Act 2:1 And in the fulfilling of the day of Pentecost, they were all with one mind in the same place.
Act 2:2 And suddenly a sound came out of the heaven, as being borne along by a violent wind! And it filled all the house where they were sitting.
Act 2:3 And tongues as of fire appeared to them, being distributed, and it sat on each one of them.
Act 2:4 And they were all filled of the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave ability to them to speak.
Act 2:5 And Jews were living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation of those under the heaven.
Act 2:6 But this sound occurring, the multitude came together and were confounded, because they each heard them speaking in his own dialect.
Act 2:7 And all were amazed and marveled, saying to one another, Behold, are not all these, those speaking, Galileans?
Act 2:8 And how do we hear each in our own dialect in which we were born,
Act 2:9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and those living in Mesopotamia, both Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
Act 2:10 both Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt, and the regions of Libya over against Cyrene, and the temporarily residing Romans, both Jews and proselytes,
Act 2:11 Cretans and Arabians; in our own languages we hear them speaking the great deeds of God?
Act 2:12 And all were amazed and puzzled, saying to one another, What would this wish to be?
Act 2:13 But ridiculing, others said, They are full of sweet wine.
Act 2:14 But standing up with the Eleven, Peter lifted up his voice and spoke out to them, Men, Jews, and all those living in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to my words:
Act 2:15 For these are not drunk, as you imagine, for it is the third hour of the day.
Act 2:16 But this is that which has been spoken by the prophet Joel,
Act 2:17 "And it shall be" in the last days, God says, "I will pour from My Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy;" "and your young men shall see visions," "and your old men shall dream dreams;"
Act 2:18 "and also I will pour out My Spirit on My slaves and slave women in those days," and they shall prophesy.
Act 2:19 "And I will give wonders in the heaven above," and miraculous signs "on the earth below, blood and fire and vapor of smoke.
Act 2:20 The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the" "coming of the great and glorious" "day of the Lord."
Act 2:21 "And it shall be that everyone who shall call on the name of the Lord will be saved." Joel 2:28-32
Act 2:22 Men, Israelites, hear these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a Man from God, having been approved among you by works of power and wonders and miraculous signs, which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know,
Act 2:23 this One given to you by the before-determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you having taken by lawless hands, having crucified Him, you killed Him.
Act 2:24 But God raised Him up, loosing the throes of death, because it was not possible for Him to be held by it.
Act 2:25 For David said as to Him, "I always foresaw the Lord before Me, because He is at My right hand, that I not be moved.
Act 2:26 For this reason My heart rejoiced, and My tongue was glad; and My flesh also will dwell on hope,
Act 2:27 because You will not leave My soul in Hades, nor will You give Your Holy One to see corruption.
Act 2:28 You revealed to Me paths of life; You will fill Me with joy with Your face." LXX-Psa. 15:8-11; MT-Psa. 16:8-11
Act 2:29 Men, brothers, it is permitted to say to you with plainness as to the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is among us until this day.
Act 2:30 Being a prophet, then, and knowing that God swore with an oath to him that of the fruit of his loin, as concerning flesh, to raise the Christ to sit on his throne, see Psa. 132:11
Act 2:31 foreseeing, he spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, "that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption." LXX-Psa. 15:10; Mt-Psa. 16:10
Act 2:32 This Jesus, God raised up, of which we all are witnesses.
Act 2:33 Then being exalted to the right of God, and receiving the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, He poured out this which you now see and hear.
Act 2:34 For David did not ascend into Heaven, but he says, "The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand
Act 2:35 until I place those hostile to You as a footstool for Your feet." LXX-Psa. 109:1; MT-Psa. 110:1
Act 2:36 Then assuredly, let all the house of Israel acknowledge that God made Him both Lord and Christ, this same Jesus whom you crucified.
Act 2:37 And hearing, they were stabbed in the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Men, brothers, What shall we do?
Act 2:38 And Peter said to them, Repent and be baptized, each of you on the name of Jesus Christ to remission of sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Act 2:39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all those afar off, as many as the Lord our God shall call.
Act 2:40 And with many other words he earnestly testified and exhorted, saying, Be saved from this perverse generation.
Act 2:41 Then truly the ones gladly welcoming His Word were baptized. And about three thousand souls were added that day.
Act 2:42 And they were continuing steadfastly in the doctrine of the apostles, and in fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Act 2:43 And fear came to every soul, and many wonders and miraculous signs took place through the apostles.
Act 2:44 And all the believers were together and had all things common.
Act 2:45 And they sold possessions and goods and distributed them to all, according as anyone had need.
Act 2:46 And continuing steadfastly with one mind day by day in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they shared food in gladness and simplicity of heart,
Act 2:47 praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the assembly, the ones being saved from day to day.
Verses 1-4: The apostles are together (likely with others present) for Pentecost. Suddenly a sound like a violent wind brings the Holy Spirit which descends on them and they begin speaking in different languages.
1. Describe the scene. We must be ready to put ourselves in the moment. It has been seven weeks after Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead. Jesus has ascended to heaven. He is not the physical king they expected. All they know is that they are to wait for the Holy Spirit. Whatever they were doing, talking, praying, eating, whatever it was, had to stop for this power that was falling on them. The great sound alone would unify their attention. Then, for them to teach in a strange language that they did not know had to lift them up. For the to see their brothers speaking also had to have an uplifting effect.
Verses 5-13: The great sound attracts many from the city to come investigate. There were many visitors in Jerusalem from near and far, They are amazed to see these men speaking/preaching in their own languages. They are amazed because they understand the men speaking as simple country folk, untrained and unschooled, The apostles are accused of being drunk, Peter begins to speak, refuting the accusation.
2. From verse five; Why
was this a perfect opportunity to start the church? Multiple visitors were there for religious reasons. They represented the region as a whole, including the epicenter of power. Once they learn of the Christ, they could take that message to their homeland and spread the word. These people likely already knew some things about Jesus. His ministry spanned three years. The requirement to go to Jerusalem for these religious festivals would have put them in contact with Jesus in one way or another.
3. What were the reactions
of the men (crowd)? They were amazed and puzzled. They wondered why it was happening. "Others" made an accusation that these speakers had been drinking.
a. Has anything changed in 2000 years? Not really. We will see this same pattern throughout this book. Some people will believe, some will want to look into it later, others will attempt to discredit or stop it.
Verses 14-21: Peter stands up and refutes the accusation of drinking. He then cites Joel, who speaks of signs and wonders God will send among the people "in those days" (of the Christ).
4. What do the “last days”
refer to in verse 17? Or, "these days." The reference is to Joel's prophecy of the people turning back to God:
Joe 2:21 Fear not, O land, be glad and rejoice, for Jehovah is doing great things.
Within that chapter we read: "And My people shall not be ashamed forever." (2x) - In this context, forever implicates a thing more lasting than anything done before. Israel has a long history of coming to God, then leaving Him (spiritually). The "forever" context brings about a deeper meaning. I would encourage anyone to read that chapter in Joel to understand the full power of what was happening in the time of the apostles and the power of the prophecy. What are the implications for us?
Verses 22-36: Peter uses David's words as prophecy of Jesus being the Christ. He also iterates that those in the audience are the one's who killed him.
5. What is the accusation
in verses 23 & 36? The death of Jesus was performed through proper legal Roman channels. Ultimately, it was an unjustified execution. In essence, they murdered God's chosen one.
6. Identify the highlights
of the gospel in the following verses:
a. 21; Calling on the name of the Lord will lead to salvation.
b. 22; Jesus, a man, was from God and He proved it through miracles and signs.
c. 24; God raised Jesus away from death.
d. 36; God made Him the Christ
Additional: Look up the
word “devout” from verse 5. Look up Pentecost. What is it?
G2126 εὐλαβής eulabēs yoo-lab-ace' From G2095 and G2983; taking well (carefully), that is, circumspect (religiously, pious): - devout.
The root words imply to seize good. Among the crowd were very religious people seeking God.
G4005 πεντηκοστή pentēkostē pen-tay-kos-tay' Feminine of G4004; fiftieth
(G2250 being implied) from Passover,
that is, the festival of “pentecost”: - Pentecost.
Pentecost was a time to bring in
“first fruit” sacrifices to God.
If Jesus reflects
Passover, how is God’s wisdom made manifest in the parallel of Pentecost? The
feast of tabernacles?
Pentecost is one of the three main religious festivals the Jews celebrated.
The giving of the law was part of the celebration (tradition). It was also a first fruits (harvest) thanksgiving.
It was highly anticipated after Passover, the celebration of deliverance.
It makes sense that the first conversions would happen during Pentecost (first fruits). The correlation is too strong to ignore. Here are the first fruits of the Christian era. The deliverance has occurred through the Christ, Jesus. Now is time for the harvest. The gift of a new system of grace will overcome the need for the system of law.
The reading of Ruth also becomes a tradition of Pentecost. Ruth was a gentile.
The feast of
booths was to remind them that they were once slaves and had to escape that
slavery in a hurry, as well as spend a period of time wandering. During that
wandering, they learned to rely on God. He gave them everything they needed for
abundant life. The gospel fulfills this as well.
Verses 37-41: Some of the listeners are so moved they ask what they need to do. He tells them to repent and be baptised. They do. 3000 do..
7. The word “pricked” or
“pierced” in verse 37 means “to tire down with toil, exhaust with labor, to
make trouble for, to treat roughly”. (Strongs, Thayers)
What part of Peter’s
sermon would make them feel that way? Peter has twice inferred hat those present had wrongfully executed Jesus....the Messiah, the Son of God! A true follower of God would and should have been terrified. They were terrified. What is also likely is some did not respond to this revelation. These actions speak directly to the conditions of each person's heart toward God.
8. Compare verse 5 with
verse 40 and the descriptions of the men and the generation. Were they one and
the same? (Devout/Perverse) As we saw, many here were seeking God. They were there for the religious festival to offer first fruits sacrifices. By now, the crucifixion of Jesus was about two months old. Likely a brief memory for them. Also likely, many of them approved of the crucifixion. Some may have even been involved in mob. Peter's accusations moved those with more honest hearts.
There had to be some thought to what they did or saw. There had to be some conclusions in their own minds about how they had been convinced to approve of the injustices against Jesus. And it is the injustice that put them within the frame of a "perverse" generation.
Mob mentality can be easily influenced and manipulated.
What is happening here is opposite of that. Each one has to take a few steps back and see the truth in th events and decide on a conclusion.
The honest ones are converted. The honest ones are devout, and hopefully a little wiser not to be manipulated again.
Verses 42-47: The gospel finds success with the people. They gather daily and share all things with one another. Some of them even sell their possessions/property to sustain others. They even meet in the temple. New conversions are happening daily.
9. List the word and
phrases in the following verses that describe the feelings and actions of those
first affected by the gospel.
42: continuing steadfastly in the doctrine of the apostles, and in fellowship, and in the breaking of
bread, and in prayers.
43: fear came to every soul, and many wonders and miraculous signs took place through the apostles.
44: the believers were together and had all things common
45: hey sold possessions and goods and distributed them to all, according as anyone had need.
46: continuing steadfastly with one mind day by day in the temple, and breaking bread from house to
house, they shared food in gladness and simplicity of heart
47: praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the assembly, the ones
being saved from day to day
a. Why, would you say
these were the initial reactions to the gospel? For those that understood, it was a BIG DEAL! The messiah had come which signals a return to God. A time to be united to Jehovah. It would be equal to Jesus' second coming for the Christian.
Also, we see the revelation of God's grace yet again! In just a few minutes, they were told -you murdered Jesus, but God will forgive you. As always, there is a path to redemption and it's called Jesus.
10. Does our congregation
seem different than this first congregation? Yes/No
a. How, Why? This first congregation is not a permanent fixture type of congregation. It was made up of many visitors from outlying areas. Remember, Pentecost is a first-fruits sacrifice festival. That means that harvest might still be going on. If you farmed, you needed to get back to it to oversee it. You likely did not expect to stay over so your supplies were limited.
This first congregation saw the need and took care of it. Our church today is made of of local residence people. For the most part we have jobs to care for ourselves. If someone falls on hard times, we help as needed, but the need does not reflect what was happening in this first century instance.
Everything else is about the same. Like them we are in awe of what God has done. We are grateful for His love, grace, and mercy. We share spiritual and physical fellowship with one another.
b. What can an individual do to become more
like those first Christians? Having a watchfulness for anyone who becomes needy or disheartened.
Additional: What IS the
gift of the Holy Spirit, especially within the context of this chapter? Did
baptism alone save these souls? How should we view baptism in God’s plan of
salvation? How should we explain it to others?
Peter says, "Repent and be baptized, each of you on the name of Jesus Christ to remission of sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." This was in response to their question "what must we do?" They ask the question because they had just been informed that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of God and they were responsible for His death.
1) They understood that they stood condemned before God for what they did.
2) They were seeking redemption from that sin.
Peter's answer addresses that specifically. Then see: "the ones gladly welcoming His Word were baptized. And about three thousand souls were added that day."
There is a direct connection between belief, the act of baptism, the gift of the Holy Spirit and "being added." All of these work together to manifest forgiveness and equally important being added to something. Many will say they are added to the church. That is true, but the word church can be limiting sometimes. We are added to the body of believers worldwide is more accurate. Both terms are interchangeable yet church can carry a local congregational meaning.
The arguments concerning baptism saving or not typically do disservice to the word. We cannot dissect the word of God as we see so many times. All of these things are connected and should stay that way when we approach someone's path of salvation. Baptism in Acts is evidenced as a requirement. Literally, every instance of baptism is seen as an urgent need. Two thousand years does not change that. We are not better off than they were that we can have a lax view of baptism. We will more thoroughly investigate what baptism meant to them and how we should view it as well.
Peter says: 1Pe 3:21 Which antitype now also saves us, baptism (not a putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ ...
Peter's argument marries the action of baptism to the resurrection of Jesus (who is now reigns in heaven). It is the answer of a "good conscience." His overall teaching is that the Christian will be persecuted but that persecution will be based on the good things Christian do. Before God, those accusations are a positive testimony.
Paul expounds: Rom 6:3 Or are you ignorant that all who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
Paul's argument here condemns the idea that since we are forgiven of sin, it's ok to keep sinning. Again, we see how we are joined in the death and resurrection of Jesus.
