Acts 2:40-41
Verse 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
As the Holy Spirit was working in their hearts Peter continued speaking. He even told them to save themselves from the corrupt generation. Of course this is not talking about salvation from sins but it was a call to come out of the traditional or cultural norms and to live counter culturally. Many nations in the Middle and Far East are steeped so far in their culture that it is hard to tell where culture ends and religion begins.
With culture and religion so intertwined, it would have been difficult for them to understand what their next steps would be. As Jewish people they knew they weren’t to worship gods other than the God of heaven, they knew they were to keep the Sabbath as holy, and various cleansing and sacrificial laws, but this was different. It wasn’t about offering sacrifices but understanding that Jesus was the sacrifice to end all sacrifices.
What Peter had been trying to teach them was about reviving their understanding of God and His ways. Unless the people listening understood the difference of being a Jew and a follower of Jesus, the Messiah, they couldn’t do what Peter was telling them must be done. It was about understanding the Lord’s teachings and knowing how to live them out. Instead of doing things to stay in God’s good graces, they were now to show they were Christ’s followers by living as He lived.
Jesus was well versed in what the Scriptures said. He was also ready to defend what He knew the Scriptures said so He could show who He truly was. He loved others, even those others avoided and despised. He didn’t focus on their physical state but their spiritual state. Jesus wasn’t as concerned with what they looked like as He was with how they looked spiritually.
With the message firmly in their hearts, the people who God was calling, repented and were added to the number of believers. About 3000 people were added that day, 3000 people who willing to be different than those around them. These people loved God enough to go against the cultural norms, and in some circumstances their families, so they could make Jesus the Messiah known. That is revival!
Making It Personal
How willing are you to live counter-cultural? Are you willing to be shunned by family and friends to stand for unpopular teachings of Jesus? Where do you need to stand for Him today?
Making It Personal Kids
Are you willing to live like Jesus even if others make fun of you? Should Jesus be more important to you than your family and friends? How can you be like Jesus today?
Closing Prayer
Father, we repent of the times we have not been willing to live counter-cultural for You. Give us the courage and strength to live for You in every single situation. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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