and life? If so, what are some ways you feel God with you every day? If not, you can pray for Holy Spirit to come right now. Simply pray, Dear God, I want to know you better and walk in your ways. Send your Holy Spirit into my heart and my life right now. I give my life to you and repent of the things that pull me away from you. Your way is better than mine and I want to walk with you every day. I pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.
- In what ways does the church today look like the early church we read about in Acts 2? In what ways has ‘church’ maybe missed the mark? What are some ways we can embrace Acts 2:42-47 as a church body today?