Devotion #6: A Simple Message

“Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” Acts 2:38 (NKJV) 

The Apostle Peter heard the words of Jesus to go into all the word and preach the Gospel with his own ears. He did not hear it as a suggestion or as a sentiment. He heard it as it was, a directive from the Lord God Himself. He accepted the task from his King as his own personal mission and task in this world. It was not left to others, it was not set aside for later, and it was not dismissed as unimportant. He took the words of the Lord for what they were intended to be for all Jesus’ people: the one mission of our lives as His people.  

It is clear that Jesus’ mission found its way into Peter’s heart, in that, nearly every time we see Peter speaking, post the ascension of Jesus into Heaven, he seems to be sharing the Gospel. Acts 2:38 is just one such case. He does not get lost in arguments or religious subtlety. Peter is clear. His message is simple. He tells the gathered crowd to “repent,” which means to feel bad about sin and turn to God for His forgiveness. He tells them to be “baptized in [into] the name of Jesus Christ,” which everyone on that day understood that baptism was to forever identify as a follower of Jesus Christ publicly. He then gave the promise of the Gospel message, “the remission of sins.” This is the complete and total forgiveness of all past, present, and future sin. It is the complete cleansing that can only come from God’s forgiveness. Finally, Peter conveys the promise that anyone who does so will “receive the gift [from God] of the Holy Spirit.” This is the incredible promise that God Himself would come and live within each follower of Christ, enabling us to live in a way that pleases God. 

Please note the simplicity of the message. Please note the clarity of it. Please note that Peter did not need to anticipate every argument or objection before he conveyed this message. He was equipped with the Gospel message and was ready for God to use him. How about you? Do you know the Gospel? Are you ready for God to use you? We do not have to know everything (who can?), and we do not even have to anticipate every objection. We just have to know the Gospel, be available to God, and He will use us.