Our Lives Start in Baptism
Today’s Verse:
Acts 2:41 ESV
So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”
What a moment! The Holy Spirit was at work through Peter’s preaching, and the Word pierced hearts. Three thousand people responded—not with applause, but with repentance, faith, and baptism. The early church was born through the power of the Word and Sacrament, and the same Spirit who stirred those hearts still moves today.
This verse reminds us that God’s Word does not return empty. In a world skeptical of truth and slow to listen, it is easy to wonder whether preaching still makes a difference. But here in Acts, and in every faithful congregation today, the Spirit calls people to faith through the proclaimed Gospel and the waters of Baptism. It may not always be three thousand—but each soul added is heaven’s celebration.
So let this verse renew your joy in the Gospel and your confidence in the power of Christ’s Word. The Church grows not by gimmicks or marketing, but through the Spirit, the Word, and the grace poured out in Baptism.
.Prayers
A Prayer for Today:
Gracious Lord, thank You for the power of Your Word and the gift of Holy Baptism. Strengthen my witness, renew my confidence in the Gospel, and keep me faithful to Your mission. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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