Salvation to all!

Romans 10 

Brothers,[a] my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that (A)they have a zeal for God, (B)but not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of (C)the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. 4 For (D)Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.[b]

The Message of Salvation to All

5 For (E)Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that (F)the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But (G)the righteousness based on faith says, (H)“Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the (I)abyss?’” (that is, (J)to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? (K)“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if (L)you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and (M)believe in your heart (N)that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, (O)“Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 (P)For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; (Q)for the same Lord is Lord of all, (R)bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For (S)“everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him (T)of whom they have never heard?[c] And how are they to hear (U)without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, (V)“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But (W)they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, (X)“Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So (Y)faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for

(Z)“Their voice has gone out (AA)to all the earth,
    and their words to the ends of the world.”

19 But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,

(AB)“I will (AC)make you jealous of those who are not a nation;
    with a (AD)foolish nation I will make you angry.”

20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,

(AE)“I have been found by those who did not seek me;
    I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”

21 But of Israel he says, (AF)“All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

Let us pray! 

Heavenly Father, I pray that You will be found by those in our families and friends who don't know you yet! I ask in the mighty name of Jesus-Christ, our Saviour. Amen

The Good News of the Gospel of Jesus-Christ!

Thank you Jesus!

    My friend Flo and I we were coming back from the Margelle, a place near the Mairie in Civray where people are vaccinated for the Covid. 

    As we were walking home, we were wondering why some people think they are better than others and it is so obvious in their manners and attitude that they despise others. Causing lots of heartache and worry for those people who are now out of the circle of friends. 😭

As I am into reading Romans, I 'bumped' into Romans chapter 3. It seems this is appropriate to understand all sort of traumatic relationships. 'Their tongues practice deceit' 

9 What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. 10 As it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not even one;
11     there is no one who understands;
    there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away,
    they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
    not even one.”[b]
13 “Their throats are open graves;
    their tongues practice deceit.”[c]
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”[d]
14     “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”[e]
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16     ruin and misery mark their ways,
17 and the way of peace they do not know.”[f]
18     “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”[g]

19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.

So what to do?

 Let's read the following, the good news of the gospel of Jesus-Christ!

Righteousness Through Faith

21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in[h] Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,[i] through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

My friends, have you considered that we are all sinners and that we are justified freely by the Lord's grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus? 

What does this mean? As we are all sinners, we deserve to be punished however when we have faith in Jesus, that He died for our sins and that He resurrected, His righteousness is ours now.  

What is the sinner's prayer?

The sinner's prayer is a Christian term for a prayer that is said when someone wants to repent of their sin, ask God for forgiveness, and state belief in the life, death, and saving resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

Romans 10:9-10 says that “if you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” 

The Sinner's Prayer 

Lord Jesus, for too long I’ve kept you out of my life. I know that I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself. No longer will I close the door when I hear you knocking. By faith I gratefully receive your gift of salvation. I am ready to trust you as my Lord and Savior. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming to earth. I believe you are the Son of God who died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead on the third day. Thank you for bearing my sins and giving me the gift of eternal life. I believe your words are true. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus, and be my Savior. Amen.

Amen! Welcome in God's family. It is said that there is a party in Heaven every time someone is saved so here you are! 

God wants all people to be saved!

3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

So what does the apostle Paul recommends in his letter to Timothy? 

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 

2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

A prayer tonight.

Father, we thank you for your word; open our eyes and our hears to your voice, that we may guide us according to your will and pray for those your Spirit leads us to pray. We are your people and you are our Father, we pray that you look after us and that we may feel your loving presence by us all the time especially in the middle of a storm. We ask you to heal us emotionally and physically, transform our hearts of stone in hearts of love and renew our mind so that we see you clearly. We know we can take refuge under your wings and that your grace and mercy abound all around us. We ask you in the name of your son and Saviour Jesus-Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, our Counsellor. Amen

Blinded by your grace

I'm blinded by your grace
I'm blinded by your grace, by your grace
I'm blinded by your grace
I'm blinded by your grace

Lord, I've been broken
Although I'm not worthy
You fixed me, I'm blinded
By your grace
You came and saved me
Lord, I've been broken
Although I'm not worthy
You fixed me, now I'm blinded
By your grace
You came and saved me

One time for the Lord
And one time for the cause
And one round of applause
One time for Fraser T Smith on the chords
I feel we got one
I stay prayed up then I get the job done
Yeah I'm Abigail's you, but I'm God's son
But I'm up now, look at what God's done
Now I rule tour, look at what God did

Stormzy

You shall be witnesses to ME

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8

When Alfred Nobel discovered an explosive element that was stronger than anything the world had known at the time, he asked a friend and Greek scholar for a word that conveyed the meaning of explosive power. The Greek word was dunamis, and Nobel named his invention “dynamite.”

Dunamis is the same word that Jesus used when He told His disciples, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). In other words, “You shall receive explosive, dynamite power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.”

Think about how this power transformed the first-century believers. Prior to Pentecost, Simon Peter couldn’t stand up for his faith when strangers asked him if he was a follower of Jesus. After the power of the Holy Spirit was poured out on Pentecost, Peter stood up and boldly preached the gospel, resulting in 3,000 people being saved.

After Saul of Tarsus became a believer on the Damascus Road, God led Ananias to go and pray for him. 

He was then filled with the Holy Spirit, and from that moment on, he went out and proclaimed Christ everywhere, turning the then world upside down.

This power is for a purpose. It is not power to make you feel good. It is power to be a witness for Christ. It is power to change your life and change the world. Have you received this power?

Prayer: Ask the Lord to fill you with His Holy Spirit and manifest His power in your life and ministry.

Scriptural Reading: Acts 1:1-11Source: Dunamis

Let us rejoice because ....

 

Titus 3:4

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Ever felt that everything you do does not satisfy, you are looking for something more exciting, fulfilling however you've tried everything under the sun and still you feel empty and hurt. Why don't you consider Jesus? 

Jesus went back to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and as usual he went to the meeting place on the Sabbath. When he stood up to read from the Scriptures, he was given the book of Isaiah the prophet. He opened it and read,

“The Lord’s Spirit has come to me,
because he has chosen me
to tell the good news to the poor.
The Lord has sent me to announce freedom for prisoners,
to give sight to the blind, to free everyone who suffers,
and to say, ‘This is the year the Lord has chosen.’ “

Jesus closed the book, then handed it back to the man in charge and sat down. Everyone in the meeting place looked straight at Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, “What you have just heard me read has come true today.” Luke 4:16-21

Click here to read more

There shall be deliverance!

Acts 2:14-41New International Version (NIV)

Peter Addresses the Crowd

14 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. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!(A) 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17 “‘In the last days, God says,
    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.(B)
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,(C)
    your young men will see visions,
    your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
    I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
    and they will prophesy.(D)
19 I will show wonders in the heavens above
    and signs on the earth below,(E)
    blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
    and the moon to blood(F)
    before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls
    on the name of the Lord(G) will be saved.’[a](H)

22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth(I) was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs,(J) which God did among you through him,(K) as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge;(L) and you, with the help of wicked men,[b] put him to death by nailing him to the cross.(M) 24 But God raised him from the dead,(N) freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.(O)
 25 David said about him:“‘I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;   my body also will rest in hope,
27 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay.(P)
28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’[c](Q)

29 “Fellow Israelites,(R) I can tell you confidently that the patriarch(S)David died and was buried,(T) and his tomb is here(U) to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne.(V) 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay.(W) 32 God has raised this Jesus to life,(X) and we are all witnesses(Y) of it.33 Exalted(Z) to the right hand of God,(AA) he has received from the Father(AB) the promised Holy Spirit(AC) and has poured out(AD) what you now see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
    “Sit at my right hand
35 until I make your enemies
    a footstool for your feet.”’[d](AE)

36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord (AF) and Messiah.”(AG)

37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”(AH)

38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized,(AI) every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.(AJ) And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.(AK) 39 The promise is for you and your children(AL) and for all who are far off(AM)—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”(AN) 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number(AO) that day.

Humans were born to ask "Why?" From the chattering toddler tugging at his mother's skirts to the seasoned astrophysicist puzzling over her computer-enhanced images from outer space, the response to the novel is the same: Why? In fact, we ask this question in two directions. We want to know the cause, and we want to know the significance, especially for us.

To find an answer that satisfies both "whys," especially in regard to one's personal destiny, is to discover the best good news.Apologia for Pentecost: Ultimate Cause and Saving Significance (2:14-21)

Seizing the moment in the midst of the crowd's bewilderment and confusion, Peter addresses the people in Spirit-filled utterance (see 2:4). He begins with a formal address, Fellow Jews, which will soften as he proceeds (men of Israel, 2:22; brothers, 2:29). His message will explain the Pentecost event as God's saving acts (see also 4:12; 13:38: 28:28) and show its crucial importance for his hearers and for us.

Though those drunk and those filled with the Spirit are "carried out of themselves into an abnormal sense of freedom and expressiveness," the cause and the end results are entirely different (E. F. Harrison 1986:64). Peter with good humor dismisses this empirical explanation with further empirical evidence: in a culture where the first meal is not taken until ten o'clock, nine o'clock in the morning is too early in the day to find people drunk (see Josephus Life 279).

The ultimate cause and significance of the Spirit's empowerment is found in God and his saving purposes, as the prophet Joel foretold. 

In the last days--the final days of this age, the time when the "age to come" is inaugurated--God promises to pour out his Spirit on all people. 

Joel used the imagery of the vivifying impact of a Near Eastern torrential downpour on parched earth to picture the generosity, finality and universality of the Spirit's coming.

 And Peter declares that this is now happening before the very eyes and in the very hearing of his audience. In contrast to the selective and occasional outpouring of the Spirit on king and prophet in the Old Testament time of promise (1 Sam 10:10; 16:14; Ezek 11:5), here the Spirit comes without regard to age, sex, social status or, as Acts 2:39 indicates, ethnic origin.

What the Spirit empowers people to do is prophesy. Prophecy for Luke encompasses Spirit-filled speaking in other languages (2:12, 16), predictive discourse (11:27; 21:10; compare 9:10; 10:10; 16:9; 18:9, where dreams and visions guide the post-Pentecost church) and proclamatory witness (15:32). As the Old Testament prophets made God's will known by witnessing to his Word, so now, as Luther says, all Christians are Spirit-enabled to bear witness to "knowledge of God through Christ which the Holy Spirit kindles and makes to burn through the word of the gospel" (Stott 1990:74; compare Acts 1:8).

Joel and Peter remind us of the decisiveness of these last days by pointing to cosmic signs on earth and in heaven. The universe will reveal what a shambles sinful humankind makes of things by its constant assault on God's moral order. From this the human race should know that judgment must come at the day of the Lord (Is 13:6, 9; Ezek 30:3; Zeph 1:14-15). The hope held out by Joel is thus vitally significant. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Acts 2:21/Joel 2:32).
                                      -------------------------------------------------------------------

Today, living in a time of rapid social change, moral decay, environmental crisis and seemingly unmanageable economic and political problems, we can identify with the apostle's and prophet's sense of the end. We are comforted that history is not out of control, for God is constantly at work. We live in the time of the Spirit's life-giving presence--and there is the challenge: will we call on the name of the Lord and be saved. 

Apostolic Gospel at Pentecost: The Immediate Cause (2:22-36)

Who is this Lord? How can we know he can save? What does Pentecost have to do with this salvation? Peter directs the crowd's attention to Jesus of Nazareth. He characterises Jesus' earthly ministry as the arena of publicly witnessed divine power. Through him God did miracles, the power of God at work; wonders, astonishing, significant portents that point to God's presence; and signs, miraculous embodiment of spiritual truth. God accredited Jesus' mission by these marks of the messianic age and showed that it was the very beginning of the last days.

Peter next boldly implicates the crowd in Jesus' death. He was handed over into their power. With the help of lawless men--that is, Gentile Romans (NIV wicked men)--they did away with him through crucifixion. Peter sets their responsibility in tension with God's determined purpose and foreknowledge (compare Luke 22:22). Far from discrediting Jesus as God's Messiah, this shameful death was very much a part of God's set purpose and foreknowledge (see Acts 3:18; 13:29). Though Peter does not explicitly refer to Jesus' death as a vicarious atonement, he gives us the objective fact, which is the basis for such an understanding: an innocent man suffered and died.

But there's more. Human beings may have killed Jesus, but God brought him back to life. It was not a resuscitation but an eternal resurrection. In a remarkable mixed metaphor, death's agony became its birth pangs: death was in labor and unable to hold back the "delivery" of Jesus.

As Peter will go on to prove, with respect to Pentecost, Jesus' resurrection is the answer to the question "Why?" from both angles. It is Pentecost's immediate cause (vv. 32-33), and it is the ground for the saving significance of the Pentecost event.

Peter now argues, based on Scripture, that Jesus' resurrection is part of God's saving plan. In verses 25-28 he introduces a quote from Psalm 16:8-11 to explain Jesus' resurrection as the fulfillment of prophecy about the Messiah (NIV does not translate the Greek gar, causal connector between vv. 24 and 25). The psalmist declares that because of his ongoing relationship with the Lord God, he will not be shaken. This accords well with Luke's portrayal of Jesus in his last hours (Luk e23:46/Psalm 31:5; the cry of dereliction is absent--Mark 15:34/Psalm 22:1). The psalmist expresses joyful confidence that his flesh (sarx, NIV body; v. 26) will live in hope. He openly declares that there is no abandonment to Sheol or experience of decay, but rather the path of life and the joy of God's presence forever.

How is it possible to understand a first-person psalm attributed to David, in which he appears to speak of his protection from death, as a prophecy of the Messiah's hope in a resurrection out of death?

 Peter comes to such an understanding by using two hermeneutical principles: literal interpretation and a messianic reading of first-person Davidic psalms. 

Thus David, "not . . . as a mere person but David as the recipient and conveyor of God's ancient but ever-renewed promise," can predict the Messiah's experience (Kaiser 1980:225). 

Pointing to the well-known tomb of David, Peter contends that David could not be talking about himself. By a process of elimination, then, someone else must qualify to experience the literal fulfillment of this promise. That someone is the Messiah. For David was a prophet. He had received the divinely sworn promise of an eternal reign for one of his descendants, who would be the Messiah (2 Sam 7:12-13; Ps 132:12).

But how can a Messiah who suffers and dies also reign forever (Ps 22:15-16)? It is possible only if that Messiah rises from the dead. David was permitted to see ahead of time this vital stage in God's process of redemption. So he could speak confidently of Messiah's resurrection when he said that Messiah was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay (Acts 2:31). What a wise God to plan a path the Messiah would follow to effect salvation! What a merciful God to reveal a portion of that path to prophets, so that now, as we look back after the fulfillment, it all makes sense (see 1 Pet 1:10-12).

Now Peter moves from argumentation to proclamation (Acts 2:32). The great good news is that God has now raised to life the same Jesus who was crucified (v. 23). Peter adds his voice and those of the other apostles to the witness of the Scriptures. So confident is he of the apostolic witnesses' compelling testimony that he can divide his presentation into two steps: (1) the Old Testament bears witness to a risen Messiah and (2) we bear witness to Jesus as the risen Messiah.

Peter unveils an even greater truth about Jesus which turns his audience into witnesses of God's saving grace. Jesus is the exalted Lord raised to the Father's right hand in heaven (see also v. 30). From that position of authority Jesus mediates the gift of the Spirit (Jn 14:16, 26; 16:7).

Peter now completes the second half of a chiastic (or reverse parallelism) construction that extends all the way back to verse 25. 

He has 

(a) preached Scripture proof of Jesus as the Messiah risen from the dead (vv. 25-28), 

(b) given an interpretation (vv. 29-31) and

(c) made a kerygmatic proclamation (v. 32). 

Now he 

(c') proclaims Jesus as the exalted Lord and giver of the Spirit (v. 33), 

(b') gives an interpretation (v. 34) and 

(a') presents Scripture proof (vv. 34-35/Ps 110:1). 

This construction binds together Jesus' resurrection, his exaltation and his giving of the Spirit.

Again by a process of elimination and literal interpretation, Peter applies the Old Testament text to the Messiah. David is dead; we cannot claim that he has ascended to heaven. Then, following the lead of Jesus, Peter claims that David is addressing the Messiah when he says, "The Lord [God] said to my Lord [the Messiah]" (Lk 20:41-44/Ps 110:1). When Jesus asked how David could call his descendant "Lord," he was not simply making Messiah and Lord synonymous titles. When the One who is literally exalted to the right hand of the Father is called "Lord," he is addressed as more than an honored human descendant of David. The way Jesus formulated the question implied as much. Peter, unveiling what Jesus' question hinted at, declares him to be Lord in the sense of Yahweh. Jesus is God! (See also Acts 2:21, 36, 38.)

Peter calls his listeners to know for certain that God has openly avowed Jesus to be Lord and Messiah (compare Lk 1:4). Jesus may now rightfully be declared Messiah, since he has done Messiah's saving work and has been vindicated by God, who raised him from the dead. He may properly be proclaimed Lord in the highest sense of the word, as the respectful designation of the unpronounceable name of God (YHWH). For by his resurrection-exaltation he has demonstrated that he is the ever-living and life-giving God, whom death cannot hold and who pours out the Spirit (Acts 2:24, 33).

Peter immediately reminds his listeners that it is this risen and exalted Messiah and Lord whom they have crucified. "They were not trifling with a Galilean carpenter, but God!" (Ogilvie  1983:71).Application of Pentecost: A Call to Repentance and Promise (2:37-41)

By the Spirit (John 16:8-11) the crowd feels the sharp pain of guilt  For Luke, this is as it should be: the heart, the inner life, is the source of all the thoughts, motivations, intentions and plans of sinful human beings (Lk 6:45; 12:34: 21:34; Acts 5:3-4; 7:39; 8:21-22; 28:27). Realising they have killed the Messiah, their only hope of salvation, they desperately want to know, "Is there anything we can do about this? Or are we doomed to suffer God's certain wrath on the day of the Lord?" (see 2:20). They address Peter and the rest of the apostles, for it is the apostolic gospel, not a gospel of Peter, that they must receive and cling to (2:32, 42).

The sin of people today put Jesus to death just as surely as the sinful hatred of first-century people. This fact leaves no room for anti-Semitism. With Peter's first audience, we must return to the scene of the crime, the cross. We must face up to our guilt before almighty God, the Judge. We must throw ourselves on his mercy, asking, What shall we do? (v. 37).

Peter's invitation is to repent, this turning from sin and turning to Christ is the necessary condition for receiving salvation blessings (Lk 13:3, 5; 15:7; 16:30; 24:47; Acts 3:19; 17:30; 20:21; 26:20). 

What about faith? It is mentioned in verse 44. John Stott observes, "Repentance and faith involve each other, the turn from sin being impossible without the turn to God, and vice versa" (1990:78).

Peter calls for each one of them individually (hekastos, but NIV every one) to be baptized . . . in (on the basis of) the name of Jesus Christ--that is, as Joseph Addison Alexander puts it, "by his authority, acknowledging his claims, subscribing to his doctrine, engaging in his service, and relying on his merits" (quoted in Stott 1990:78). By repentance and baptism we show that we have met the conditions for receiving forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Spirit. By making repentance and baptism conditions for the reception of salvation blessings, Luke does not imply that salvation comes by merit or ritual. He is not promoting some necessary second experience. He consistently presents both forgiveness and the Spirit as gifts of grace (3:19; 5:31; 13:38; 11:17; 15:8). The gift of the Spirit is the Spirit himself, who regenerates, indwells, unites, and transforms lives. All the fruit and gifts of the Spirit flow from this one great gift.

Peter now declares the universal extent of the salvation offer. He reaches out across time and space, generations and cultures (your children and . . . all who are afar off--that is, Jews of the diaspora and Gentiles; see Is 57:19; Eph 2:13). And he does not let his audience forget, even as he tells them their responsibility, that salvation is God's work from beginning to end. For the promise is for all whom the Lord our God will call. Those who respond are answering the Lord our God's effective call on their lives (compare Acts 13:48; 16:14). "He set me free to want what He wanted to give!" (Ogilvie 1983:72).

Now we have come full circle. The salvation promised by Joel (and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved--Acts 2:21/Joel 2:32) is accomplished by Jesus (God has made this Jesus . . . Lord--Acts 2:36). And it is humanly appropriated when one is baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (v. 38) with the assurance that the gift of salvation is for all whom the Lord our God will call (v. 39).

There were many other things Peter said to the crowd as he warned them. He kept on exhorting them to allow themselves to be saved, rescued from a corrupt (literally, "crooked") generation. The Old Testament labeled the Israelites who wandered in the wilderness a "crooked generation" (Deut 32:5; Ps 78:8). Peter's use of this phrase intensifies the call to repentance. The "wilderness generation" experienced the judgment of God when it did not repent. So will those of the present generation if they do not answer God's call and turn to him in repentance.

The gospel call comes clearly and urgently today. "The question is not, shall I repent? For that is beyond a doubt. But the question is, shall I repent now, when it may save me; or shall I put it off to the eternal world when my repentance will be my punishment?" (Samuel Davies in Wirt and Beckstrom 1974:203).

Three thousand souls welcomed the word (compare 28:30), met its conditions and were baptized. They joined the ranks of the apostles and disciples in the nucleus of the New Testament church. "The kerygma,indeed, has the power to evoke that which it celebrates" (Willimon 1988:36).

We must not be negligent either in giving or heeding invitations. Lloyd Ogilvie strongly encourages pastors to make invitation a standard part of regular worship services. In whatever form--whether printing an invitation in the bulletin, designating a room for inquirers or calling people forward during a closing hymn--the Lord's call for those to be saved should be consistently present. "People are more ready than we dare to assume. And why not? The Holy Spirit is at work!" (Ogilvie 1983:73).

May God bless you and your beloved in abundance in the name of Jesus, Amen

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