Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message. Acts 10:44 (NLT)
Holy Spirit, fall on me.
Chapter-a-Day Acts 10
Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message. Acts 10:44 (NLT)
Holy Spirit, fall on me.
As a young lad, this chapter was very impactful to me. It was so hard to understand the connection, or disconnection between the old and new testament Message. I distinctly remember the impact this story, Peter’s vision in particular, had on my understanding of what Christ’s life and death meant for the Old Testament law. I have spent the better part of my adult life reconciling what that means for me as I walk my Christian journey. What part of traditionalism is good? What is not? What amount of legalism, if any, is acceptable? It has been the process of wrestling with this that has grown me the most the past few years.
A couple of days ago I commented on how some folks were baptized and yet the Holy Spirit had not been given to them. I couldn’t help today but notice in verse 44ff that some people received the Holy Spirit and then it was recommended that they be baptized. There has always been debate over baptism, when it should happen and what it means. Recently, a couple left our church over the debate of baptism vs. dedication. First, I will share my bias that arguments over things like this are silly to me. Second, it saddens me that topics like this can cause division in the church, both locally and world wide. It will be on the other side that we will understand how little it affects our salvation. These small verses in the past few days help affirm to me that when, where or how you get baptized isn’t what we should be worried about.