Salvation's Recipe!

Salvation's Recipe!

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Acts 2:38 KJV

Context:

We read of the last days of Jesus on earth, and the promise of the Holy Spirit who was to be sent by the Father in the name of the son. There was just one requirement: stay in Jerusalem, until you have been endued with power from the Holy Spirit. The disciples stayed in that upper room, and as promised, the Holy Spirit came down, with physical evidence made manifest to all of Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit cannot be at work in a man's life and he will not be obvious.

Simon the reed became Peter the rock, all because of the inner work of the Holy Spirit in him. He was the timid one when Jesus was being tried, denying Jesus three times, but when the Holy Spirit came, he stood up and spoke with confidence, stating that Jesus is both Lord and Christ. I can choose to ignore the signs I see, but there is no doubt that whenever and wherever God is at work, there is always a change that men will see. Yes, they may not understand the origin or direction, but there is no doubting the impact that a life under God's control will have. 

Message and Response:

Peter stood up and spoke, and men's hearts were pricked. If the Holy Spirit is at work, his impact may not be immediately evident, but give it time, it will be made manifest. There is no life so far gone that s/he is beyond the grace of God. Men had the message, and their hearts were pricked. When you hear the word of God, what does it move you to do? Does it move you to ask what you need to do in response, or like some other people, move you to scorn and ridicule? 

The men who heard Peter asked: what shall we do? Peter's response is the recipe for salvation: repent and be baptized, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The first step is for me to realise that I need help. Is there any distinction between my old way of life and a new one? Do I even know anything about the new life made available in Christ? If the conviction that comes from the Word of God does not move you to repentance, it is not yet fully mature in you. No one can become a useful vessel in God's hands without first passing through the stage of repentance. My fallen human nature is first accepted by God when I come to him, but it has to go through the deep transforming power of God if it is to be used by God. 

Baptism is also an important part of the walk of faith. It is a public declaration of a private commitment made to God. I am telling the world that I am now bound to a new master. I note: baptism is not what guarantees you heaven; only salvation does that, but when I make that public declaration, the world knows I am no longer its subject. Does my life and its present pursuits and priorities prove this is true? Am I truly saved, washed by the blood of the Lamb and fit for habitation and possession by the Holy Spirit? 

The Holy Spirit does not dwell in dirty vessels, and this dirt has to do with sin. You cannot have the Holy Spirit and still be a slave to sin. If I am still struggling with my past life of sin, and I find myself slipping ever so often into sin that God had delivered me from, I need to go back to God and ask him to help me. I cannot walk the walk of faith, fight the good fight of faith, or wrestle against principalities and powers without the help of the One who has conquered them all. In and by him is victory sure, sorted and secure. 

The Holy Spirit is a gift, not one to be obtained by force or by accident. It is the result of a deliberate decision; one taken in the knowledge that only by Him can I please God and end up in heaven with him. Down here, I need his help. Down here, the complexites of earth require divine guidance, only available in and by the Holy Spirit. He is a gift; freely given, and available to ALL. It calls for a decision from me: would I accept the gift or reject it to the end of my life? Remember, eternity beckons. Soon, a day comes when that eternity becomes a reality. The Holy Spirit is God's seal of redemption for all who have accepted him as Lord and Saviour. Have you? His time of favour is here.