Student Response – Lauren Hammontree
Have you ever thought about how important language is in our day-to-day lives? Probably not. Most people in our community all speak the same language, and there’s little to no difficulty in communicating. Now imagine you were traveling in a foreign country. Sure, some people might speak English, but everybody around you is speaking another language. All of a sudden, you hear people speaking English. This immediately grabs your attention. Not only would you want to listen, but you’d also feel relief and comfort in hearing a familiar language. This is what you would have felt if you had been there with the apostles on Pentecost.
Every time I hear this story, I am amazed. It is just so, so cool to me that the Holy Spirit was able to work through them in such a unique way. It’s hard to imagine what it would have been like to hear people speaking your native language, then look around to see that others heard their languages too. This is why the crowd took such an interest in what the apostles were preaching. They wanted to know more about what they were hearing, and how they could be a part of what was going on.
In verse 38, Peter tells the crowd to “repent and be baptized,” and that this is all that you need to do in order to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. About three thousand of the crowd were inspired by his sermon and did as Peter instructed, which is a lot of people. However, these promises weren’t just for the crowd that day. In verse 39, Peter says that, “this promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off- for all whom the Lord our God will call.” This means that the promises made that day apply to us too, and everyone who will come after us. We too can have a new life in Christ, one full of purpose and joy and the Holy Spirit. So long as we repent of our sins and be baptized, we can live our fullest lives.
This week, I want you to spend some time with the Lord. Think on the promises He has made to you, and how amazing and powerful He truly is. I invite you to pray over these verses, to pray and ask God to help you walk in his ways. You might not get answers right away, but God will not steer you wrong. He gave you these gifts, but it is up to you to decide if you want to receive them. Choose the path of meaning and truth. Choose God.