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

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

1. 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]
2. How did the crowd’s response to Peter’s message differ from their earlier reaction to Jesus’ crucifixion (Acts 2:37)?
3. What two commands did Peter give to those who were “cut to the heart” (Acts 2:38)?
4. According to Joel 2:28-32, what are the signs that accompany the outpouring of the Spirit, and who is included in this promise?

1. 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]
2. 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?
3. 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?
4. 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?

1. “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]
2. 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]
3. 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]
4. 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?
5. 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?
6. “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]