Spiritual Intoxication

There was a story once told about a student of Charles Haddon Spurgeon. One day, without prior notice, Spurgeon asked this student to preach from Luke 19 about the conversion of Zacchaeus. The man climbed up into the pulpit and began to speak. “I have three points,” he said. “The first point is that Zacchaeus was of little stature, and so am I.” He continued, “The second point is that Zacchaeus was up a tree, and so am I.” Then the man concluded, “The third point is that Zacchaeus came down quickly, and I will do so also.” This man had nothing to say.

In Acts 2 we find the apostle Peter preaching a sermon, but, unlike Spurgeon’s student, Peter had much to say. This was Peter’s first and best sermon. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter preached the gospel passionately with great clarity and boldness. For the first time the message of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was proclaimed to unbelievers. This sermon was a fulfillment of Christ’s command that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations beginning in Jerusalem.

This greatest sermon of Peter’s life resulted in the conversion of three thousand souls, and we must take note of that. In today’s churches people will do many things to attract others to church and keep them coming. There is much use of contemporary music, many activities for all ages, frequent seminars for various felt needs, and small sermons which do not contain much gospel proclamation. But what modern churches really should do is to emphasize the power of the Holy Spirit and the preaching of the gospel. Why? Because only the preaching of the gospel in the power of the Spirit will result in the salvation of sinners and growth of saints. Everything else may entertain people, and may even keep them coming to a church, but it will not save and transform anyone.

Like Spurgeon’s student I also want to speak on three points in this study: First, the question of the onlookers; second, Peter’s answer; and, third, the purpose of this great outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the church.

“What Is This?”

First, we must examine the question of the witnesses of this first Pentecost day. When the crowds in Jerusalem saw this great outpouring of the Holy Spirit and heard the disciples speaking the mighty things of God in other tongues, they had one question: “What is this?”

After the ascended Lord Jesus had received the Holy Spirit from the Father, he poured the Holy Spirit out upon the assembled saints, as Peter says in Acts 2:33, to anoint them for service. Just as Jesus had been anointed after his baptism, so he anoints those who believe in him so that they may be his witnesses in the world.

This outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost was accompanied by certain phenomena. First, there was a sound “like the blowing of a violent wind” which filled the house where the disciples were assembled. Second, there appeared tongues as of fire which rested upon each believer. Third, there was the sound of each believer speaking in other tongues, which means that, inspired and enabled by the Holy Spirit, each believer began to speak the mighty things of God, as we read in Acts 2:11, in the native languages of those assembled in Jerusalem for the Feast. Controlled by the Holy Spirit the tongues of the disciples were put to the best use possible–that of praising God.

What do you think the disciples were speaking about? It is my belief that they were declaring with great conviction what they had witnessed in the life of Jesus Christ, saying, “Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah. He was crucified and buried, but God raised him from the dead. We beheld his glory and watched as he ascended into the heavens. Jesus of Nazareth is the only Savior and Lord.” I am sure they also declared what they heard from the angels, that this Jesus of Nazareth, who is Lord and Christ, is coming again to judge the world and save his people.

Whatever the disciples spoke, the Bible tells us that many in the crowd heard the words in their own dialects. We are to assume that early in the morning on this Pentecostal festival day the one hundred and twenty disciples descended from the upper room and entered the court of the women in the temple, declaring the mighty things of God in other tongues. And when they heard these things, Jews from fifteen nations, as well as others, assembled and began to wonder out loud what all the phenomena signified–the great sound of a rushing, mighty wind, the sight of fire tongues sitting on each person, and the sound of one hundred and twenty people speaking in other tongues. The assembled Jews were bewildered, confused, and amazed, and asked, “What does this mean?”

Wonder or Mock?

In the midst of this great event, we must note that not everyone was hearing the mighty things of God spoken in his own language by the saints. Why do I say this? Because verse 13 tells us that some were mocking the disciples. Some of the people did not have any spiritual understanding of this event. They could only give a rational explanation–that the disciples were drunk– and so they made fun of them.

Mocking is characteristic of unbelievers. Why? Because only by the Holy Spirit can one receive spiritual things. As we read in 1 Corinthians 2:14, a natural man does not receive things that are spiritual. In fact, they are foolishness to him, so he mocks. Mocking is the common reaction to the things of God by unbelievers.

We find many other instances of mocking in the Bible. Remember how the soldiers mocked Jesus Christ? They said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” but then they mocked and beat him. The chief priests also mocked Jesus Christ. The teachers of the law–the Bible scholars–mocked Jesus Christ, as did the elders, the wise men, of Israel. The Athenians did not understand the gospel which Paul articulated in their midst. When Paul spoke about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, they sneered at Paul, mocked him and asked, “What is this babbler saying?” (Acts 17:32) Peter wrote about mocking also in his second epistle when he said, “First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing. . . [saying] ‘Where is this ‘coming’ he promised?'” (2 Pet. 3:3-4) All this is mocking, meaning laughing at the Scriptures and the promises of God. Mockers are unbelievers whose minds are darkened by sin and who cannot understand what God is doing.

Therefore, in response to this great outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, there was not only confusion, bewilderment, and amazement, but there was also mocking. First Corinthians 1:23 tells us the gospel is foolishness to the Greeks and a stumbling block to the Jews. Unless God in his great mercy regenerates human beings, they will never understand the gospel. They can never repent nor believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved; instead, they will mock.

“This Is That”

The second point is Peter’s answer to the crowd’s question, “What does this mean?” How did Peter respond? “This is that,” meaning that which had been prophesied by the prophet Joel.

First we must mention that when Peter stood up and addressed the crowd, he was no longer speaking in other tongues; rather, he was speaking in the language of the people, probably in Aramaic or possibly Greek. Years later Paul also came to Jerusalem and spoke to a crowd around the time of Pentecost, and in Acts 21:40 we read that he addressed the crowd in Aramaic. I do not know of any place in the Scriptures where people spoke in other tongues, meaning in other languages which they did not learn, for the purpose of evangelizing.

We must also note that Peter was standing with the eleven other apostles, united with them in love and purpose. The disciples were no longer asking who among them was the greatest. They were now of one mind, one goal, and one interest. Wherever the Spirit of the Lord is poured out, there is unity, and so each apostle, including Matthias, was ready to answer the question of the crowd. Having been filled with the Holy Spirit, each apostle was anxious to preach the gospel as a witness of Jesus Christ.

Though he had failed many times before, Peter now arose as a true leader and began to speak. Notice how fearless, insightful, direct, and compassionate he now was! With great fervor and clarity Peter began to speak on behalf of the rest of the apostles and on behalf of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me tell you, God can make miserable flunkies like Peter into great successes. I believe we all can rejoice in the great truth that when God pours out his Holy Spirit upon us, he will set us on fire and enable us to fearlessly and confidently declare the gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If we are afraid of the world, Peter’s example should give us great hope.

Peter Interprets Scripture

Peter answered the crowd, “This is that,” and then began to interpret Scripture, which he had learned to do from the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Jesus had taught Peter that what was promised in the entire Old Testament would be fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ. Several times Jesus had told Peter and all the apostles that the Messiah would die, be buried, and be raised up again so that repentance and forgiveness of sins could be declared to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. When the Holy Spirit comes upon us, he will give us tremendous insight into the sacred Scriptures.

Peter understood clearly that he was living in the days of fulfillment of Old Testament promises. He later wrote about this in 1 Peter 1:10-12, “Concerning this salvation, the prophets who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.”

What had been promised by the prophets in the Old Testament had been fulfilled in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Thus, on this day of Pentecost Peter could say, “These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It is only nine in the morning!” He was reminding the crowd that Jewish people, especially on festival days, did not even eat until ten in the morning or after. In 1 Thessalonians 5:7 Paul says those who get drunk get drunk during the night, not during the day. “So,” Peter was saying, “your explanation that this is a phenomenon brought about by people getting drunk is not rational. When people are drunk, they experience dissipation and waste themselves. But this is the intoxication of the Spirit of God and it is edifying us. This fulfillment of God’s word is setting us on fire to declare the gospel so that we may edify other people.”

“This Is That”

Therefore, when Peter said, “This is that” he was declaring to the people that what they were witnessing was a fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy spoken by the prophet Joel. It was the fulfillment of Scripture, in other words. Scripture is the product of God speaking through his prophets, as we read in Acts 1:16 where Peter said that the Holy Spirit spoke through the mouth of David. All Scripture is the very word of God himself. May we always respect, honor, trust, and believe in the Holy Scriptures as God’s word to us!

Peter told the crowd that the events of this Pentecost day were in fulfillment of God’s own promise as found in the prophecy of Joel, and then he quoted, essentially, Joel 2:28-32 from the Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Old Testament.

We must realize that when Joel prophesied in the ninth century B.C., he was speaking of a great devastation by locusts. God troubled his people because of their sins by sending locusts followed by famine and drought. They had little to eat, little to drink, and little with which to celebrate. But the great locust problem Joel spoke about was only a harbinger of the greater problem that is going to come to all men. It was pointing to the day of the Lord, the last day when the Lord will come again in judgment, power, glory, and justice to judge all the world, including the nation of Israel. But before that final day of judgment, Joel prophesied that there would be a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This is the prophecy which was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost.

So Peter stood up and told the crowd, in effect, “These things that you see and hear are the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel as found in Joel 2:28-32. These people are not drunk with wine, as you suppose. They are drunk, but with the new wine of the Spirit of the living God that enlightens them, empowers them, and emboldens them to declare the gospel with earnestness and conviction.”

This was also the fulfillment of what Jesus himself said in John 7:37-38, “On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.'” I think that is a word for all of us. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, there shall be an outflow of living water. The evidence that we are filled with the Holy Spirit is that we declare Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world.

The one hundred and twenty disciples had drunk of Christ, and out of their innermost beings began to flow rivers of life, meaning they began to proclaim the gospel. What Joel had prophesied and what Jesus had declared came to pass on the day of Pentecost.

An Eschatological Outpouring

What can we learn from this quotation from Joel? First, Joel prophesied this great outpouring of the Holy Spirit would take place at the end of time, in the last days. Joel simply says, “Afterwards,” and the Septuagint says, “Meta tauta–After these things.” But when Peter quoted this passage by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he said, “En tais eschatais hhmerais–in these last days.” This outpouring of the Holy Spirit is eschatological. In other words Peter, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, was declaring, “Men and brethren, you who come from fifteen nations, we are now living in the last days. The last days that Isaiah, Hosea, Zechariah and Joel predicted–the days of fulfillment of God’s promises–are here.”

Jesus himself said this in Luke 4. After the Father anointed him with the Holy Spirit, he came to Nazareth and read from Isaiah 61, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.” Then he closed the scroll and declared in verse 21, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

We are living in the last days, the Messianic days, meaning the days of the gospel, mercy, grace, salvation, and repentance. These are the days when the good news is proclaimed, and if we repent, God will save us. In 1 John 2:18 the apostle John tells us that this is the last hour and in 1 Peter 1:20 Peter tells us these are the last times. The writer to the Hebrews says in Hebrews 1:1-2, “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things and through whom he made the universe.” In the last days God has spoken to us most clearly by his Son.

But soon these last days will come to an end and another day, the day of the Lord, will come. It will be a terrible day, a day of judgment, when Christ will come again in power and great glory to judge with perfect justice everyone who mocked him, refused to believe in him, and turned his back on him. (PGM) That terrible day is coming, but now is the day of grace, the day of the Messiah in his saving role. Now is the day when the spirit of supplication and repentance has been poured out.

We must realize that even though the last days have been going on for two thousand years, our own last days will soon come to an end. We will all die, some sooner than others, and that will be the end of our last days. We recently heard of some children being killed while they were at school. I am sure they went to school that day just as they had done every other day, but on this particular day they died. Their last days are over, and our last days will also soon be over.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 Paul wrote, “Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” Don’t we say such things, especially here in the United States? The stock market doubled in the past three years and our wallets are swollen with money; therefore, we do not care what else goes on in the world. Whenever people are making a lot of money, and whenever there is no tension or war, they are not interested in the gospel. They want to live the good life, as our popular culture defines it. But this scripture tells us that no one will escape God’s sudden judgment. We must realize that for each of us the last days will end, suddenly, and the day of the Lord will arrive.

Have you been uninterested in repentance? Have you been debating about forsaking your idols of sins? Has the Spirit of God been speaking to you, but you have been stiffening and hardening your heart, thinking the last days will go on forever? Let me urge you to escape the destruction by believing the gospel and entering the safety of God’s ark by trusting in Jesus Christ alone before your last days end. As we read in 2 Corinthians 6:2, “Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.”

An Abundant Outpouring on All

Not only is this outpouring eschatological, but it is also copious. The Spirit of God is not being poured out drop by drop, so to speak. The word used means a mighty effusion, a great outpouring–not in drops but in great abundance. We find this word in Acts 2:17-18, Acts 2:33 and Acts 10:45. It gives us the picture of God pouring out his Spirit upon the desert so that it may blossom, bloom, and bear great fruit for the glory of God.

We see a picture of this outpouring in 1 Samuel 16. God asked Samuel to anoint David, so Samuel took a horn, filled it with oil, and went to Jesse’s house. There he lifted the oil-filled horn and emptied it upon David. From that very day the Spirit of the Lord, which had left Saul, came upon David, empowering him to do the work of a king.

In the Old Testament we read of only a few people–prophets, priests and kings–being anointed by the Holy Spirit. They were anointed with oil, as David was, which symbolized the coming upon them of the mighty Spirit of the living God. In 1 Samuel 16:13 we read, “From that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power.”

But now the Spirit of God is poured out in abundance upon the whole church, not just the leaders. The Bible clearly declares that all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ are kings, priests, and prophets. In 1 Peter 2:9 we read, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” We are kings, priests and prophets so that we might declare the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Why do you think the Spirit of the living God is poured out in such abundance on all God’s people? Because we have a job to do. We must declare to all the world that there is one who alone can draw people out of darkness and bring them also into the marvelous light. We must proclaim that there is one who alone is able to raise people up from the dead and give them eternal life, and that one is Jesus Christ. And as a result of this mighty effusion of the Holy Spirit upon us, we will be able to resist the enemy, defy death, declare the gospel, and pursue holiness in the crooked and perverse generation in which we live.

A Universal Outpouring

Additionally, this outpouring is universal. God said, “I will pour my Spirit on all people.” The desire of Moses expressed in Numbers 11:29 was fulfilled in these last days, says Peter. What did Moses desire? “I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!”

When the Spirit of God is put on you, you will prophesy, which is what God desires for all his people. It is a universal outpouring, meaning there is no longer any discrimination. There is no racial discrimination; the Spirit of God is poured out upon Jews as well as Gentiles. There is no sexual discrimination: the Spirit of God is poured out upon women as well as men. There is no age discrimination: the Spirit of God is poured out on the old and the young. There is no rank discrimination: the Spirit of God is poured out on slaves as well as masters.

These last days, in other words, are days of great liberation. These are eschatological days, Messianic days, days of the gospel, and days of grace, but they are also days of men’s liberation, women’s liberation, children’s liberation, slaves’ liberation, Gentiles’ liberation, Jews liberation. God is setting captives free.

When we speak of being filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, we are not speaking about being filled with gold or silver or political power. No! When God pours out his mighty Holy Spirit, we become filled with God himself. Have you ever thought about that? How often do we hunger and thirst for money, position, power and everything else, yet neglect this great afflatus, effusion, outpouring of the Spirit of God upon us? How often are we satisfied with creation rather than with the Creator, God who is forever praised?

That All May Prophesy

What is the third point? The purpose of this great outpouring of the Spirit upon the church was so that God’s people may prophesy, as we read in Acts 2:17-18, and that God’s people may be saved.

God is pouring out his Holy Spirit so that we may declare his mighty works and praises. What are those works? That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he suffered the wrath of God that was due us, that Christ was buried, that Christ has been raised by the mighty power of God according to the Scriptures, that Christ is Lord of all, that Christ alone is the Savior of the world, and that Christ is coming again to judge the world.

Through our words and lives we are to lift Jesus higher so that sinners may look to him and be saved. That is the purpose of being filled with the Holy Spirit. We are poles, and our job in this world is to lift up Jesus Christ crucified and display him to the world. Jesus himself said in John 12:32, “But I, if I am lifted up, will draw all men to myself,” and here “all men” means Jews and Greeks, men and women, masters and slaves, young and old. Jesus Christ has been lifted up by the Father and so we must lift him up before the world. Didn’t he also tell us, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses”? When we are anointed by the Spirit from high, we must witness about Christ.

This is exactly what Peter was doing on the day of Pentecost. He was lifting Jesus higher through his words. But Peter also said that all God’s people–not just his ministers, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, or teachers–must prophesy. That is what this text tells us. The common notion that the preacher alone can declare the gospel is nonsense. All must prophesy–young people, old people, masters, slaves, men, and women. Every Christian has this great responsibility of bearing witness to Jesus Christ.

In Acts 11 we find a clear illustration of this point that all Christians, not just leaders, must share the gospel with others. There had been a great persecution of Christians following the death of Stephen, and in Acts 11:19-20 we read, “Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.” These people were not apostles, but they were witnessing to Jesus Christ. The apostles had the special task of guaranteeing the truthfulness of the gospel tradition, but prophesying and proclaiming the gospel is every Christian’s business.

All Who Call on the Name of the Lord Will Be Saved

The purpose of this great outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the salvation of souls. In Acts 2:21 we read, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved,” and Paul says the same thing in Romans 10:13.

Faith comes by hearing, we read in Romans 10:17. That means someone must prophesy and bear witness to Jesus Christ, and someone else must hear that gospel proclamation. Why? So that anyone who hears and calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved–Jew, Gentile, man, woman, slave or free. Whether one is a Canaanite, a Gentile, a Sadducee, a Pharisee, rich or poor, that person can be saved based on repentance. It doesn’t matter where we are; we can be saved anywhere. We do not need to come to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices because the final sacrifice was offered up by Jesus Christ and no ritualistic sacrificial system remains. When can a person be saved? Any time, meaning now. Jesus said, “Today is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” This is the day of salvation, which means we can be liberated today. “Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.”

“Call upon the name of the Lord today and be saved,” Peter was telling the crowd. How can this happen? Because the Lord Jesus Christ is God. And at the end of his sermon he told the crowd they had killed Jesus but God raised him up and made him Lord and Christ.

Salvation is found in no one but Jesus of Nazareth. Perhaps you would like to ask, “What must I do to be saved?” If so, I would tell you to repent. Why? Our minds are full of error. We are self-centered and despise God. But if we come to God and say, “I am a sinner and God is good, great, just, holy, and gracious. I abhor, grieve over, and forsake my sin. I trust in Jesus Christ, the only mediator between man and God,” we shall be saved. Why? Jesus is the one who took God’s wrath for us on himself. He suffered our hell and offers his heaven to us. If we repent and believe in Christ alone for salvation, our hell will be gone forever and we will receive Christ’s heaven and life.

“Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved”! Psalm 65:2 tells us God is one who hears prayers. He doesn’t hear the prayer of a sinner who is arrogant and stubborn, but he will hear the prayer of a sinner who repents and believes.

What a tremendous promise this is! What did Peter say? “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.” Legei ho Theos–God says! God himself says that anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. This is not Peter’s opinion. God says.

God’s Word Is True

We are living in the last days, but maybe today your last days will end and you will die. Today you are hearing the gospel. This is the day of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This is the day of the Messiah when he saves.

As I was studying the Greek text, I saw that when Peter quoted Joel’s prophecy he said “Legei ho Theos–God says,” which was not in the Septuagint nor the Hebrew text. But under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit Peter said, “God says.” What do you think he meant by that? Well, we know that when God promises something, it will happen. Peter was proclaiming the guarantee of God himself that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

In 1 John 5:9 we read something about what God says. John begins, “We accept man’s testimony.” Isn’t that true? We live every day believing in other human beings. But then John writes, “God’s testimony is greater.” Why do you think that is true? Because it is God’s testimony. Man is a liar, but God is truth and cannot lie. “Let God be true, and every man a liar” (Rom. 3:4). So John writes, “But God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar.” In other words, any person who refuses to believe in Jesus Christ is declaring that God is a liar.

John continues, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” There is no other way of salvation. Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved, but there is no other salvation. This may not be politically correct speech, but it is the truth, and we believe it and proclaim it. Salvation is not found anywhere else. In verse 12 John writes, “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” In other words, he who believes in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has life, but he who does not have the Son of God does not have life, and, John says in John 3:36, the wrath of God is abiding upon him.

What About You?

Joel’s prophecy said that the day of the Lord, the day of final judgment, is coming, but before that happens your own last days may end. Therefore, I urge you to consider these questions: Have you repented of your sins? Have you believed in Jesus of Nazareth, the only one who can take your hell and give you heaven? Have you done the only thing that is needful, which is to call upon the name of the Lord and be saved? Have you been saved from the wrath to come?

What about you who say you are Christians? God is pouring out his Holy Spirit in abundance so that you may all prophesy. Therefore, I ask you: What are you speaking? Are you declaring his praises fearlessly, boldly, clearly and with insight? Are sinners being saved through your declaration? Remember, we must all give an account to God. Are you fulfilling his purpose for your life, which is to prosper you and others through your prophecy?

In 1 Peter 3:14-15 Peter wrote, “Do not fear what they fear.” Before he was filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter feared everyone. He had even denied his Lord three times to save his own hide. But after he was filled with the Holy Spirit, he wrote, “‘Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.’ But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”

What happened to Peter? Fear left him forever. No longer frightened, he continued to boldly proclaim Christ and eventually he was crucified for his testimony.

May God fill us with his Holy Spirit, that we may also boldly proclaim Christ. If you are fearful in any way, you need the Holy Spirit. And if you have never trusted in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, may God help you to do so today. This is the last day–the day of grace, the day of Messiah, the day when the Spirit of God is poured out to the desert. May God help you to trust in him today. Amen.