Read: Acts 2:37–42
Those who welcomed Peter’s message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. Acts 2:41
When the day of Pentecost had dawned, there were only one hundred twenty committed followers of Jesus Christ. However, by sunset of that same day, after the rush of the Spirit and after Peter’s inaugural sermon, three thousand people committed themselves to Jesus Christ and His community. Even by today’s megachurch standards, those numbers are impressive. What is even more notable is that the conversion took place after Peter’s first sermon. Peter, who was known for his faltering and failing, delivered his first sermon and the results were staggering. The author’s intent is clear: something far greater than Peter was at work on the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit of God was at work! In an instant, thousands of lives were redirected toward God. It may be as much a promise as it is a threat: when God’s Spirit enters a room, people should brace themselves for extraordinary signs and wonders!
Do you expect incredible results when you allow God’s Spirit to lead you?
Lord, I do not experience exponential—Pentecostal—growth in my life or in my work. I want to believe it is possible, but I can’t even imagine experiencing it. Perhaps that is why such dynamic growth is foreign to me—I don’t believe it is even possible. Or perhaps I am not truly and fully opening my life up to the power and presence of Your Spirit. Lord, help me to unfurl the sails of my life so that I might catch the wind of Your Spirit and be propelled by Your will to places and experiences that lie beyond my imagination. In Jesus’ name, I pray. AMEN.