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. This promise belongs to you and to your children and to all who are far off, to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.” With many other words he testified, and he urged them, “Be saved from this corrupt generation."
Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.…" (Acts 2:28-42)
The pattern begins with hearing the Word. Peter preached the same message that Jesus preached: Repent. That is where true life begins. Acknowledge your need for God to be in control of your life. Recognize that only God's power can beak the hold of sin and spiritual death.
The repentant are to be baptized in the name of Jesus, the Son of God. Note that Peter urges his listeners to be baptized. He does not force them. There is no coercion by the use of force or threats, and no enticing the people by offering them prosperity and health. Many of those who were baptized faced persecution for becoming followers of Jesus Messiah. Many were put to death.
The baptized repentant receive the Holy Spirit who is sent from the Father in heaven. The Holy Spirit gently and gradually transforms the inner person so that person becomes more like Jesus. The growth is expressed in forgiveness, compassion and spiritual authority.
The newly baptized devote themselves to the Apostolic teaching called the "Kerygma." The Kerygma involves the core beliefs about God Father, God Son, and God Holy Spirit:
(1) That they are eternal, pure good, and extend perfect love to all humans.
(2) That the death, burial and third day resurrection of Jesus Messiah was according to God's plan (Acts 2:25-35).
(3) That the ascension of the Risen Lord Jesus entails His enthronement as the long-yearned for Righteous Ruler (Acts 2:36).
(4) That the gift of the Holy Spirit is given to all who receive Jesus as the Son of God and their Savior (Acts 2:38). First John 4:15 says, "If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God."
The proclamation of this message requires a response. To ignore the proclamation is to continue in a state of spiritual decay. To accept the proclamation one must repent of sins, accept baptism, and live in the new life which Christ offers (Acts 2:37-41). The new follower of Jesus joins other Believers for encouragement and support, and for prayer, and to receive Holy Communion, the food of eternal life.
As Ed Lundwall has written, "...we must receive what God has given through the life building Word of God, the personal relationship of prayer, and integration into the body of Christ through fellowship."
Related reading: You Must Be Born Again; First John on Marks of A Christian; Today is Your Opportunity to Love; Proof I Have Been Born Again; Righteous Rulers and the Resurrection
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