Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd. Acts 2:14
Lesson Learned
Jerry Seinfeld is one of the most successful comedians of his generation. Before his career blossomed, however, Jerry learned a hard lesson. He describes the first time he ever went up on stage. Until that moment, he says, you assume that the audience is in a mood to laugh, and as long as you’re reasonably funny and say a few funny things, you’ll be just fine.
That assumption died the moment he began to speak. The audience fell into a dead silence. As you stand there, Jerry says, all you can hear is the sound of your own quivering voice. The shock was so great that he could not remember his material. He retreated from the stage, crushed. That experience, however, stripped away his false assumptions and replaced them with a true understanding of what it takes to make it in the world of entertainment.
The night before Jesus was crucified, the apostle Peter had a brutal lesson to learn. His, however, was far more serious, far more profound. Until that night, Peter had assumed that, on his own, he was strong enough and brave enough to stand up for his master. After Jesus’ arrest, however, Peter’s assumption died the moment someone simply asked him if he was a follower of Jesus. The strength and bravery he thought he had were not there at all. Instead of saying, “Yes, I’m a follower of Jesus,” Peter lied. He said he didn’t even know this Jesus. And when two more people challenged him, he lied to them, too.
That night ripped away Peter’s false assumptions. He realized what a broken sinner he really was. But Jesus replaced Peter’s false assumptions with a true understanding. He carried Peter’s sinful failures to the cross. He died for them. Then he raised himself from the dead.
Ten days later, after Jesus’ ascension into heaven, Peter had another opportunity to stand up for Jesus. This time, Peter spoke boldly. The bravery and strength, however, did not come from Peter. They came from the good news of what Jesus had done.
Our bravery and strength come from the same place.
Prayer:
Holy Spirit, teach me the same lesson you taught Peter. Make me a bold witness for Christ. Amen.
Utterly amazed, they asked, “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans?” Acts 2:7
Adventure Awaits
Wapakoneta, Ohio, is a solid, stable small town. It has a population of about ten thousand. It has a high school and a public library. It has a movie theater and a bowling alley. To grab a bite to eat, you can stop by Lulu’s Diner, RJ’s Coffey Cup, or The Alpha Cafe. And every August, you can attend the county fair located just outside the city limits.
Wapakoneta is a great place to raise a family. At the same time, its citizens admit that it’s not the kind of place that automatically comes to mind when you think of famous figures or high adventure. But thanks to a 10-minute plane ride at a local air show, a 6-year-old farm kid by the name of Neil Armstrong got the flying bug. Three decades later, Neil Armstrong was the face of one of the world’s great adventures. He was the first man to set foot on the moon.
In the first century A.D., the region of Galilee was not known for much of anything. In fact, many in Jerusalem looked down on Galileans as being just a bit unsophisticated, a bit rough around the edges. Therefore, on the Day of Pentecost, it came as a shock for people in Jerusalem to see and hear several men from Galilee stand up and do something extraordinary. By a miracle, God the Holy Spirit empowered these Galileans to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ in a variety of different languages.
And the adventure did not stop there. In the years to come, these same men would travel far and wide proclaiming what Jesus had done to take away the sins of the world.
By the power of the gospel, that same Holy Spirit brings people today to faith in Jesus as their Savior. And through this miracle of faith, they receive full forgiveness of sin, peace with God, and eternal life in heaven. And adventure awaits them in their future. The Lord will use them to pierce the darkness of this world, to proclaim the praises of him who called them out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I am now yours through faith in you. Let my adventure begin. Amen.
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. . . Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” Acts 2:1-6,11-12
Simply Believe
Recently, my daughters were playing with some immature flower buds from our dwarf Magnolia tree. Since these buds look like pickles, I told them they were pickle seeds. Later, I overheard one of my daughters referring to the tree as a “pickle tree.”
That’s the way it is with children. They simply believe what they are told.
That’s not always so easy for us as we grow older. We encounter so many ideas about lifestyles, religion, and the future (just to name a few topics). We wonder what we should believe.
The people in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost could hardly believe their ears. Some even made fun of the disciples who were suddenly able to speak in foreign languages. Yet the Holy Spirit used their intelligible words to reveal the Triune God who is serious about sin and, at the same time, full of forgiveness, love, and hope for the future.
What makes it difficult for you to believe God’s promises? A past full of sin? A list of confusing, complicated questions about life? The Bible equips us to deal with this sinful world by revealing “the wonders of God.”
Like a child, believe God’s promises—Jesus loves you and has forgiven you!
Prayer:
Holy Spirit, instill in me an unshakable trust in your promises. Amen.
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1 Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour, [1] an hour of prayer. 2 A certain man who was lame from birth was carried there every day and placed at the temple gate, which is called Beautiful, so that he could beg for donations from those entering the temple. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter the temple, he asked them for a donation.
4 Peter looked directly at him, as did John. Peter said, “Look at us.” 5 So the man paid close attention to them, expecting to receive something from them.
6 But Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I will give you. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” 7 Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately the man’s feet and ankles were made strong. 8 Jumping up, he stood and began to walk. He entered the temple courts with them, walking, jumping, and praising God.
9 All the people saw him walking and praising God. 10 They recognized him as the one who used to sit begging for money at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. 11 While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people came running toward them in utter amazement in the area called Solomon’s Colonnade.
12 When Peter saw this, he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this? Why are you staring at us, as if by our own power or godliness we have made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, [2] the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and disowned in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. 14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you. 15 You killed the Author [3] of Life, whom God raised from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 16 And on the basis of faith in his name, it is the name of Jesus that has strengthened this man, whom you see and know. This faith that comes through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.
17 “Now brothers, [4] I know that you acted in ignorance, just like your leaders. 18 But in this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through the mouth of all the prophets: that his Christ would suffer. 19 Therefore repent and return to have your sins wiped out, 20 so that refreshing times may come from the presence of the Lord and that he may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you. 21 He must receive heaven [5] until the times when everything will be restored, as God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.
22 “Moses said to the fathers: [6]
The Lord your [7] God will raise up for you a Prophet from your brothers who is like me. Listen to everything he tells you. 23 And this is what will happen: Every person who does not listen to that Prophet will be completely cut off from the people. [8]
24 “Also, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have talked about these days. 25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with our [9] fathers when he said to Abraham:
In your seed [10] all the families of the earth will be blessed. [11]
26 “God raised up his Servant and sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you away from your wicked ways.”
Footnotes
Acts 3:1 3 pm
Acts 3:13 Some witnesses to the text read the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
Acts 3:15 Or Prince
Acts 3:17 When context indicates it, the Greek word for brothers may refer to all fellow believers, male and female. In this case, it seems to refer to fellow Jews.
Acts 3:21 Or Heaven must receive him.
Acts 3:22 Some witnesses to the text omit to the fathers.
Acts 3:22 Some witnesses to the text read our.
Acts 3:23 Deuteronomy 18:15,18,19
Acts 3:25 Some witnesses to the text read your.
Acts 3:25 Or descendant. The literal seed is retained in the translation to help readers trace the line of the promised Savior from Eve through Abraham and David to Jesus, the promised Seed of the Woman.
37 Now when the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Gentlemen, brothers, what should we do?”
38 Peter answered them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your [1] sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
40 He testified solemnly with many other words and was appealing to them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.”
41 Those who [2] accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added.
The Christians Lived in Unity
42 They continued to hold firmly to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of the bread, and to the prayers. 43 Awe came over every soul, [3] and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They were selling their possessions and property and were distributing the proceeds according to what anyone needed.
46 Day after day, with one mind, they were devoted to meeting in the temple area, as they continued to break bread in their homes. They shared their food with glad and sincere hearts, 47 as they continued praising God and being viewed favorably by all the people. Day after day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.
Footnotes
Acts 2:38 Some witnesses to the text omit your.
Acts 2:41 Some witnesses to the text add gladly.
Acts 2:43 Some witnesses to the text omit Awe came over every soul.
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and spoke loudly and clearly to them: “Men of Judea, and all you residents of Jerusalem, understand this, and listen closely to my words. 15 These men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day. [1]16 On the contrary, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 This is what God says will happen in the last days: I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the sky above, and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and a rising cloud of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And this will happen: Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. [2]
22 “Men of Israel, hear these words! Jesus the Nazarene was a man recommended to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know. 23 This man, who was handed over by God’s set plan and foreknowledge, you [3] killed by having lawless men nail him to a cross. 24 He is the one God raised up by freeing him from the agony of death, because death was not able to hold him in its grip.
25 “Indeed, David says concerning him:
I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced. My flesh also will rest in hope, 27 because you will not abandon my life to the grave, [4] nor will you let your Holy One see decay. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life. You will fill me with joy in your presence. [5]
29 “Gentlemen, brothers, I can speak confidently to you about the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath that he would seat one of his descendants [6] on his throne, [7]31 he saw what was coming and spoke about the resurrection of Christ, saying that he [8] was neither abandoned to the grave nor did his flesh see decay. [9]
32 “This Jesus is the one God has raised up. We are all witnesses of that. 33 So, after he was exalted to the right hand of God and after he received the promised Holy Spirit from the Father, he poured out what you are now seeing and hearing.
34 “For David did not ascend into heaven, and yet he says:
The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, 35 until I make your enemies a footstool under your feet.’ [10]
36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
Footnotes
Acts 2:15 9 am
Acts 2:21 Joel 2:28-32
Acts 2:23 Some witnesses to the text add took and.
Acts 2:27 Greek hades
Acts 2:28 Psalm 16:8-11
Acts 2:30 Some witnesses to the text read that he would raise Christ, one of his descendants according to the flesh, to sit.
Acts 2:30 Psalm 89:3-4; 132:11
Acts 2:31 A few witnesses to the text read his life.
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the rushing of a violent wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw divided tongues that were like fire resting on each one of them. 4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, since the Spirit was giving them the ability to speak fluently.
5 Now there were godly Jewish men from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 When this sound was heard, a crowd came together and was confused, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 They were completely baffled and said to each other, [1] “Look, are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them speaking in his own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, and of Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt, and the parts of Libya around Cyrene; visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes; 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring in our own languages the wonderful works of God.” 12 They were all amazed and perplexed. They kept saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocked them and said, “They are full of new wine.”
Footnotes
Acts 2:7 Some witnesses to the text omit to each other.
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called the Mount of Olives, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. [1]
Matthias Is Chosen
13 When they entered the city, they went to the upstairs room where they were staying. Peter and John were there, also James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. 14 All of them kept praying together with one mind, along with the women, with Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
15 In those days, when the group there numbered about 120 people, Peter stood up among the brothers [2] and said, 16 “Gentlemen, [3] brothers, the Scripture [4] had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David about Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17 Judas was counted as one of us and was given a share in this ministry.
18 “Now this man acquired a field with what he was paid for his wicked act. When he fell headfirst, his middle burst open, and all his intestines spilled out. 19 This became known to all the residents of Jerusalem, and so in their own language that field was called Akeldema, which means Field of Blood. 20 Indeed, it is written in the book of Psalms:
May his residence be deserted. Let there be no one dwelling in it. [5]
And,
let someone else take his position. [6]
21 “Therefore it is necessary that one of the men who accompanied us during the entire time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from his baptism by John until the day Jesus was taken up from us, become a witness with us of his resurrection.”
23 They proposed two: Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in this apostolic ministry from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.” [7]
26 Then they assigned lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias. So he was counted with the eleven apostles. [8]
Footnotes
Acts 1:12 That is, a distance less than a mile
Acts 1:15 Some witnesses to the text read disciples. (“Witnesses to the text” mentioned in footnotes may include Greek manuscripts, lectionaries, translations, and quotations in the church fathers.)
Acts 1:16 Literally Men
Acts 1:16 Some witnesses to the text read this Scripture.
Acts 1:20 Psalm 69:25
Acts 1:20 Psalm 109:8
Acts 1:25 Some witnesses to the text read portion or inheritance.
Acts 1:26 It is uncertain whether the procedure described in this verse refers to casting lots or voting.
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