[Around the Table] Everyone Is InvitedSample

Salvation And Devotion

Peter, who once cowered in fear, now declared Jesus with boldness. His words were fire-empowered by the Holy Spirit. He preached the good news, the gospel message, to those who did not believe. And Peter’s words pierced their hearts! They brought great conviction. So the people responded, “what must we do?” (Acts 2:37)

When the Holy Spirit moves through empowered people who walk in their authority, God-created identity, and purpose, others respond by asking, what must we do?” The power of the presence of God on display always precedes the kindness of God bringing conviction upon humankind. The gospel lived out authentically is attractive in every way.

Peter replied, “each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the Holy Spirit'"(Acts 2:38). Peter continued preaching for a long time and 3,000 people responded. That’s another by-product of Jesus' ministry, crucifixion and resurrection: it resulted in community, empowerment, authority, and salvation.

But the story goes on. Acts 2:42 says that “all the believers devoted themselves…” Besides all the things we’ve seen, Jesus’ ministry results in depth of devotion. The gospel should overwhelmingly compel us to depth of devotion, to a thank-you life.

The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, and sharing in meals. This is what the New Testament church is built on. A deep sense of awe came over them all and the apostles performed many miracles, signs, and wonders. As these faithful followers of Jesus remained in obedience to Jesus, we see they were unified in community. They all shared everything and even sold their possessions to share the money with those in need. They worshipped, met in each other’s homes, took the Lord’s Supper around the table, and shared meals with great generosity. All the while praising God and enjoying goodwill of all the people. This is the fruit. This is what it should look like and what it should feel like.

They were deeply devoted, obviously, to the Lord but they were also devoted to one another. They had a familial connection. Once you encounter the glory of God in a life-altering way with one another, it’s super hard to walk away from that. The ultimate result of Jesus’ ministry should overwhelmingly compel us to this life of deep, deep devotion and unity.