Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” (Acts 2:37)
At the conclusion of Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost, people cried out, “What should we do?” to which 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.” As a result, we read that “Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.” (v.41)
What is interesting here, and instructive for us all regarding the way God works, is that Peter never asked for a response. He didn’t ask people to close their eyes, raise their hands, stand or come to the front. He didn’t make an appeal and continue to make an appeal until he received the response He was hoping for, and yet the response was astounding!
So, what is going on here? What can we learn about the way God does ministry, and in particular the way He produces fruit through the preaching of His Word?
Firstly, as we saw in the previous chapter, Peter simply “preached Christ” based on what he himself had witnessed. Essentially, he was saying, “This is who Jesus is, and this is what God has done.”
The second thing he did, and the point we will focus on in this chapter, was to continue by saying, “…and this is who you are” or more specifically, “…this is what you have done.”
His whole message, and these two points, are summed up in the final sentence of His sermon: “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!” (v.36)
As he made this contrast between God and man, the enormity of the sin they had committed “pierced the hearts” of the listeners and they responded accordingly with a desire to once more be made right with God (v.37)
Here then is the lesson for us today. If the Holy Spirit is to bring conviction into people's hearts, they must see God for who He is and themselves for who they are.
If the Holy Spirit is to bring conviction into people's hearts, they must see God for who He is and themselves for who they are.
This means talking about something we are tempted to avoid in today’s world where truth is seen as subjective, tolerance is highly regarded and “cancel culture” is a few misspoken words away. It means talking about sin.
Granted, while we must be bold enough to talk about sin, we must also be wise enough to know how to talk about sin.
When it comes to preaching sin, there are two extremes to avoid. The first is to avoid it because it is unpopular. We reason that no one likes to be told that what they are doing is wrong and so, to avoid offence, or simply out of fear, we sidestep sin and hope a message that simply focuses on the love of God will be sufficient.
The second extreme is to preach sin in a highly emotive and guilt-inducing way that points the finger at people and leaves them feeling condemned. While perhaps well-meaning, such an approach shows a lack of reliance on the convicting power of the Holy Spirit.
Peter understood this. The results he saw were not because he had figured out a sure-fire way to pressure people into “decisions” or because he used emotive-laden guilt tactics. On the contrary, he knew that as he faithfully did his part and simply preached the gospel, the Holy Spirit could be relied upon to do His part and bring true repentance into the hearts of the people.
Not only is this passage instructional for us, but it also provides us with a warning.
In our desire to be used by God, we can be too eager to press for results, resulting in converts who are born too soon. Instead of allowing the Holy Spirit time to do His work of convicting and drawing, we pressure people to commit before they are ready.
Just as a premature baby risks not surviving, premature believers too often turn back because their “decision” was more inspired by a passing sense of emotion and guilt induced by the eloquence of our appeal, than by the actions of the Holy Spirit.
In fact, rather than talking people into a decision to follow Christ, we may be better served by trying to talk them out of any such decision they want to make. When a person is considering becoming a Christian, I have made it a habit to remind them that, “Following Jesus is not easy”, and asking them, “Have you truly counted the cost?”
When the Holy Spirit is at work, such questions will in no way be able to thwart His work.
Reflection and discussion
Is it wrong to ask for a response at the end of a gospel presentation? Discuss.
How does our church or ministry deal with the topic of sin? Are we in danger of either of the extremes: either avoiding it or teaching about it in a way that brings condemnation?
How do you personally approach the topic of sin when you are talking individually with people who you know are disobeying God?
Discuss the idea of “trying to talk people out of a decision” to ensure they are really serious about repenting and turning to Jesus. What merit does it have? What dangers or drawbacks might it pose?
Application
What would you say to someone who wanted to become a Christian to ensure they have counted the cost and understand that following Jesus is not easy?