“When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'” (Acts 2:37, 38 NIV84)
Words and language are at the core of what we human beings are. We exist to communicate. Over the centuries, millions of ideas, thoughts, and concepts have been communicated. Even today, we have hundreds of channels on our televisions; we do Google searches on our computers and smartphones so that we can gain information and understanding. Carefully crafted words have moved sports teams to play beyond their ability and do great things. They have moved entire nations to go to war and fight for the defense of moral imperatives. But there is only one grouping of words that promises to change humanity from the inside out. God’s Word!
With words and language God powerfully created all that there is. With a simple but powerful, “Let there be…”, there was! For centuries, He gave His Word to the prophets who wrote them down and preserved them. Finally, God sent His Word into the world in human flesh. The baby Jesus whose birth we celebrate every Christmas is God’s Word in the flesh. If we want to know what God thinks and feels, we simply need to watch and listen to Jesus. Jesus promised to those who follow Him the presence and power of the Holy Spirit upon their words. As the disciples began to spread the good news about Jesus’ death and resurrection, people were touched by the Holy Spirit and were “cut to the heart.” The Spirit of God worked through the Apostles’ words to convict, redeem, restore and re-create. Humanity was becoming born again and experiencing the transformative power of God’s Word. Like no other words on the planet, God’s Word powerfully changes hearts and lives all over the world; and it does so from the inside out. It doesn’t just persuade, it re-creates.
I pray that God’s Word is powerfully working in us and in the words we use.
Peace!
Pastor Tom
www.firmlyrooted.church
