Reading this focal text raised an embarrassing question for me. Why has no one looked at the life I lead or heard the word I proclaimed and then asked the question that begins this account: “What should we do?”
Is my life witness so indistinguishable from the world around me that no one looks on and wonders, “How could I have a life like that, so filled with love, so confident with hope, so caring for others, so in touch with God?” Why do I not hear that question from those who observe me?
There was something about the way Peter and the apostles “stood out from the crowd” that made non-believers want to join the parade. Peter and the other believers made it clear to those around them that Jesus Christ was the one who had come to save the world (Acts 2:36). How does my proclamation today invite others to accept this truth about Jesus Christ?
One thing that Peter makes clear to those who heard him was that life would have to change: “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation” (Acts 2:40). In other words, life lived with Jesus Christ does not look the same as life lived in ignoring the Lord.
So, these verses not only speak to those outside the faith community, but they also speak to those of us who have “repented and been baptized” (Acts 2:38).
There is an important reassurance at the close of this study text. We are not in this alone. Note what happens as persons reap the harvest of the Spirit’s gifts: life together (teaching, fellowship, eating and praying together) (Acts 2:42). We are not in this alone! To be invited into a Christian faith experience is to be invited into community.
John Wesley wrote, “The gospel of Christ knows of no religion, but social; no holiness but social.” That attitude lives out what this account in Acts spells out. Baptism is not a private event; it is part of a shared journey. Praise God!
What Someone Else Has Said: In Beyond Loneliness (Upper Room Books), Trevor Hudson writes: “We do not make the journey to God alone. There is no solitary Christ-follower. When we open our lives to Jesus, he comes with his arms around his brothers and sisters. As I’ve said before, our friendship with Jesus is personal, but not private. To be connected with Jesus is to be connected to his friends as well.”
Prayer: As you prepare this lesson, let your prayer begin: “Lord Jesus, use me for others...”
