WAYPOINTS
MONDAY, 2/3
 
Read Acts 2:12-15.
12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”  13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!”
When the crowd of God-fearing (but not yet believing in Jesus) Jews gathered to see this group of 120 who were declaring the wonders of God in their various languages, they asked the inevitable question, “What does this mean?”  Some reached for the most plausible answer when you see someone acting out of the ordinary–they’re drunk.  
Peter quickly shoots down the assumption of some of the crowd.  After all, how would wine help them speak in a language they previously didn’t know?  
The skeptical ones in the crowd are a good example of how sometimes we are unwilling to be open to a new thing.  For them, it was easier to reach for something they understood than be open to something they didn’t.  
The same is often true for us.  There are times we aren’t open to a new movement of the Lord in our lives.  Perhaps we value our comfort and want to hold onto it, so we rationalize something away or dismiss it altogether.  Sometimes our past experience becomes a wall that we aren’t willing to move beyond.  We are often the greatest obstacle to God’s movement in our lives.  
While we don’t know if some of these skeptical ones came around after Peter’s sermon, I assume some of them did, considering what they would miss if they weren’t willing to consider anything beyond what they assumed to be true.  
If we want to see God do great things in and through us, we must be open to His leading.  We have to trust Him.  We have to be willing to go on a journey of discovery at times.  God is willing to expand our horizons.  We must not be the ones to get in the way of what He wants to do.  
Praying Together:
“Father, we trust You and what You want to do in our lives.  We know that You work for the good in our lives.  You desire to lead us into fullness of life.  We will get out of Your way and invite You to teach us, guide us, and expand the horizons of our comfort zones.  Amen.”
 
WAYPOINTS
TUESDAY, 2/4
 
Read Acts 2:16-21.
 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 “‘In the last days, God says,
    I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
    your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,  I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
    and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heavens above   and signs on the earth below,   blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness  and the moon to blood
    before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
After the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the people, Peter stood up to address the crowd.  He goes on to explain the nature of the events they were witnessing by referencing a prophecy in Joel 2.  
Now, it can be easy when reading a prophecy like this to get caught up in the more fantastic elements, such as the visions, dreams, and blood moons, but the point of those events is to direct our attention to the second coming of Christ.  
At the second coming, Jesus will come back to earth as the rightful ruler and Lord.  He will take His creation as His own and establish His Kingdom among them.  He will redeem that which has been broken, including those whose lives have been joined to His by faith.  Joel’s prophecy includes an invitation to call upon the Lord and a promise that when we do, God is faithful in that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  Peter uses the prophecy found in Joel to point toward Jesus.  Peter extends the invitation to the people so they can unite their lives with Christ.    
According to Luke’s account of Jesus’ story, Pentecost is the first time Peter speaks after he denied Jesus.  In Luke’s gospel, once Peter denied Jesus, he simply faded into the background.  It was as if he had lost his identity.  He was a shadow of the bold voice for the disciples.  It isn’t until Pentecost, when he is filled with the Holy Spirit, that Peter emerges as a redeemed and restored person.  
At Pentecost, Peter regains his voice, yet he is distinctly different.  While in the gospels, Peter was known for being bold, he often lacked wisdom.  Empowered by the Spirit, Peter is able to articulate the gospel.  He speaks with newfound wisdom, authority, and boldness.  He also sees something in the people’s response that we had not seen from Peter’s ministry before–fruit.  The people hear his message, repent of their sins, and believe in Jesus.  This is all because Peter is ministering out of the Spirit’s power rather than his weakness.  If we want to see fruit from our lives, we too must serve out of the Spirit’s strength and wisdom.           
Praying Together:
“Lord, we celebrate Your grace for Peter.  You chose Him to be Your voice even after his failure.  If You are pleased to do great things through someone like Peter, then You are willing to do great things through people like us.  We claim once again our identity in You that we might move out in faithful service to You.  Everything we do for You, we do with You and Your power at work within us. Amen.”
 
WAYPOINTS
WEDNESDAY, 2/5
 
Read Acts 2:22-24.
22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 
In this part of his message, Peter shifts his attention from Joel to Jesus.  He moves away from the prophecy to its fulfillment through Jesus. 
Peter sums up Jesus’ life and ministry in just a handful of verses.  He makes the point that Jesus was clearly from God, of which His many wonders were a testimony.  Many of the people agreed to this.  It was the religious leaders who refused to admit the obvious.  
Peter tells the crowd that while Jesus was handed over to be killed by sinful men, it was only the plan of God that allowed it to happen.  Had it not been within God’s will, Jesus very well could’ve called down 10,000 angels to come to His aid.  Jesus wasn’t captured and killed against His will.  He surrendered His life on His own accord.  
In the same way that Jesus willingly laid down His life, so in His power He took His life up again.  Having yielded to death, He shattered its chains by coming back to life.  I love how Peter describes the resurrection by his saying, “because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him”.  
Peter will close his sermon with the declaration that Jesus is both “Lord and Messiah”.  It is His resurrection that proves this bold claim.  Had Jesus been confined to the grave, He would be no greater than you or I.  The fact that He gave Himself over to death only to conquer the enemy we have yet to defeat proves His identity.  
The resurrection is proof that the only response to Jesus is to fall at His feet in recognition of who He is.  It is to call upon Him in faith and entrust ourselves to Him.  
Praying Together:
“Jesus, we praise You for Your faithfulness.  How amazing it is for us to consider that even when death had You in its grip, it was impossible for it to keep its hold on You.  We celebrate You and are so blessed that You extend Your resurrection power to us that we can be raised to life with You.  Amen.”
 
WAYPOINTS
THURSDAY, 2/6
 
 Read Acts 2:25-36.
 25 David said about him:
“‘I saw the Lord always before me.  Because he is at my right hand,    I will not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope,
27 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life;   you will fill me with joy in your presence.’
29 “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. 33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord:  “Sit at my right hand 35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’ 36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
There are a couple of things to note about what Peter says in Acts 2:29-35.  The first is that Peter again quotes a prophecy from the Old Testament.  Of course, this was the only Testament he had at the time, but there is an underlying message we need to heed.  
Peter uses the Old Testament to point to Jesus.  This brings to light the important point that all scripture points toward Christ.  There isn’t a single verse in the Bible that precedes Jesus.  Christ has always been both in existence and a part of God’s redemptive plan.  This is why we cannot discount the Old Testament, as Christians often want to do.  I imagine the apostles would liken such a thing to heresy.  All scripture points us toward Christ and tells the story of God’s saving work for the world.    
The prophecy Peter points to comes from King David.  It is worth noting that David didn’t write this about himself.  He was looking ahead to the work that God would accomplish through the One God had promised to His people.  David believed that God was to send a servant much greater than he who would fulfill the promises of God to restore the kingdom of Israel.  What David could not foresee was that Jesus would do much more than redeem a nation.  He would ultimately purchase redemption for the entire world.  
For Peter, Jesus’ authority is evident in His new position.  After His ascension, Jesus sat at the “right hand of God.”  This is an important theme throughout the New Testament.  The right hand is the place of favor, honor, and power.  The point is that Jesus, who is the rightful King over creation, continues to minister and empower His servants from a place of authority.  His ministry includes the pouring of the Holy Spirit on the church.  The Spirit would give the church the power they need to live into their mission as witnesses.  Jesus also calls on us to ask Him for whatever we need to do His work.  What an encouragement to us, Jesus’ church!  We have the Risen and Reigning Christ along with the Holy Spirit on our side.  Who could possibly stand against us?  
Praying Together:
“Father, every time You promise to work in us and there is some kind of obstacle in the way, You are the One who moves obstacles.  You have the power to overcome the things that would otherwise limit us.  We trust that You can do that in us, and that You will.  Amen.”
 
 
 
WAYPOINTS
FRIDAY, 2/7
 
Read Acts 2:37.
37 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 closes his message with these profound words: “Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” Let’s explore Jesus’ ministry as both Lord and Messiah.  
Throughout the Old Testament, the term “Lord” was applied only to God, the Father.  Here, Peter uses it of Jesus to point to the fact that Jesus is on equal status as God.  Peter wanted them to know that Jesus was worthy of their praise and devotion.  This was reason enough for the people to bow before Him.  It’s reason enough for us to do the same.  The word “Messiah” points to Jesus as God’s agent of salvation.  Jesus is the One who can deliver creation from decay and restore that which is broken.
When the people heard Peter’s message, they were “cut to the heart.”  This means that they were convicted of sin.  Have you ever felt the stabbing pain of having your eyes opened to your brokenness?  It’s wonderful and terrible all at the same time.  It’s hard for the blinders to be removed and for us to see so clearly just how much we need God’s grace, but it is a gift to know that in spite of what we are, God, in His mercy, offers us such grace.  
It is this conviction of the Spirit that moves them to respond to Peter’s invitation to come to Jesus.  They asked, “What shall we do?” In other words, they knew they needed to respond to the truth of Christ.  They believed what Peter told them about Jesus and about themselves.  The question for them at this time is, what now?  
 
While Peter will tell them how to respond to the message in the next verse, consider what the Good News of the gospel of Jesus means for you today.  What does it look like for you to respond to the call of Jesus, your Lord and Messiah?
 
Praying Together:
“Jesus, great are You and worthy of our praise.  You are both our Lord and Messiah, the One whom we follow and the One who saves us.  Help us be sensitive to Your call upon our lives.  As we go about our day, may we do so by walking in Your Spirit.  Direct our paths and guide our words that we may bring You glory.  Amen.”
WAYPOINTS
SATURDAY, 2/8
Read Acts 2:38-39.
38 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. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
The crowd has just heard Peter’s powerful message.  They were all “cut to the heart”.  They felt the Spirit’s conviction that they were sinners in need of Jesus’ grace and mercy.  The question for them now is this: what does it look like to respond to the declaration that Jesus is Lord and Messiah?
Peter tells them to repent and be baptized.  These are appropriate responses to Jesus and what He has done.  Let’s take a look at them and what they mean.  
The word “repent” means literally “to turn”.  It was often used as command for armies to shift their direction in battle.  Repentance calls us to turn from our sinful nature to God’s healing grace in Jesus.  It calls us to turn from living a self-absorbed existence to a life with God.  It means that we turn from loving the world and what it values to loving God and what He values.  
Repentance is about more than simply changing direction.  It is a radical reorientation of our lives.  This moves us toward living a new kind of existence with Him and in Him.  
Like repentance, baptism affords us a number of rich images about our new life with Christ.  My favorite general explanation of baptism is that it is an immersion into new life with Jesus.  
In baptism, we surrender our lives to Jesus.  We give up living for ourselves and are raised to a new life with Christ.  In the same way that we use water to clean our bodies, so the waters of baptism symbolize God’s grace washing us clean of our sins.  
Now, it’s worth saying that baptism isn’t what saves us.  What saves us is putting our hope and faith in Jesus, both who He is and what He has done for us.  Baptism is a visible symbol of this inward work that God is doing in our lives.  While you don’t need to be baptized to be saved, baptism is a powerful way for us to experience God’s grace and something every believer should want to do.  
If you haven’t been baptized and would like to explore the possibility, please reach out to Pastor Brady (bradyj@fmcmidlothian.org) or Pastor April (aprilf@fmcmidlothian.org).  We would love to visit with you.  
May we always be open to how the Lord is calling us to respond to His call.  Whether it is through repentance, baptism, or prayer, let us seek to respond to the Lord in tangible ways.
Praying Together:
“Holy Spirit, thank You for moving in us.  Continue to move us to response that we may become what You envision for us so that we can do what the Lord has in store for us.  Amen.”
 
WAYPOINTS
SUNDAY, 2/9
 
Read Acts 2:40-41.
40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
As a preacher who can tend to go on in my messages, I find encouragement in verse 40.  Peter’s entire sermon wasn’t confined to verses 14-36.  Peter preached and continued to teach them.  What Luke offers us is likely a summary of Luke’s sermon.  
Again, we catch another glimpse of a message that was common to Luke after Pentecost, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”  This is a word of warning to the people to not get caught up in the happenings of the world around them.  This warning is applicable, not only to the people in the first century, but to us as well.  
I remember hearing a preacher use the illustration of being on a beach.  You set your things down, put up a canopy, and then go out into the water to swim.  You’re out there for 30 minutes before you head back to your things, but when you look up, you don’t see your canopy.  You scan the beach and are surprised to find that your canopy is a good 100 yards away.  Somehow in that 30-minute time period, you’ve drifted that far without even realizing it.  The pull of the tide is that subtle. 
That is the danger of the world in which we live.  The world has its own set of values and will try to drag you with it.  Everything we consume has this pulling effect.  Like a lifeguard, Peter says, “Save yourself!”  
Half of the battle is being aware of the pull of the world upon us.  In their letters to the churches, Peter and Paul will call them to be alert.  Be on the lookout for the world and its power to lure us away from the Lord.  
Praying Together:
“God, I am Yours.  Help keep me grounded in my life with You.  Amidst all the things that attempt to steal away my love for You, keep me planted firmly in Your love, for nothing in this world can match the abundant life You give to us.  Amen.”