Baptism Sunday @GraceLifeSarasota

"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. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.' With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, 'Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.' Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day." - Acts 2:37-41 Peter, a complete stranger, filled with the Holy Spirit, convinces foreign Jews to abandon their earthly rabbis right there on the southern steps, & be baptized, in public, in front of everyone, including their earthly rabbi, in the name of Jesus! That day, 3,000 people publicly identified themselves as disciples of Rabbi Jesus! But the number isn’t the big miracle! Remember the requirement? To be baptized in the name of your rabbi, he had to be alive and with you in Jerusalem. Their decision to be baptized in the name of Jesus was a bold public statement that they believed in the resurrection! They haven’t seen the resurrected Jesus! But they believed because of the word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit! They traveled all that way to worship at the Temple, in the name of their rabbi, but were baptized in the name of Jesus. This was a risky, profound public declaration, that they believed the Gospel & identified with followers of Jesus! They are declaring they believe their new rabbi Jesus is alive with them right now, through the power of the Holy Spirit. That’s what today is. We have people who have come to us from different places, to declare that Jesus is their rabbi. Today, they are choosing to be baptized in the name of their rabbi Jesus, the same way the travelers in Acts 2 did.