Thought for the Week

It has been said, “The Church began on the Day of Pentecost.” That could make sense. Two of the main ingredients were present: Sinners in need of salvation and The Holy Spirit Who could guide them through it. The first need was for the sinners to come to an experience of conviction. That is part of the job description for the Holy Spirit. He convicts of Sin. He can use many methods. This time it was the preaching of Peter. It can also be through the reading of Scripture, through dreams and visions as in the case of Muslims in the Feast of Ramadan, through the exemplary life of a Christian. But His methods are His business. When sinners came to knowledge of their sin, they were indeed convicted. The next immediate step was to be convinced there was hope for them. Peter provided that hope. The people became convinced Jesus was The Messiah, the Son of God. Through faith in Him the plan of God to forgive sinners, who trust in Him and grant to them salvation was made plain. Once convinced they were ready for the next step. This was for them to be converted. This was not something they could do for themselves. Their part in the experience was to repent. That means they needed to turn around and go in a opposite direction spiritually. God’s intention for them was to change them completely. Paul says it best, “Old things are passed away, behold all things are made new.” God had proposed several times that He wanted to give them a new heart and take away their old stony hearts and give them a heart of flesh. This is also of course a spiritual action. God does not just do this on His own. It requires the willingness, or perhaps even an eagerness on the part of the sinner. Make no mistake, God is also eager or anxious to do this. We note God so loves the world (that is the people living in the world) He gave His only Son to die in the place of people for their sins. So that whosoever believes, puts his faith and trust in Jesus, will be saved. Now, I am not saying there were no believers before the Day of Pentecost. Most surely there were those who believed God had a plan to bring men to himself. As well, the Holy Spirit was operative in Old Testament times. But the Day of Pentecost was a time when concentrated activity by the Holy Spirit on a very large number of sinners, brought a multitude to faith in Christ. They were convicted of their sin, convinced Jesus was the sure and the only hope for their salvation, and converted into the people God had intended them to be even before Creation. Since that special day, people from all over the world and throughout the ages of time have experienced like things. They have been convicted, convinced and converted. The Holy Spirit continues to operate, sometimes on individuals, sometimes on small groups and hopefully sometimes on multitudes. Regardless, Jesus Christ has continued to fulfill His promise. He is building His Church. On that Day of Pentecost some almost two thousand years ago, three thousand sinners became what Peter calls living stones in his letters. It continues to remain the work of Christ to incorporate them into His building, His Church. We will be looking at how He must shape, mold, modify, and fit each living stone into the building that is called a “Temple fit for His dwelling.” I hope you are one of those living stones and you are allowing Christ to use you. What a wonder to be part of His eternal work.

Scriptures to Read

Acts 2:14-21

Acts 2:22-28

Acts 2:29-35

Acts 2:36-41

Ephesians 2:14-22

II Corinthians 5:11-17

II Corinthians 5:18-6:2