Now the Lord Jesus
has gone back to His heavenly kingdom. Like
school children taking home assignment from their teacher, the disciples
including all of us who profess to be the followers of Christ are given an
assignment to go out and preach the gospel to all creatures and baptise those
who believe.
When He was about
to go back to Heaven, Jesus commanded the Apostles “not to depart from
Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father” Acts 1:4, so that they would
receive power of the Holy Spirit from above to enable them do the work of
teaching the gospel to all creatures in all the nations of the world. In obedience to the command to remain in
Jerusalem, the apostles and other disciples all numbering one hundred and
twenty went into the upper room of the temple where they “continued with one accord in prayer and supplication” Acts 1:14,
until the day of Pentecost when:
“…suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a
rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And
there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each
of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with
other tongues.”
Acts 2:2-4
The news about
the strange happening spread like wild fire to towns and cities, prompting people
to rush down to the place. People who
gathered “were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not
all these which speak Galileans?” Acts 2:7.
Why are we then hearing each of them speaking his own language? In fact in their amazement they expressed
their displeasure and wondered, “What meanest this?” Some of the people who came however began to
mock them saying: “These men are full of new wine”, Acts 2:13.
But Peter used
the opportunity to preach to them. Yes, the beginning of Apostle Peter’s
Ministry. Recall that Jesus had earlier given the Key to start the Ministry to Peter.
Peter stood up with the eleven other
apostles; note all the twelve apostles remained standing when Peter was
ministering to the people. It is
advisable for you to read the message of Peter to the people from the Bible in
Acts 2:14-36.
When the people
heard the message of Peter they were troubled in their hearts and they asked
Peter and the other eleven Apostles standing with him what they should do to be
saved, Acts 2:37. And Peter told them to
repent and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins
and they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
“Repent” here as
used by Peter means ‘believe and be sorrowful about your sins and accepting that
Jesus is the Son of God by only whom you can be saved’. Many of the people that
heard the message on the day of Pentecost received the word and were instantly
baptised.
“Then they that gladly received his word were baptised:
and the same day there added unto them about three thousand souls”. Acts 2:41
Questions: Is baptismal class necessary
as done in almost all the churches? How
long is it supposed to take to baptise anyone who believes? To be continued! .
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