FROM PETRIFIED TO PREACHING
Acts 2:14-16 NKJV
14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 5 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
The transformation that took place in Peter in a very short period of time was amazing. Remember, it was Peter who had been so scared that he denied even knowing Jesus. We can’t be too hard on Peter. He had never seen Jesus arrested. Jesus had always walked away from trouble. No one was able to pin Him down. So as Peter watched his teacher and mentor arrested and condemned, he responded in the fear of self-survival.
Even after the resurrection, Peter and the rest of the disciples were afraid that the authorities may be coming for them. They met behind closed doors. Jesus would appear in the room despite the doors being closed and locked, which totally unnerved the disciples. These followers of the Lord were pretty much on edge. Even the one hundred and twenty followers in the upper room seemingly were in a closed-door situation. That is, until the day of Pentecost came.
When the Holy Spirit made His rather dramatic entrance with the sound of a rushing mighty wind and the tongues of fire, everything changed. Jesus was not using hyperbole when He said that the disciples would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. Because after He, the Holy Spirit, showed up, we don’t see the disciples petrified again. They went from hiding in the upper room to spilling out into the streets in full view for all to see. And they were not quietly speaking in other tongues; they were boldly speaking.
Peter then, standing with the other eleven apostles, raised his voice. This is the same Peter who was afraid of being identified with Jesus. Now he raises his voice and begins to address the crowd. Peter was no longer hiding. Peter was preaching. He implored them to listen to him. He told the crowd of people gathered exactly what had transpired. And then Peter quotes large portions of Scripture with the prophetic word of Joel, then preaches Jesus. If you read the rest of the chapter, Peter does a masterful job of proclaiming Jesus. He quotes the psalms, tells about Jesus, and then confronts the crowd, that they are the ones who crucified the Lord. When the people listening are cut to the heart and asked what they needed to do, Peter tells them to repent, be baptized, and they would also receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.And Peter kept preaching and encouraging the people gathered to be saved.
Peter gave a bold message, and the results were amazing. About three thousand people were saved. From a man who was formerly a fisherman. From a man who was formerly afraid. The Holy Spirit made more than a dramatic entrance. He made a major difference in the life of Peter and of the apostles. He is not a Spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind. He empowered the early church then and is still empowering the church today.
PRAYER
Lord, teach me more about the ministry and the power of the Holy Spirit. I am open to Him making a difference in my life.