JOYFUL CHANGE - ALBERT ELISHA OBERDORFER - SAMPLE
God’s goodness leads to true repentance. In scripture, we always see the same picture. People follow Jesus gladly because they have experienced His goodness. Zacchaeus is a prime example. So are many more. The blind man who received a miraculous healing of his eyes, in Luke 18, for example. How did he react once he had received his sight? He followed Jesus. (Luke 18:43) We see the same picture on the day of Pentecost. Peter preached the good news of Jesus Christ. Then the people were touched in their hearts and asked, “What shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38). And how did the people respond? “Then those who gladly received his word got baptized ...” (Acts 2:41) The point is: they got baptized because they received Peter’s word “gladly.’ This is the biblical way of repentance. It’s a joyful change.
God’s goodness leads to true repentance.
In scripture, we always see the same picture.
People follow Jesus gladly because they have experienced His goodness.
Zacchaeus is a prime example.
So are many more.
The blind man who received a miraculous healing of his eyes, in Luke 18, for example.
How did he react once he had received his sight?
He followed Jesus. (Luke 18:43)
We see the same picture on the day of Pentecost.
Peter preached the good news of Jesus Christ.
Then the people were touched in their hearts and asked, “What shall we do?”
Peter replied, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38).
And how did the people respond?
“Then those who gladly received his word got baptized ...” (Acts 2:41)
The point is: they got baptized because they received Peter’s word “gladly.’
This is the biblical way of repentance.
It’s a joyful change.
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This then makes it very plausible why<br />
the prison keeper then acted the way he<br />
reacted.<br />
And we read that after hearing the gospel<br />
from Paul and Silas, he and his household<br />
all got baptized.<br />
In the middle of the night, way after<br />
midnight.<br />
We also see a miraculous dimension in<br />
the story of Stephen and the eunuch from<br />
Ethiopia in Acts 8.<br />
Phillip was told by an angel to go down a<br />
particular road. Then the Holy Spirit also<br />
instructed him to join the chariot of the<br />
Ethiopian eunuch.<br />
Right at this moment, the eunuch read the<br />
passage of Isaiah, chapter 53.<br />
We see many such miraculous events in<br />
Acts.<br />
This shows that the Holy Spirit was<br />
involved when the disciples in Acts<br />
preached the gospel.<br />
There was a miraculous aspect involved<br />
whenever people came to the Lord in<br />
Acts.<br />
It was never just a natural occurrence.<br />
This is how God ordained it.<br />
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