Acts Chapter TWO (PART 1)

Hello everyone! During the “shelter-in-place,” I’m doing a chapter by chapter commentary on the Book of Acts. Feel free to read along with your Bible (not every verse is addressed). There is a LOT of things to address in Acts Chapter 2, so I am splitting it into two parts. I’m doing a separate commentary on Acts Chapter 2: 39-47

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Verse 2:1: “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.” There are strategic moments on God’s calendar. It was a (1.) holy day, (2.) the people of God were together, (3.) they were unified, and (4.) Jerusalem was full of Jews from all over the world due to Pentecost. All four factors were significant!

There is a synergy here, the right ingredients for revival: the significance of the Jewish feast Pentecost to prophetic symbolism, the gathering of people’s from all over the Roman world and the unified attitude of the followers of Jesus.

Verse: 2:4: “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Other tongues meaning—other languages as the Spirit allowed. One writer estimates that there “are 6,500 languages today.” There are thousands and thousands of languages that are no longer spoken—lost to history. There may be a “heavenly” languages— that humans do not comprehend. This may require a little humility because there are things beyond known human knowledge.

Verse 2:6: This prayer service/revival/ tongue-talking worship event must have gone on for quite a while. “It was noised abroad, meaning news of what happened was spread by word of mouth and people left whatever they were doing or took the time to come out and see what was happening.

2: 7-13: God strategically chose the tongues/words that the Christians spoke. Visitors to Jerusalem-from across the Roman empire-heard expressions of worship in the many languages of their homelands. People were in doubt, amazed and some mocked. There are similar reactions today! Speaking in tongues is a sign of the infilling of the Holy Ghost-but there still needs to be someone who stands up and explains: “This is that—.”

Note: speaking in tongues has received a broad popularity among the evangelical world today. Some call it a “prayer language” or one of the nine gifts of the Spirit. However a careful reading of Acts will show that speaking in tongues is (in the context of salvation) an initial evidence of the infilling of the Spirit into the life of a believer. (Acts 10:46, Acts 19:6)

2: 14-40: Peter’s Sermon

One of the most famous sermons in the Bible. The sermon addresses three topics: the identity of Jesus, how to be saved and an explanation of the people worshiping God in so many languages.

2: 22: Peter called Jesus “a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs.” This was known to the people who lived in Israel—the fame of Jesus was well established. The miraculous serves as a proof of God working amongst his people. It serves as evidence. Evidence is extremely important in such a skeptical age and even today, people believe because of what God does in their lives. If you ask a group of Pentecostals for their “testimony,” get ready to hear some great things! God backs up His Word through His power.

2:33: Peter gives one of the most famous sermons in the Bible, explaining to the Jews about the powerful worship “service” they have witnessed. He quotes the prophet Joel saying “…saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh.” This is what was happening…and it’s still happening today! Peter said of the resurrected Jesus that “he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.” What did they see and hear? People speaking in other tongues—glorifying God.

2: 36: Peter says that God has made Jesus “both Lord and Messiah.” The Messiah is the expected deliverer of Israel, the anointed one but “Lord” is translated as “Κύριον (Kyrion)” according to Biblehub, and according to Strongs, it means “Lord, master, sir; the Lord. From kuros; supreme in authority, i.e. controller; by implication, Master.” This word is used throughout the Book of Acts as synonymous with God.

Acts 2: 37-38: The people listening are cut to the heart and ask Peter what they should do now. Peter outlines the necessity of repentance of sins and baptism in the name of Jesus.

After this, Peter talks about a gift that people will receive—the gift of the Holy Ghost- God’s spirit living inside of you.

This was different from other spirit possession.

Possession was nothing new the old world—Jesus cast out many demonic spirits from people in his ministry. Possession is nothing new in the modern world as cultists and celebrities give themselves over to spirit beings, ancient rituals and “higher” powers. However, the spirit of almighty God indwelling inside a person was different. Through the Holy Ghost, a person has access to the attributes of God and the power of God. Peace that passes all understanding.

It’s still happening today. It was the “normative” Christian experience of the first church. When people instead study the “Creeds,” Synods and theologians of future generations, they are studying people hundreds of years distant from the original. Among Apostolics, special emphasis is given to the earlier believers because they knew Jesus, walked with him and were taught by him. Future theologians, whose concepts have changed from the original church, are viewed with suspicion. Who better to be an interpreter of the mission of Jesus than those who knew him?