“Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?’” Acts 2:37
Peter arrived into the world as one impulsive individual – bold, blunt, and brave. After the Holy Spirit came upon him at Pentecost, his past reactions to frightening predicaments, now flowed as responses. He and the other apostles were equipped with a new power. Jesus had warned his followers to wait until the Holy Spirit had “come upon them”, then they would have the power needed to be His witnesses. In the flesh, they would only revert to the blunders of the past.
Peter’s former bold reactions led him to speak and act foolishly. When the guards came to arrest Jesus, Peter cut off one of their ears. He used a real sword and human power – making a mess that Jesus cleaned up.
Now filled with the Spirit, Peter’s responses glorified God. Wielding a heavenly sword, his word now cut through the hearts of men. The bold, blunt, brave, God breathed Peter, indicted the crowd for instigating the death of Jesus. Their response to Peter, “What shall we do?”
Men stabbed by the Spirit die to sin and selfish ways. The men Peter addressed had a change of heart and needed knowledge of the next steps to this new life.
The answer Peter gave still holds true today:
Repent – turn from sin to God. Be baptized – a symbol of forgiveness, and washing of sins, to a new life lived for God.
Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit – living a life filled and controlled by the Spirit of God, not the desires of earthly living (otherwise known as the flesh).
What about you? Have you taken these steps of belief? Are you living a Spirit filled life or one controlled by the desires of this life?
The men who instigated our Savior’s death were given another chance. Peter became a new man. What can the Spirit of God do with you?