Acts 2 - The Power Behind Pentecost

Acts 2 (Part 1)

Yesterday night, we read Acts 2 which is most relevant since Pentecost Sunday will be coming soon. First of all, we learned that the disciples who gathered in the house experienced a supernatural event which they themselves could not describe properly. The event affected their sights and hearing. It sounded like a very strong wind and they saw a vision of flame-like objects falling on each and everyone of them which was followed then by the in filling of the Holy Spirit, enabling them to speak in foreign languages found all over the corners of the Roman empire. They were praising God so loudly in these foreign languages that it caused a great commotion which was coincidently heard by Jewish visitors who lived for most of their lives scattered across the Roman empire, but had return for the Jewish festivals as most devout Jews would do. They and their non-Jewish disciples understood the foreign languages used by the Galilean disciples to praise God. They were very surprised. Some were interested to know the meaning behind this sign, but others were cynical, saying the disciples were drunk because they were evidently talking very loudly (and perhaps acting?) as if they were drunk with alcoholic drinks. What happened next was the most important event in the history of the church of Jesus Christ because it marked the beginning of the church, allowing it to grow from a small group of disciples to a few thousands. Without this initial large group of believers, the church might not have survived the difficulties and the onslaught of persecutions which were to come soon afterwards. So, what happened that caused the church to experience massive grow in a single day? The answer was simple, Peter preached and the crowd believed. So what did Peter preach that caused the people to believe? We looked at how Peter organized his evangelistic sermon. Peter organized his sermon into three major parts. Firstly, (verses 14-21), he answered the question which the crowd was asking after hearing the commotion caused by the disciples praising God loudly in foreign languages which they grew up with. Peter told them that what they were seeing and hearing was a fulfillment of a promise from God. Peter, having learned from Jesus about the kingdom of God after His resurrection (Acts 1), explained to the gathering crowd that He had poured out His Spirit as a sign that God had returned to Israel to set Israel free and to rule over them. Next, (verses 22-32), Peter told the crowd that God had appointed one person to establish His kingdom. This person was Jesus of Nazareth. God showed that He had appointed Jesus by performing signs and miracles through Him. But, the Jews killed Him as God had predicted. However, because Jesus was the appointed Messiah, the Holy One, God resurrected Him as He had promised to David. Finally, (verses 33-36), Peter told the people that God had made Jesus, not only the Messiah, the King of the Jews, He was also appointed as Lord over all the earth, the Supreme Ruler in heaven who would judge everyone. Now what happened next was a complete mystery. Why did the crowd believe what Peter said and repented? Why would they believe in the almost impossible story that God had raised Jesus as both the King of the Jews and Lord of all heaven and earth? Event the apostles and Jesus' closest disciples had a hard time believing in the resurrection of Jesus when they were told by the women and men who first saw Him after His resurrection. Jesus had to appear personally to the apostles before they believed. Jesus did not appear to this crowd whom Peter was addressing, but yet they believed so deeply until they were 'cut to their hearts'. Why? The answer was in Peter's evangelistic sermon. Peter used the only sign that the crowd saw that day. The sign of the Holy Spirit being given to the disciples which caused them to speak and praise God in foreign languages. The crowd did not understand, but Peter opened their minds. Peter told them that the sign which they were seeing and hearing in the disciples even while Peter was still preaching, was the proof that Jesus was raised by God and received by Him to His heavenly throne where Jesus now ruled as Lord. The very fact that the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples was the proof that Jesus had ascended to heaven and had asked God to send the Spirit from heaven (verse 33) The crowd now understood the meaning of the sign which they were seeing and hearing even while Peter was still talking. They now understood an even more grievous fact and guilt that Peter had laid upon them. Peter accused them of having a part in killing the very King and Lord whom they were hoping God would send to save Israel from her enemies. And an even more fearful realization dawned on them, they were guilty before the Lord whom they had killed and judgement was now upon them. Guilt and fear gripped their heart and soul. They were 'cut to their hearts' by Peter's evangelistic preaching of the event. So what did Peter do? Peter, having learned from the Lord earlier, provided the correct understanding of the miraculous event that the crowd was witnessing, but could not comprehend. Peter's accurate interpretation of the spiritual event and sign jump started the church! No doubt, it was the Holy Spirit who was working to convince the crowd, but Luke wrote down the explicit reason why the crowd believed. It was Peter's Jesus-taught understanding of the identity of Jesus, the Scriptures and the promises of God working in conjunction with the sign of the Holy Spirit. What can we learn from this? Many things, but I believe the most important is the need for us to be able to accurately interpret any miraculous signs of Holy Spirit in relation to Jesus, and what the Scriptures have indicated. Without this Jesus-taught ability and wisdom, we could mislead ourselves on the true purpose of miraculous works of the Holy Spirit and seriously misuse the grace that God has given. This leads to abuse, using the gifts of the Spirit for our own pleasures and schemes. Worst of all, the abuse turns us away from Jesus which these signs are pointing to. It makes us proud and susceptible to the judgement of God. Misinterpretation of these signs could lead the entire church astray. Could one of the reasons why we do not see signs and wonders often in our lives is because of our inability to comprehend the true meaning and purpose why they were given? Food for thoughts indeed.