A Reason To Repent  (February 7, 2016--Bulletin Article)

 

“God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 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 2:32-41)

        Three thousand converted in a single day! We have long marveled at this response and, standing in its shadow, employed various techniques trying to repeat it. Still, while there is no doubt God wants to save all humanity, we also know that a focus on the number of responses has the potential to corrupt the message. So expecting to convert the world in a single season is both unrealistic and dangerous. The first Pentecost in the Christian era saw a confluence of circumstances unlike any the world had experienced before. While Israel gathered for this annual feast, anticipation for the promised Messiah was at an all time high—so when Peter revealed that Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God and murdered at the Jewish leader’s request, had been raised from the dead, many accepted their guilt—thus, the massive response.

        The gospel is still meant for all; so even though we may not, like Peter’s audience, have “fresh blood” on our hands, still, we must admit to our rejection of Jesus—we must be cut to the heart, filled with remorse, and able to classify our unbelief as a colossal moral failure—and we must be able to ask for the remedy: to answer the question, “What shall we do?” Thanks be to God that the answer, just like the problem, is still the same today:“Repent and be baptized…for the forgiveness of your sins.” Yes, though the gospel may at times be both “in season and out of season,” still, it can always save those who will admit and accept their need for forgiveness!