It was near the end of the study this past Friday where I was struck once again with how God, in his amazing plan appeals not only to our emotions, our hearts, but also to our heads…our minds. As we have seen in our careful study of Acts that Peter, filled with the Spirit is referencing Joel and Pslams, tying together the past with the present and even the future. As those who stood before him were no doubt swept up in emotion, Peter also appealed to history….to their intellect.
Peter even goes on to remind them that “they were all witnesses”…they had seen with their eyes the wonders and signs and miracles of Christ. The power of Christ was true in their hearts, just as it was so in their heads. God wanted to, and still today wants to appeal to both our heats as well as our heads.
And while our own personal story is, in so many cases our most powerful witness (I think of the blind man saying that all he know was that he was blind and now he sees), we can, as per God’s design and intent appeal to our heads. This appeal to intellect can be seen not only in Peter’s approach, word choice, and Old Testament references, but also in our lives each and every day.
I’m not sure how many of you have looked at the skies these past two weeks, but the clouds and the sunsets have been nothing short of magnificent, reminding me of Pslam 19:1-2 “The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech and night unto night revels knowledge”. Day after day in the skies above us is scrolled his awesome power, and his delicacy and loving care can been seen with wonder at the cellular level of life.
We serve a God who wishes to overflow us with His Spirit, to set our hearts at peace and bring us joy. This is the same God who also invites us to in Isaiah 1:18 “let us reason together”. He has created us with a powerful head and heart. As Peter spoke to his audience knowing the importance of both, so to should we remember that the works of God in Christ were holistic, appealing to and encompassing all of our being, mind, heart and soul.