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How does the message of the cross hit us? For 3,000 among Peter’s audience, they were “cut to the heart” by the conviction of the Holy Spirit and ended up responding in repentance and faith (Acts 2:37-38). As believers, if you’re at all like me, it can be easy to fall into one of two big ditches as we remember the conclusion of Peter’s sermon at Pentecost:

  • Ditch #1: Over time, we can allow the message of the cross to lose its severity and impact in our lives.
  • Ditch #2: Over time, we forget that Peter’s example here should push us to proclaim the Gospel where the Lord has positioned us.

How can we keep from falling into either or both of these ditches?

With ditch #1, we ought to learn from and meditate on exactly where Peter presses his hearers, “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified,” (v. 36). Now it is true, we don’t share a one-for-one responsibility with Peter’s hearers in regard to Christ’s death, but with Christ having to go to the cross on our behalf due to our sin, do we not share a similar guilt? Were we there at that time, might we not be ashamed to hear our own voices calling “out among the scoffers,” (Stuart Townend, “How Deep the Father’s Love For Us”)?  Christ’s death ought to be a consistent pang when we sin, driving us to hate what made His sacrifice necessary on our behalf and respond in repentance as Peter calls for. As believers, we have already taken that step of initial repentance as we turned from our sin and unbelief to repentance and faith in Christ, but turning from our sin must also be an ongoing and increasing activity the further into Christ we grow.

With ditch #2, we do well to remember that Peter’s sermon 1) is built off of Christ’s Great Commission to make disciples of all nations and 2) assumes that the 3000 saved will return home and proclaim this Gospel message themselves. This is the same Commission that we have all been saved into. I struggle with all the “what ifs” as well when it comes to sharing the truth of the Gospel (one missed opportunity with a coworker in the last couple months comes to mind!), but the fact is, to engage in the making of disciples, these ‘would-be disciples’ must first hear the message. Peter stood up boldly to declare the Gospel to his audience with a boldness not built on himself, but rather upon the Holy Spirit to do His work of conviction and regeneration as the truth of the Gospel was proclaimed. May we go forward this week in the same Spirit-fueled boldness.