Apr 29 - Acts 2:38

Peter said to them,

"Repent, and be baptized every one of you

in the name of Jesus Christ

so that your sins may be forgiven; and

you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 2:38

How do you receive the Holy Spirit?

In his famous sermon on Pentecost day, Peter proclaimed a simple formula.

• First, Peter says repent. Repentance is literally turning away from your sins. Repentance is also turning toward God, and we call turning toward God faith. Thus, the first part of the equation requires that we repent and believe. 

• Second, Peter says, “Be baptized.” We think of baptism as a cute ceremony to invite the grandparents to. It is really a submission. A death. Baptism is literally a drowning and a new breath, a dying and a new birth. In Romans 6, Paul says we are baptized into Jesus’ death. (The benefit is that if we die with him, we can also rise with him. But baptism starts with submission and death, a dying to self.)

• Baptism, Peter further proclaims, is also a washing. Peter is saying that baptism (along with repentance) assures us that our sins are washed, forgiven.

Therefore, if we want to receive the Holy Spirit, we must do what? Repent and believe! That’s first. Then we need to submit to a drowning so that we might rise to new life through the Spirit.

Wait … wait … wait … one last question: Who receives the Spirit this way? Unbelievers.

So what about us believers? How do we receive the Holy Spirit? Guess what … you already have him! As it says in 1 Corinthians 12:3, “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit.” In other words, if you already have faith, you already have the Spirit!

For us believers, our goal then is to not ask for the Spirit, but more of the Spirit!!!

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who prays, “More!”