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Acts 2        English Standard Version (ESV)

The Coming of the Holy Spirit

¹ When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. ² And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³ And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.⁴ And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance…

Peter’s Sermon at Pentecost

¹⁴ But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words…

³⁶ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

³⁷ Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” ³⁸ And Peter said to them, “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.³⁹ For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” ⁴⁰ And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” ⁴¹ So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

REFLECTION:

• The Holy Spirit came suddenly and visibly to the gathered believers on Pentecost. And they began to speak in foreign languages recognized by visitors there. Then Peter preached from Israel’s history explaining the salvation of God to the crowd. Amazingly, 3,000 people believed.
• Imagine you were there. What would it have been like for you as one of the crowd looking on? Has your life been affected by the Holy Spirit? In what specific ways?
• Those that heard Peter’s Spirit-filled message were moved. They asked, “What shall we do?”  Peter answered: “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins…” This is the basic question every new believer will ask.  It’s not enough to feel sorry for the sins we have committed; we need to ask for God’s forgiveness.  When we repent, God will not only wipe away our sins, He will give us the Holy Spirit who will renew us spiritually so that we may live out the forgiven new life.
• When did you make your initial commitment to Christ? What convinced you of your need for Him? How are you living out your “forgiven new life”?

PRAYER:

Merciful Heavenly Father, are there any sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, lakes, or seas that are not created by Your fingers? Are there any birds, fish, trees, or flowers that do not testify to Your divine work? Though humans are lowly and rebellious, we are still saved and cared for by You! You sent Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to become humble as a human, to suffer, die, rise again, and triumph, cleansing us of all our sins and fulfilling Your great grace of salvation. What in this world can compare to this greatest miracle and wonder? You also sent the Holy Spirit of truth to watch over and keep us, guiding us in the paths of life. O Holy Spirit of truth, please fill our hearts and the hearts of our brothers and sisters, helping us understand that we should grieve, repent, and humbly seek forgiveness from our Heavenly Father for our sins. Please teach us every day, continually transforming us, empowering us to live a new life of forgiveness from sins, so that each one of us may radiate with the flame-like brilliance and fervor, allowing the glory of our Heavenly Father to shine upon every dark corner around us. Amen!

HYMN:

Song of Repentance – youtu.be/iE4YYHr2SF8