37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
Sometimes we feel like we need to make the Gospel friendly or fearful for those who have not given their lives to Jesus. Romans 1:16 says that the Gospel is the Power of God for salvation. When we try to make the Gospel something it is not, we interfere with the Power of God. The people listening to Peter were deeply affected by the good news about Jesus. Our job is to present the Gospel for what it is and let God work in people’s hearts.
38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
In response to the people’s question of “what shall we do”, Peter lays out how they should respond to the Gospel. They should repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus. Now this verse has led to some debate and division among different denominations. Some mistakenly view Peter as saying that in order to be saved you must repent and be baptized. While this verse does make it seem that way, the united voice of the rest of the scriptures and even Peter himself in the rest of Acts (3:19) show that in order to be saved you must Repent. The reason Peter adds baptism in verse 38 is because the people asked what the must do in response to the Gospel message. Repentance leads to salvation; baptism is the first step of obedience. Repentance is the turning away from sin and baptism is the first step toward Christ.
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
After being Baptized, the people devoted to three things: 1. The Apostles teaching 2. Fellowship of believers and 3. Prayer. These three things became the things that shaped the first century church. In the same way, these three things are essential for every Christian to live out. Are you studying the teachings of the Bible? Are you caring for other believers in your local church? Are you praying often and seeking God’s guidance?
46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
The example by the first century church was to meet temple and gather at homes for meals. As Baptist we like to combine the two. (I can’t wait for the next time we can meet and have a breakfast Sunday!)
These two practices are essential to building faith and unity within the church. When we come together in a special building to worship, we show God he is worthy of our time and effort to get there. When we gather with other believers in homes, we show each other the importance of our personal relationships. Like the early church, we must make the most of our worship and our relationships as we grow in our faith.
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