The Power To Become | 10:15 AM Service

Devotional

Day 1: Weeping in the Parking Lot

Charles Colson gripped his steering wheel, tears blurring his view of the prison gates ahead. A CEO’s phone call had just exposed his pride through C.S. Lewis’ words. The man who once vowed to trample his grandmother for power now sat paralyzed, whispering, “I need Jesus.” His ruthless heart cracked open. The Holy Spirit began reshaping him into a servant who’d later touch millions of prisoners. [03:32]

Pride isolates. Humility connects. Colson’s tears marked the collision between his self-made empire and God’s disruptive grace. Jesus didn’t wait for Colson to clean up. The Spirit moved while bloodshot eyes stared at a dashboard, proving transformation starts when we stop pretending.

Where is pride hardening your heart against God’s whisper?

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
(1 Peter 5:5b, ESV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to reveal one area where pride has built walls.

Challenge: Write down a sentence you’d need to whisper if the Spirit broke your pride today.

Day 2: Standing with the Eleven

Peter’s calloused hands trembled as he stood in Jerusalem’s streets. Six weeks earlier, he’d denied Christ to a servant girl. Now the Holy Spirit burned through him like Pentecost’s flames. He raised his voice, quoting Joel’s prophecy to the very crowd that crucified Jesus. Unschooled. Unprepared. Unstoppable. [13:31]

The Spirit doesn’t require eloquence—only availability. Peter’s courage came not from rehearsed arguments but from the fire dwelling within him. When we lean into the Spirit’s presence, our scars become sermons.

What fear keeps you seated when the Spirit says “stand”?

“But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them…”
(Acts 2:14a, ESV)

Prayer: Confess one fear that silences your witness.

Challenge: Memorize Acts 1:8 before sunset today.

Day 3: From Denier to Defender

The religious leaders scowled as Peter spoke. They remembered the fisherman who’d fled Gethsemane. Now this “uneducated, common man” (Acts 4:13) dismantled their arguments with Scripture he’d never formally studied. The Holy Spirit transformed his panic into proclamation, his shame into authority. [16:12]

God uses cracked vessels to carry living water. Peter’s credibility came not from diplomas but dependence. The Spirit rewires our weaknesses into testimonies when we stop hiding our fractures.

Where have you labeled yourself “unqualified” for God’s use?

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John… they were astonished.”
(Acts 4:13a, ESV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for three weaknesses He’s repurposed in your life.

Challenge: Text someone about a time God used your imperfection.

Day 4: Fuel for the Climb

The crowd’s jeers faded as Peter’s sandals scraped the temple steps. He didn’t feel ready to face Jerusalem’s elite. But obedience came first. With each upward step, the Spirit fanned his fledgling courage into flame. By the time he opened his mouth, Pentecost’s fire roared through Joel’s ancient words. [21:34]

Faith isn’t a feeling—it’s footholds. Peter’s confidence grew mid-sentence, not in safety. The Spirit fuels our climb as we move, not while we calculate risks.

What “step” have you delayed until feeling ready?

“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ…”
(Acts 2:38a, ESV)

Prayer: Name one step of obedience you’ll take before bedtime.

Challenge: Sign up for a ministry role you’ve avoided this week.

Day 5: Three Thousand Heartbeats

Dust swirled as 3,000 converts waded into baptismal waters. Peter stared at the crowd—former strangers now siblings. The Spirit had used his fisherman’s tongue to birth a revolution. Every splash testified: God’s power flows through yielded people, not perfect plans. [35:00]

The Spirit always moves inward to outward. Colson’s prison ministry and Peter’s Pentecost sermon both prove—transformation isn’t for our benefit alone. It’s fuel to ignite others.

Who needs your “yielded yes” today?

“So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”
(Acts 2:41, ESV)

Prayer: Ask the Spirit to highlight one person needing encouragement.

Challenge: Call/text that person within the next hour.

Sermon Summary

The Spirit takes a ruthless heart and makes it tender. Pride gets unmasked as the “anti God state of mind,” and a man who could “walk over his own grandmother” finally says, “all I knew is that I needed Jesus.” That same mechanism sits at the center of Acts 2. The text shows ordinary, unimpressive people filled with the presence of God, and everything changes. Luke reports a city confused and split between honest questions and cheap mockery. Joel’s promise answers both: God pours out his Spirit on all flesh, the last days break in, and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Peter becomes the picture. The denier stands up. Before the outline, before the safety net, before the applause, obedience shows up. He stands and speaks, and an unschooled fisherman recalls Joel from memory and preaches Jesus with clarity. The Spirit turns a timid disciple into a living witness. Same Peter, different person.

That shift names a deeper truth: who a person embraces determines who that person becomes. Connections are not benign; they form people. Connection to the Spirit of Christ reshapes a life from the inside out. Obedience comes before confidence, like a climber who trusts the gear by leaning his weight on it. Confidence in Christ grows on the other side of obedience to Christ.

The crowd becomes the other picture. The same Jerusalem that cheered “crucify” gets “cut to the heart.” The call lands plain: repent and be baptized. The Spirit does not move in someone without eventually moving toward someone. From that upper room, the power moves outward, not to be consumed but to fuel witness. Food works the same way; constant intake without movement makes people sick. The Spirit fuels movement toward the lost so that deniers become confessors and the distant are brought near.

Acts 2 closes the loop. Joel promised an outpouring. Jesus promised power and witness. Peter stands, speaks, and three thousand lives turn. The Spirit makes a person new, not for private vibes, but for public love, clear truth, and costly obedience that brings others home.

Key Takeaways

1. Same Peter, different person The Spirit does not polish the old self; he makes a new person in the same body. Denial gives way to courage, silence to proclamation, and fear to standing up in the same city that once scared him. Transformation is not from trying harder, but from staying close to the presence that now indwells. [13:31]
2. Obedience before confidence God often calls for standing up before spelling out what to say. Like a climber testing the rope, trust grows by leaning, not by staring at the gear. Spiritual readiness usually arrives after the first step, not before it. [21:34]
3. Who you embrace shapes you Relationships are not neutral; they are forming powers. Voices, habits, and rooms either nudge a person toward Christ or away from him. Close attention to the Spirit’s voice becomes the primary friendship that reworks desires, courage, and speech. [14:38]
4. The Spirit moves in, then out Indwelling is never an end in itself. The Spirit fuels witness so that the distant hear and the hardened get cut to the heart. Private encounter is meant to spill into public mercy, clear gospel, and concrete next steps like repent and be baptized. [26:35]
5. Stop consuming, start contributing Power received is power spent for others. Constant intake without movement dulls the soul, like diet without exercise harms the body. Joy and growth return when learning turns into loving action, testimony, and service. [30:28]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:35] - Chuck Colson and pride unmasked
[03:12] - “The utmost evil is pride”
[03:53] - “All I knew is I needed Jesus”
[04:57] - From hatchet man to Prison Fellowship
[06:22] - The Spirit, not self help, transforms
[06:37] - Acts 2 scene set: Pentecost fallout
[08:42] - Amazement and mockery in the streets
[10:45] - Joel remembered and the last days
[13:31] - Same Peter, different person
[21:34] - He stood before he knew
[26:35] - Cut to the heart: repent and be baptized
[29:16] - From inward encounter to outward witness
[30:28] - Food, fuel, and spiritual diabetes
[35:00] - One pilgrim’s heart finds relief
[38:46] - Today’s decision and closing prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Acts 2:37-41 (ESV)
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “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 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

Joel 2:28-32 (ESV)
28 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. 29 Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. 30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire, and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Observation questions

What specific action did Peter take before he knew what to say to the crowd in Acts 2, and what immediate result followed? [21:34]
How did the crowd’s response to Peter’s message differ from their earlier reaction to Jesus’ crucifixion (Acts 2:37)?
What two commands did Peter give to those who were “cut to the heart” (Acts 2:38)?
According to Joel 2:28-32, what are the signs that accompany the outpouring of the Spirit, and who is included in this promise?

Interpretation questions

Why is it significant that Peter—a man who earlier denied Jesus—was the one to stand and preach boldly? What does this reveal about the Spirit’s role in transformation? [13:31]
The crowd that heard Peter’s message had previously supported Jesus’ crucifixion. How does their shift from mockery (Acts 2:13) to conviction (Acts 2:37) illustrate the Spirit’s power to change hearts?
Joel’s prophecy mentions “all flesh” receiving the Spirit. How does this contrast with the religious exclusivity of the Old Testament, and what does it mean for us today?
Acts 2:41 says 3,000 were baptized after “receiving [Peter’s] word.” What does this imply about the relationship between hearing the gospel, repentance, and community?

Application questions

“Obedience comes before confidence.” What step of obedience have you been delaying because you don’t feel ready (e.g., serving, sharing your faith, baptism)? What would it look like to act this week? [21:34]
Relationships “form people.” Who are the voices or habits in your life nudging you toward Christ, and which ones might be pulling you away? How could you intentionally deepen one Christ-centered connection? [14:38]
The Spirit’s power is “fuel for witness,” not just personal growth. Are you in a season of mostly “consuming” faith (attending, learning) or “contributing” (serving, sharing)? What’s one way to shift the balance? [30:28]
Peter’s story shows that past failures don’t disqualify us from being used by God. What regret or shame have you let hold you back from stepping into God’s purpose for you? How might the Spirit want to rewrite that story?
The crowd asked, “What shall we do?” If someone today asked you that same question after feeling “cut to the heart,” how would you explain repentance and baptism in your own words?
“The Spirit moves in, then out.” When has a private encounter with God (prayer, worship, etc.) led you to act in love toward others? How can you create space for those moments to happen more often? [26:35]

Sermon Clips

See, obedience to Christ comes before confidence in Christ. Think about a rock climber. They what they do is incredibly dangerous, and they're they depend a lot on their equipment. Do you think it'd be a really smart rock climber to buy something off of Amazon and then go up on the face of some cliff and go, hey. I bought this off a T movie the other day. I bet I I wonder if this will work. No. He's gotta try it first. He's gotta put his weight onto it first. [00:20:19] (34 seconds)

Holy Spirit was never meant to be merely consumed. His power, his wisdom, his encouragement, his conviction, his grace, his transformation, it's meant to be fuel for your ministry. It's meant to be fuel for you to then express the truth of Christ to other people. It's meant to be fuel for your effect on the kingdom of God. And the reason why so many believers, they they they feel like they're not developing in their faith or they feel almost frustrated in their faith is because they have been people that have consumed without ever contributing. [00:30:32] (41 seconds)

You gotta understand, the spirit of God never moves in someone without eventually moving towards somebody. The spirit of God never moves in someone without eventually moving towards someone. The the spirit didn't indwell Peter just so Peter could have an experience. The the spirit doesn't go into Peter just to transform him so that he feels better about himself or that he feels, you know, like he's got a better understanding of God. Yes. Those are good things, but it's not just for him. [00:27:08] (34 seconds)

It was only after they took the first step. It was only after they stood up. It was only after they spoke. Same thing happened to Peter, and the same thing can happen to you. Don't feel wait to feel ready before you go and you pray with that neighbor. Don't wait till you feel qualified in order to start serving at the church. Don't wait to feel prepared before you need to have that tough conversation. Confidence in Christ grows on the other side of obedience to Christ. [00:24:16] (38 seconds)

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The Power To Become | 10:15 AM Service | May 18, 2026