Acts 2:38-41
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
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. 39 The promise is for you and
your children and for all who are far off—for
all whom the Lord our God will call.”
40 With many other words he
warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt
generation.” 41 Those who accepted his
message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
bap·tize
[bap-tahyz, bap-tahyz] Show IPA verb,bap·tized, bap·tiz·ing.
verb (used with object)
1.
to immerse in water or sprinkle or pour water on in theChristian rite of baptism: They baptized the new
baby.
2.
to cleanse spiritually; initiate or dedicate by purifying.
3.
According to “dictionary.com” the second definition of baptize
is “to cleanse spiritually; initiate or dedicate by purifying”. There is only One who can cleanse us
spiritually and that is Jesus Christ.
The early believers, as well as us today, need to realize that the only
way to the Father is through Jesus Christ our Lord. The people in the days the scripture is
speaking of had ample opportunity to see Jesus and to see His miracles yet many
thought that He was just a good man, a prophet of God, but not their
Savior. They had no idea that He had
come to sacrifice Himself for them and that He was the Christ that they had
been looking for. For those of us who
are believers in Christ we find it difficult to understand why they were so
blinded yet there are people even today that do not believe and they have the
Word of God available to them, they have history that tells the story, and they
have people who have shared it with them yet they still want to see their own
little miracle for proof.
I find it rather exciting to see how this opportunity to be cleansed
through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is offered to us, our children, and to
all people, it is offered to all who are called. Who are “all”? All is every one of us who call upon the name
of the Lord, who open our ears, our hearts, and our minds to the will of the
Father. To those who realizes they are
weak but He is strong. For those who
recognize that they are sinners saved by grace.
When we receive the cleansing through the blood of Jesus we are also
given the Holy Spirit to guide us through our life. Our conscious is no longer controlled simply
by our own thoughts but the thoughts of the Holy Spirit. Struggles come when we try to push His
thoughts to the back of our mind and go with what with think should be the
truth.
Peter pleaded with these people to repent and be saved. I too want to plead with anyone who read this
blog, if you have not repented, if you
do not know the Lord, save yourselves from this corrupt generation. Believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ, be spiritually
cleansed through His blood, and be saved.
You and your household can know of the wonderful salvation, the glorious
future, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
As you seek Him, repent and be saved. Be sure of your salvation through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Allow the Holy Spirit to
guide you and direct you through all of life’s battles.
There were 3,000 saved that day, how many are being saved
today? Are we as bold as Peter, are we
pleading with the people or are we just going about our lives, happy to have
His salvation and letting others do as they feel is best, not wanting to offend
anyone? How many could be saved if we
would only be so bold to share the Gospel with them?
Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila
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