“Thank You, Lord Jesus, that You long to see if we are broken and contrite before You. We praise You that as Peter spoke, there was great conviction in the hearts of the Jews and they repented before You. Lord, we pray that we will always be repentant before You. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.”
Peter and the rest of the apostles had communicated the message of the Lord to their audience. This was the work of the Holy Spirit through them.
So, as the Lord brought conviction to the hearts of the hearers, there was a powerful change that took place in their audience.
This is what all of us long to see happen, in our audiences that as we share with them the word of God, the Holy Spirit would bring conviction and they would repent before the Lord.
Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
At the end times, the Lord would cause the house of David to repent for rejecting Jesus. We see this happening in our times but it was beginning to take place there in Acts 2.
Zechariah 12:10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn
God is longing to restore the people of Israel to Himself. He is the spurned Husband. He is longing for His bride, both Jews and Gentiles, His church, to come back to Him, with brokenness, and be fully surrendered and submitted to Him.
Ezekiel 36:26-28 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. (27) I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. (28) Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God.
John the Baptist came as a forerunner to Jesus. His message brought conviction to his hearers. People repented of their sins and they were baptised. John came to prepare the hearts of the people, to cause them to be repentant and ready to receive their Master.
Luke 3:7-10 Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? (8) Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. (9) And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (10) So the people asked him, saying, “What shall we do then?”
There was a tremendous impact through the ministry of John. People began to repent and turn to the Lord.
This is the work of the Scriptures. God’s word brings conviction. God’s word does not spare anyone but is a hammer that breaks the resistance in people.
Hebrews 4:12-13 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (13) And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
People are also warned that if they do not repent they will have to stand before the judgment seat of Christ and give an account of themselves before God.
We see this beautiful experience of repentance in the life of the younger son in the parable of the prodigal son.
Luke 15:17-21 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! (18) I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, (19) and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ‘ (20) “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. (21) And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
When people repent and are sorry for themselves before God and long to come back into the embrace of God, where He is our Husband and we are His bride, there is great rejoicing in heaven.
Praise God that on that day, the disciples, filled with the Holy Spirit, caused this great turnaround to take place. This is our task even today as His church.