There's an impressive number at the end of the text we'll be getting into this Sunday. The number is 3000. The context is this: It's festival season in Jerusalem. People from miles and miles around are gathered around to celebrate. Peter gets up and has his chance to preach to a huge crowd about his Savior Jesus. And 3000 people believed and were baptized. That's the impressive number right?
As a preacher, I've always had to stop and joke with myself about this, because I don't think any of my sermons ever have or ever will have the same effect as Peter's did on that day. Except this time, I wanted to think about it. What was the power that worked on that day? What was the power that made 3000 people jump into the church on that day?
The answer lies right in the text. You can read it for yourself in Acts 2:36-41. Did you catch what it was? I'll answer it in short here, and more at length on Sunday. The power that worked on that day is the same power that works every day in our hearts and every Sunday in our church. It is the power that comes from the cleansing cut of the law, and the healing word of the gospel.
Can I overemphasize this? I don't think I can. The SAME power that worked on the day of Pentecost is at work among us today. Let's celebrate that together.
