Scripture
Acts 2:37–41 (NIV)
Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”
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 gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.
Reflection
After the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, Peter—the same Peter who denied Jesus three times—stood up and preached a message that cut to the hearts of everyone listening. The power of the Holy Spirit gave him boldness and courage in unexpected ways. As a result, 3,000 people experienced a transformation from death to life because they understood God's goodness. They recognized God had sent Jesus to die for their sins and were amazed by the fact that Jesus had risen from the dead, just as he had predicted.
This was when the movement began to spread. Lives were saved, the church was established, and the body of Christ began to exemplify what it meant to love God and others (Acts 2:42–47).
What would it look like to experience that kind of Holy Spirit-empowered life change? Imagine if we could see countless people surrendering to Jesus. Imagine if we began to look outward to see the needs in our community. Imagine if we listened to the promptings of the Holy Spirit within us and acted on them. Imagine if we had the opportunity in our lifetime to witness a mighty move of God, a revival?
As we've learned in this devotional series, it requires three key things:
- The power of the Holy Spirit
- A deep hunger for more of God among his people
- Sincere, desperate, and unified prayer
It's personal and communal.
It requires us to examine our own lives and to ask the hard questions about what we're still clinging to and what we need to surrender.
It requires us to examine our spiritual disciplines and to be honest about our real priorities.
It may require us to rearrange our schedules, our relationships, and our wants.
But on the other side, it will be worth it, because when we've given the Holy Spirit free reign over our lives, hearts, and actions, we are positioning ourselves for a move of God.
If the members of the body of Christ do this individually, it will overflow corporately because we'll be unified. We'll have hearts on fire for Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit. We'll crave more and more of Jesus and find ourselves praying for him to move—just like he did in that upper room.
My prayer is that as individuals and as a church, we'll seek God more than anything else this world has to offer. He is our provider, healer, rock, shelter, Lord, and Savior. He is worthy of our complete surrender, and when we live according to his ways, our light will shine to those around us. It's then that our families, our church, and our community will be transformed. Only then will we see a move of God!
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
I come before you today with an open heart, seeking a revival of your spirit within me first and then in my community. I ask for your guidance and strength as I examine my life and seek to fully surrender to you. Help me identify and release anything hindering my complete commitment to you. Grant me the courage and wisdom to let go of my fears, desires, worries, and expectations and to place them at your feet.
Fill me with a hunger for more of you, Lord. Help me yearn for a deeper relationship with you and to be filled with the Holy Spirit as I seek your presence. I pray for a unity of purpose among your people so that we may lift our voices in prayer and seek your will for our lives and our community.
We long to see a move of God in our midst, just as in the days of Peter and the early church. May your spirit ignite a fire within us that cannot be quenched, leading to transformation in our families, our church, and our community. Help us to live according to your ways so that our light may shine brightly and draw others to you.
In Jesus's name I pray,
Amen.
Church Family Prayer
Heavenly Father, we want you to move. We are hungry and desperate for more of you. Pour your Spirit out over us, our families, our church, and our community.
In Jesus's name I pray,
Amen.
