Acts 2:14-21
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
'In the last days... And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'"
When the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, Peter and the eleven apostles stood up and preached to the crowd. This passage specifically referred to Peter. From a human perspective, Peter is the least worthy to be mentioned because he was the one who denied the Lord Jesus three times on the night Jesus was betrayed. One may argue that he should be ashamed and stop serving God. However this Scripture mentioned that Peter stood up, and I truly believe, that this is the Holy Spirit's work of renewal in Peter's heart.
After His resurrection, the Lord Jesus asked Peter three times, "Do you love me more than these?" Peter answered from the depth of his heart, "Lord, you know I love you." Jesus entrusted Peter with an important task, repeating three times "Feed my sheep". I believe that the Lord was healing the hurt in Peter's heart at this time, and renewing him in order to give him the confidence to serve God. Peter was ultimately able to stand up again to preach the gospel. This is such a precious thing. You and I may experience various failures in our lives, but as long as we do not lose heart, the Holy Spirit can do a work of healing and renewal in our hearts, just like He did in Peter. The Holy Spirit can give you courage and God's anointing so that you may stand up again from your failures and ultimately serve and glory God.
When Peter stood up, the word of God filled his heart, and those words came from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit prompted Peter to point to Joel's prophecy which described the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. With the revelation by the Holy Spirit, we are able to quickly understand how the Old Testament is related to the New Testament. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit brought power, gifts and God's word. Only the Holy Spirit can understand God's heart and God's plans. When Peter stood up, the Holy Spirit put God's word in his heart and God's word carried power and authority. As such, 3000 were saved that day, and subsequently another 5000.
Pray with Pastor Tong
Lord, thank you for using Peter even though he was weak. Pray that you will encourage us by the Holy Spirit. Encourage us when we fail, so that we may stand up again and experience power of your resurrection. We want to be a witness for you in our daily lives. We thank you and we pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!
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