The Coming of the Holy Spirit
2:1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
Peter’s Sermon at Pentecost
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out 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;
18 even on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
20 the sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him,
“‘I saw the Lord always before me,
for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
my flesh also will dwell in hope.
27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
or let your Holy One see corruption.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit at my right hand,
35 until I make your enemies your footstool.’
36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your 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 off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
The Fellowship of the Believers
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (ESV)
This is the beginning of the church! The Holy Spirit is coming with power! Peter is preaching the first sermon! And 3,000 people get saved! On the first day! Now that’s what I call a REVIVAL!!! (Please observe the capital letters and exclamation points…it’s grammar people…working for us not against us!)
My prayer is that as we read through the book of Acts over the next few weeks it will inspire us. May we pray for God to do a great work of revival in our day. May we see lots of people get saved and be bold to evangelize! May we devote ourselves to fellowship in the church! If we read how it got started, may we all be inspired to finish strong thousands of years later on the other side of the world! God is still working! May he work in and through us!
“38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the
gift of the Holy Spirit.”
By repenting and putting your complete faith and trust in the Lord, one is granted the gift of salvation and eternal life. I don’t know about you, but those sounds like two pretty AMAZZZZING gifts. What could anyone want more than that? The fact that one won’t be forced to spend eternity in burning flames, is a pretty neat thought. There are two options/sides, which one will you choose?
Another thing that people sometimes get confused about, is they think that baptism saves you. Guess what? It DOESN’T. Baptism is an order from the Lord, that if one is TRULY saved, they shall be baptised to show an outward expression of an inward change. That is what the second half of this verse is saying. All saved people, surly should fulfill their Father’s commands and be baptized.
“39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
“40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.”
The words “this crooked generation” really caught my attention. It made me think, that from now on, generations will only continue to grow even MORE crooked. As distrubing and sad that is, it’s true. Peter is telling the people, now, when you have the time, choose repentance and faith and you will be granted salvation and eternal life.
45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
These godly people obeyed God by giving up thier possessions to live for him, and they were rewarded for this blind faith because God kept giving them more brothers and sisters in Christ and more people to witness to. We need to also show this kind of blind faith and obedience to follow God and God will always provide
Mmmmmm. Commented on those too. d:- D
Hey way to get back on Jimmy! Keep it up!
Great to see you on here, Jimmy!
Man, I have at least three references from today’s chapter that are just BLARING at me! Here’s just one for NOW, anyhow…
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
Isn’t this how it IS? First we HEAR the truth. Then the truth CUTS us to the heart: penetrating the hardened shell, going right to our core; seeing through all the facades and the smokescreens we are so effortful and precise at presenting to the world. And when we’re cracked open–hearts broken, iconically and spiritually bleeding forth the blood in the living sacrifices that we must be if we are to be in Christ–we are compelled to search out the lifestyle that is integral to our salvation, which Peter so directly tells us…
38 And Peter said to them, “REPENT and BE BAPTIZED every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Mindful of the fact that being baptized (specifically in this case, in the spiritual context, “for the forgiveness of our sins,”) means that we are fully immersed into Christ. Dead to ourselves, living 100% for our Savior, Who paid the ransom for our lives, if we are indeed in Him.
Sold Out. We often hear of Christians saying, “I am SOLD OUT for Jesus!” When we are at a store and see a sign that says an item is sold out, it means there is nothing more in stock. For the Christian, it means there is nothing more in OUR stock for this world to feed on, buy, or consume. We have been bought up COMPLETELY by Jesus-paid in full and swooped up completely by His blood.
I find it an excellent thing to consider just how sold out as Christians we really are. Has Jesus received our everything, rendering us completely sold out for Him, so that there is nothing else in stock for this world to cash us in for…? TRUTHFULLY…?
…Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
…And Peter said to them, “REPENT and BE BAPTIZED every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will RECEIVE the gift of the HOLY SPIRIT.
Likin’ the sold out analogy!!! (likin’ everything about your posts actually) lol. Keep it up!!
I always look forward to your comments Stacy! :D Thanks!
Praise the Lord, man (and WOman!). By God’s tremendous grace and extension of Himself in His gifts for us, YOU guys rally ME, TOO. :)
Praying for your dad! Will try to visit him today.
Thanks, Dave. I spoek with him this morning, and he is NIGHT AND DAY compared to last night. Makin’ jokes, revived, energetic, and excited as he praises God in ALL of it. It’s a blessing. HE is ministering to ME as he lays there in his hospital bed! Absolutely amazing. We have a MIGHTY God, full of purpose and sovereignty. Thank you for your prayers. God is ANSWERING. And we are ready for HIS answers!
ELLO… I read
I like verse 37,”Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?””
I like this verse because it shows people asking what they should do. I need to make sure that I am willing to do whatever GOD wants me to do and to not just say what should I do but to be ready to do anything for GOD. I am made to bring GOD glory so I should work as hard as possible to do so and read HIS WORD so I know what it is I should be doing.
CYA
Tanner!! It’s cool to see you always on in the morning…don’t stop! d:- )
I agree! Tanner is committed!! :) Good job my friend!! :)
thanks ;D
Wow! Lots of people are on already!!! This is a good thing!!! d:- ))))
Kinda like Jimmy, verses 42-47 stood out to me. We see a list of works that the body was doing, and then we see the immediate result of those works–”the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
I’m looking at it as an example for us..that if we follow the example that they gave us, we too will see multitudes of people coming to Christ. But what are these things? Let’s list ‘em. d:- )
1. “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers”
We’ve got to be following the teaching of our pastors! And the Bible! As well as be devoted to fellowship with our brothers and sisters, sharing our possessions with them, and being dedicated to God in prayer.
2. “many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.”
Maybe we can’t replicate this entirely in modern day times, but we can live to show the Holy Spirit working within us, and that is not something of man, but clearly a miracle of God.
3. “all who believed were together and had all things in common.”
The Body stayed together, and had fellowship with eachother
4. “And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need”
This is one that definitely is not so popular!!–we’ve got to supply the needs of anyone, with our own resources, as long as we can.
5. “they received their food with glad and generous hearts”
Saying grace, anyone? d:- )
6. “praising God and having favor with all the people”
We’re not to show any partiality, but instead be loving to all people.
And then after all this it states “the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved”
Now, I’m not sure about you guys, but I really long to see people saved!! But we’ve got to be doing these things!–working together as a body and making good works and devotion to God the pinnacle of our lives. This is what’s going to draw others to us, and therefore we have to be doing them.
It brings me to tears to see such a heart as yours, searching out the Word of God AND extending His Word-by Holy Spirit-to ALL people. You DO have a passion to evangelize and share the Gospel Message of Truth with people, that lives may be saved and the number of God’s saved added to. But you ALSO are turning out to be quite the encourager.
Encourage: TO GIVE COURAGE. Jeremy Watkins, you are an amazing courage-giver. So is your buddy, Bethany, and I am so blessed to see you stepping aside so that He can live through you.
I ALSO am fully appreciating the practical insights you reflected on this morning. Great post, bud.
Awesome post Jeremy! Way to let the Holy Spirit dominate your mind with His Word! This reminds me of John 13:35!
41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
Three thousand people after Peter’s sermon got saved! Now THAT is awesome! What really stuck out to me was that all Peter did was preach the gospel, the life death and resurrection of Jesus Christ! He didn’t do anything tricky, or persuade anyone of anything. All he did was preach about Jesus Christ and trust in God that He would save people! This verse really backs up Romans 1:16, which says that it is the POWER of God unto salvation! The fact that God saved 3000 people from one sermon certainly shows His power! I am praying for a revival like this one to spread all over the OC! This year we have been so blessed to have so many people hear the gospel from our campus lunches! I am praying that God will continue to work on our campuses the rest of this year and next year!
AMEN, Cameron! What a profound insight! We do NOTHING but stand in God’s TRUTH, and it is His power that saves and transforms lives. INVIGORATING!
Wow there have been a ton of people on this morning and it is only 6:30!! This is cool :)
Verse 21 really stuck out to me, even thought it is something we as Christians hear all the time…
“21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Even after being a Christian for years, I never get tired of reading a verse like Acts 2:21 that tells me that because I gave my life to the Lord Jesus Christ, and He laid down His life for me, I get to be saved by Him. :) It is verses like this one that people ask me about when they are talking about the validity of the Bible and what it really means etc. etc. Non-Christians don’t necessarily understand what it means to be saved by Christ because they haven’t heard. In a message a while ago, Pastor Bobby said, “Church is the last place you want to be rejected.” Now, I know that isn’t on topic of the verses we read this morning, but his words have stuck in my mind for months and I’ve shared them with people and they can’t help but feel convicted to reach out. I think it is really cool that words from True North are able to change lives of people not attending it. But just because TN reaches out to people far away, doesn’t mean they neglect those near. Thank you True North and all of the leaders. You guys are amazing.
True North is a better home for us with you actively involved, sweet sister. What God does through you for our church body is such a blessing. It’s great having you, and it was so great having you at Small Groups last night. :)
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
This verse caught my attention because how awesome would it be if we could add on to each person becoming saved? It is obvious looking at high school campuses, that there are not that many Christian students. I want to see a Revival happen at Aliso high school! I want to be more bold than ever and to cease opportunities to talk to other people and not plan on sitting around, waiting for those opportunities to come. Of course prayer is good, but it won’t do any good if we don’t act it out and actually DO IT. As a Christian, it is my mission to make disciples of Christ! I want to do my job and obey the Lord! I think it would be awesome to see God saving people from us True Northers telling people the gospel and being bold and fearless in God’s name. I would love to see a friend of mine repent of their sins and put their trust in Christ, turning from their sinful life, to the Lord! I am going to be in prayer about that more and really take opportunities given to me!
love the comment!!
What a great chapter this is! Good stuff! God uses Peter right after the resurrection happens. He has already chosen Peter out to preach the Gospel that was only prophesied about in the past, and die for it. He will end up being crucified upside down because he is preaching the Gospel…so intense. I didn’t even know that was possible until I read later on about it. Peter was the one to deny Jesus three times too! God uses the most unlikely people sometimes..It makes me start out my day thinking, “how is God going to use me today?” I pray that God will use me till I die and that I will have a faith that will move mountains so that others may be saved through me telling them the Gospel. THAT would be awesome. Maranatha. :)
What an awesome chapter! It is so encouraging to see the start of the new church and God’s mighty power working through people.
24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
Oh, Praise the One who paid MY debt!! Because of this fact, that God has raised Jesus up and loosened his chains, this same thing can now happen to me! I can be set free from my sin and never be held again by the Devil’s chains again! I praise God so much for this fact alone, that I was once in darkness and now I’m found!
46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
When I read this, one word comes to my mind: REVIVAL! As Pastor Bobby was saying, it is the very first day that the church starts and 3000 people get saved! The whole last five verses are describing what the church is like. All of the people are devoting themselves to listening to the apostles’ preaching and teaching. They are all joining in fellowship together, eating and praying as one body of believers. Miracles are being done through the apostles. People were selling their possessions to pay the expense needed to help each other out. And so everyday, they joined together at the temple and praised God for all that he was doing. And as each day passed, more people were getting saved!
This is Revival! This is what we are trying to start across Orange County! And it all starts with the people we have right now! I need to follow the lead of what these people of the first church were doing. I need to be devoting myself to listening to preaching and teaching, joining together in fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ, coming together to pray as one body, give of my own to help provide for brothers and sisters in need, and coming together at church to praise God for his wondrous works! And the way more people get saved is when more people are hearing the truth. I need to go all out in evangelism to share the good news to those who are lost in darkness! Lets spark Revival in the OC!
WOOOOOOOOO! MAN, Steffen! Your post this morning gets me PUMPED! Absolutely AMEN and RIGHT ON–GREAT post, bud–WOW!
Thanks! And it always gets me pumped reading your posts as well!!
Awesome Comment Steffen! Sooo encouraging! :)
Thanks! :)
Acts 2:5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.
There is no ‘luck’ just God’s providence! He orchestrated having people from the entire world come to this one spot, via the Roman roads that He allowed to be constructed, just for the sole purpose of hearing Holy-Spirit filled fishermen unnaturally and powerfully share the gospel! So what are we to do? Share the gospel because He commands us to do so! And time is short so let’s get busy!
“‘I saw the Lord always before me,
for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
my flesh also will dwell in hope.
This is the effect God should have on us!! We shouldn’t just say were christians and have this take no effect on our lives! If we are truly saved and living all out for God, we should feel that he’s our right hand man who will never let us fall away, we will always be steadfast in our faith if we walk along side the Lord! We will be filled with joy through the changes we see God making in our lives and we will constantly rejoice over him and his pure awesomness!!! It also says that being with the Lord gives you HOPE, and I think this is something that is in short supply in lots of lives because of our economy,so if more people came to God, maybe we wouldn’t have such a hopeless outlook on life!
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved
I also loved verses 42-47, because they tell us the rewards we will be given if we are devoted to learning about the bible and about God! It says that if we are constantly learning and teaching and in fellowship lives will be saved by God! And if we are selfelss with our belongings and give to those who need it more, God will surely provide for us! I pray that we can use these verses as examples of the things we should be doing as a church to spread God’s word and to glorify his name!
Maranathaa!!!
Good Morning!
24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
This verse stuck out to me because again it shows and tells me that my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is above all things. Not even death can get a firm grasp on Him for He rose from it within three days! He is my God and He has the power to overcome death! What else does He have power over? He is the supreme power over everything….. period. No questions asked.
AMEN to that!
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
You know what the first converts of the early church did? They devoted themselves to God’s Word and established relationships with the other Christians. This is exactly what we talked about this week at small groups!
We see repeatedly in God’s Word that we need to consistently be in the Word and surrounding ourselves with other Christians, so that we’re not running the race alone. As summer approaches, it’s my prayer that we would all seek out accountability and develop consistent time in God’s Word everyday!
Verses 42-47 speak to us about members of the church contributing to the church–GOD’S church. This principle of giving and taking care of one another is biblical. It is a prayer of mine that you learn NOW, as high schoolers, to consider all that God has given YOU in great abundance, and prayerfully, devotedly, and gladly give BACK to the church family God’s placed you in.
Financial resources are indeed necessary–just think about the year end banquet, how beautiful and amazing it was. From the decorations to the food, to the personalized M&M’s on our tables, to the yearbooks, to the frames holding and memorializing our beloved seniors on our HOLYwood Wall Of Fame…ALL of this cost money. As do the cookies, donuts, bottled water, etc. we receive faithfully each weekend at church. And the dinners at Small Groups. IT ALL COSTS MONEY. And this isn’t subsidized by the government or the unchurched, guys–it comes from ONE ANOTHER. It is SO CRITICAL that we GIVE and contribute to our church family, so that we may continue to give God the glory He is owed in ALL that we do.
Likewise, it’s not just about financial resources, but time and talent, as well. Again with the banquet–the videos, the song number Ben and Bobby broke out in for us, the dessert table and the different desserts that families baked/contributed, the decorating of the Compass Room, the yearbooks (not only are they surely not cheap, but look at the time and personalization that went into it! The time spent in connecting with the seniors to compile such a memoir), the HOLYwood theme totally built upon, the MC’ing and awards presentations…all of this done in the love and talents God LAVISHES us with, that we might love on one another, spur one another on, be deepened in our relationship with Him and one another, be provided for in incredible abundance.
One thing that gets me twisted (in a bad way) is when I see attitudes of entitlement and expectation. I DETEST this. May we receive the love God shows us through one another in humility, and may the gratitude He calls us to experience be directed at Him in likened expressions of our OWN resources, time, talents, and gifts. May we build one another up and direct one another closer to our Savior as we travel this road leading back Home to Him…
Last one. Sorry–God has my mind and heart GOIN’ this morning! WOO!
21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
This made me think of our Small Groups last night, and how we got real and talked about how Satan is after us, ready to devour us, like the lion he is. And what we talked about is how Satan KNOWS God’s Word. How he USES it and MALIGNS it–TWISTS it–to trip us up.
This is a verse that has surely been used on me to try and break me away from the truth. If we look at this verse in isolation (and don’t study God’s Word, to see what God gives us throughout His ENTIRE Word), we might be tempted to believe the lie Satan might use to deceive us by saying, “EVERYONE who calls upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved! So therefore, EVERYONE who acknowledges God is going to heaven, right?” Well, if I’m a brand new baby Christian, NOT in the Truth of God’s Word regularly, NOT being protected in the fellowship of the pack, and living out on the fringe, dancing about with baby satanic lion cubs, thinking they’re GREAT buddies, totally harmless…guess what? It might be VERY EASY for me to think that that sentiment sounds WONDERFUL. And surely God is love, so it fully makes SENSE that anyone who calls on Him would be saved…right?
See that? See how that just worked? How SIMPLE that is? And MAN, guys, there are some incredibly charming people out there being employed by Satan. They intrigue us, capture our fancy, and flirt with us to make us feel good about ourselves. And we develop the wrong kind of heart for them. And thinking (WRONGLY, I might add) that we are LOVING them, we malign God’s character by believing He is something He isn’t (God does not TOLERATE sin. And the fact is, is that anyone who isn’t living 100% SOLD OUT for Jesus Christ is stained with sin. And God WILL NOT invite anything stained with sin into His kingdom. When we are saved, we are covered and purified by the blood of our perfect Savior, Jesus Christ. And it is CHRIST God sees us as, if indeed, we are living sold out for Him and have died to ourselves). Without knowing and being convicted in the truth that God gives us, that our salvation and eternal zip code requires a confession and repenting of sin and a life of obedience that comes as a result of yielding to the Holy Spirit, it’s a SURE way to be mauled by the lion.
Man, and that’s just ONE VERSE-ONE EXAMPLE-of how God’s Word gets twisted and used to deceive us and set us up in the mouth of the devouring lion.
BE CAREFUL. STAY WITH THE PACK. IMMERSE YOUR MIND AND HEART IN STUDYING THE TRUTH OF GOD’S WORD.
You rock Stacey! If I can count correctly that was 3 legit posts before 8 a.m. Wow!
STACY PERKINS!!!!!! You are on a role!!!! hahahah. Woooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!! Awesome!
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
Verse 42 jumped out at me this morning as I had the topic of “Don’t Stop Standing” on my mind. The things Luke lists in this verse to describe the early church are like a recipe for us to stay standing in Christ…
1.Devotion to Biblical Teaching (listening to it, reading it, and obeying it!)
2.Fellowshipping with other believers
3.Participating in Communion and sharing other meals together.
4. Praying for and with other Christians
These four things really stood out to me as ways to be “a part of the pack” and not to isolate ourselves like gazelles. I am so thankful for Compass Bible Church! Our church is committed to Biblical teaching, giving us multiple opportunities each week to hear solid teaching and get into a small group setting to discuss it and learn how to apply it. It is also through small groups that we can fellowship with other believers, share meals together and get to know each other in such a way that we can be praying for and with each other. I am grateful today for the small group of women who I have been with for all my years at Compass and for our pastoral staff that gives me rich, Biblical teaching each week to apply. Compass Bible Church is helping me to live out the example of the early church in this verse!
41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
Wow! Three thousand people repented of their sins and put their faith in Christ that day! That’s like every person at my public high school getting saved! God used Peter as a vessel to preach the gospel through. It wasn’t Peter that saved them, but God who did the work in their hearts. It’s so cool that God used Peter in such big ways! I am praying everyday that God would use me on my high school campus to preach the gospel and for a true revival to break out!
summer, God is using you alot with your campus lunches i wish i can goo to your school and hear themm.:)
Great Comment Summer! Ill will definitely be praying for you when you do campus lunches!!! :)
Amen!! Keep up the great work in the SC and leading campus lunches to proclaim God’s name!
21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
“‘I saw the Lord always before me,
for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
my flesh also will dwell in hope.
27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
or let your Holy One see corruption.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
Dependence on the Lord is the only thing that is going to get us through this life the right way. I know that I am completely powerless to do anything by myself and I am continuously reminded of it. My first response to a problem is “what can I do to fix this?” when it should really be “Ill pray to God and leave it in his hands”. The truth is, it never leaves his hands anyway. Even when I think I have it under control, its really God that ALWAYS has it under control. Trusting him and seeking him will always be the ultimate solution to every problem. The awesome part about that is that he does have it under control, and is doing whats best for us. So there is no need to worry or stress. As a senior, its beautiful to not have to stress about anything. I am so blessed to have God in my life and have Christ for my savior. The next few verses are more examples of how lucky we all are. Maranatha.
38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your 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 off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
While it is cool and encouraging to see the things the early church was devoted to, it is challenging to ask myself if these are the things that I am personally devoted to!
How diligently am I listening to teaching from God’s Word and applying it to my life?
How actively am I seeking out opportunities of fellowship and service?
How consistent am I in lifting requests and praises to God in prayer?
The only way that the whole church will be characterized by devotion to teaching, fellowship, and prayer is if each individual member is committed to these things. Therefore, I must examine myself!
What an AMAZING chapter!!! So much of it struck me..
17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declared
that I will pour out 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;
18 even on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
20 the sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
This day shall be mighty and great, we who call upon the Lord shall be saved!! What amazing news!!!!
“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
What a Merciful, Loving ,Just, Holy Holy Holy God we serve. Bearing gifts to us that we do not deserve.
“Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
I loved the first line: SAVE YOURSELVES FROM THIS CROOKED GENERATION.That applies then and now, this is not our home, our home is yet to come, it shall be perfect, no more tears, pain, or sorrow.
Sorry if my thoughts are scattered all over the place today!!
LOVED it–ALL of the insights God opened your heart to. AWESOME post, Sharon. Stoked to see you on here faithfully, sister.
Thank You Stacy! Its an Honor to read Gods word daily:) An Honor to see how his words strike each person diffrently. amazing.
8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?
I think it is important to note that the tongues that were spoken here were real languages, not nonsense. Tongues were given to confirm that the Holy Spirit had been given to the believers, validate the apostles teaching, and as a sign against unbelieving Israel.
Acts 2:
13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
THIS REMINDS ME OF “GET BEHIND ME SATAN” Here there are disciples speaking in differently languages and there is a crowd watching. Some of the crowd are the non-believers or the mockers. Satan is twisting the mind of the mockers who are watching. They are saying the disciples are drunk. They don’t believe in the miracle that has happened when they are speaking in tongues. Obviously, they could not be drunk…how could they speak in different languages drunk? Satan has devoured these people called the mockers in this verse.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Unfortunatley, churches still think they can talk in tongues like the apostles can. In my science class we have two tables formed together and I was sharing my faith with all of them. This one girl said that she went to a “Christian church” and they were speaking in tongues and they were spazzing out. Her whole of Christianity is ruinned by that. I still told her that I’m Christian and I don’t believe or do that annd it’s messed up.
11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”
The apostles are talking in all of these different languages, like i said before. People are starting to get amazed because obviously they didn’t know this before, it’s just like if your dad came home and started talking in like 15 different languages to you.
23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
Peter is preaching the Gospel, what happens later on in the chapter? People are getting saved! In these next chapters we’ll the see the growth of the church because the Gospel is being preached boldlessly! It’s great to read about Peter since we’ve going over 1 Peter this whole year! Peter had boldness to preach the Gospel! Let’s not be afraid to do the same!
Speaking in tongues is a great example of how Satan will twist and manipulate a person into believing something that has no Biblical basis. The speaking in different dialects was to further the Gospel into other nations who spoke different languages. Now Satan has twisted it into having people believe that speaking in tongues is a great spiritual gift for the super spiritual. But as you gave as an example of your friend at school it is keeping her from Christ’s Gospel. This is why we read and study the Bible so we can defend the Gospel from Satan’s lies.
44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
At Small groups last night we discussed the importance of Christian friends; these verses offer a great example of what tue Christian fellowship should look like and what that fellowship can accomplish. After these 3,000 people are saved, the first thing they do is devote themselves to the apostles’ teachings and to each other. Without worrying about having enough for themselves, these new Christians sell their possessions and give willingly to one another–especially to those in need. They also meet and worship together regularly (daily, in fact), and they praise God for whatever provisions they receive. That needs to be what my daily walk looks like. My heart should be fully devoted to God’s word and to helping and encouraging others. When a body of Christ is in concert in their devotion to God and others, look what happens: “And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Clearly God honors such devotion, and clearly such devotion helps draw other people to Christ. How awesome would it be to see people getting saved at True North on a daily basis! I pray that TN will be a place that is wholly devoted to God’s teachings and to loving others, and I pray that God will use that devotion to lead many people to Salvation.
Solid post Boyd!!
Wow, this chapter was really good. probly my favorite chapter out of Acts. i read did at my school but didnt understand it as much it now…and it was a wonderful chapter. :) God has used peter alot and its awsome!
i pray that God will use me more with that…cuz all i wanna do it talk about Jesus Christ to people and the good news.
im soo blessed that God used me to starte an Irvine Small group,and i didnt even kno that Pastor Ben and Pastor Bobby were praying to reach other there.they by Gods great works i came to true north few mouths later, got saved…living for Jesus Christ now. and stared an Irvine small group.
what my favorite verse is this chapter was…
Acts 2:37-38
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
i thought that was very cool that Peter would share Jesus Christ to people and they three thousand people got saved!!
what summer said thats like my whole school getting saved.
8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?
One thing that is amazing that God gave the world was diverse languages. It is incredible how people can undersrand some words in a language, and have no idea what the same thing means in a different language
43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
When people hear about God, and the pure glory of everything he does, their minds should and normally are filled with awe. The apostles taught them about the things of the Lord, and helped them to know the glory of God, being messengers, they did nothing except spread the word. This caused the unbelievers minds to expand and be willing to believe and live for God.
That is truly amazing, and it shows how god works in our hearts to give out the good news and save the souls of people who hadn’t been saved before. That takes pure courage, and I pray that we, as servants of God, will have the courage and willingness to care for our unbelieving brothers and sisters to let them hear the word.
=) Happy Jueves!!
“‘I saw the Lord always before me,
for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
my flesh also will dwell in hope.
good verse :)
46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
The start of the church! So exciting! I love this description of what church was when it first started. It was people coming to someone’s home, eating food together, having fellowship together, but most importantly, praising God together. As this process continued, the people being saved multiplied. This description of church reminds me of small groups! We eat together, talk together and encourage one another, and then we talk about (and worship) God together. This is why its so important to go to small groups- because we are talking about God’s word face to face instead of just hearing about it in a sermon! I am so thankful for the last year of these small groups, and am praying that I can come to church willing and ready to encourage others and praise God- because that is what it is supposed to be like at church!
Great Comment! So true, Small groups are awesome! :)
I am LOVING Acts!!! The Holy Spirit is teaching me so much!
Verses 42-47 really pump me up to be more of a loving and giving person that is devoted to the church. They were all united and loving because of the amazing work that the Holy Spirit had done in their souls through the realization that Jesus of Nazareth was God (and was crucified)….and look how God blessed it! Even though this was close to 2,000 years ago the principles are the same. We too killed Christ due to our sin and are all united by Him through the Holy Spirit. We can be just like the early church and love each other just like we love ourselves and the way Christ loves us…and God will bless that too!
Wow, this was an exciting chapter! I definitely recommend listening to the flash audio. It pumped me up!
In particular verses 26-28, when Peter was preaching about David, reminding the people of David’s hope in the coming resurrection:
“…my flesh also will dwell in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption.You have made known to me the paths of life;”
The resurrection of Jesus Christ, God defeating death, has to be the greatest news of all time because of the hope it leaves us with! If I have turned from my sins in faith in Christ, then death no longer has hold over me, because Christ defeated death! This is awesome news! I need to tell someone!!
YAH, SPENCE! WOOOOO! You DO it!
45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
I liked this verse because it will really help me with the “giving” factor. Countless times I look at my closet full of clothes and think, “I have`nt worn this for years.” But my stubbornness and selfishness gets to me every time and I think, “Well maybe one of my friends will come over and want to wear it.” Its so ridiculous! My goal is to get rid of clothes that I havent worn in 6 months or more. And to give them to someone who will actually need it and to did will a happy and giving heart!!! :)
A great chapter! the first part was very interesting. It was cool to see how the Holy spirit came like that.
2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.
This chapter was great. I would have loved to see the Holy Spirit come upon them like that. That would be so amazing. And all the lives they saved, 3000!!!, encourages me so much to go out and share even more. WOW! it is amazing, God is amazing, His works and words are amazing. I don’t even think amazing is good enough to describe this. I just can’t wait to see our amazing LORD, coming down to save us all. Just AMAZING!
HAHA! YES! He is TRULY amazing, and you are right–the words we know PALE in comparison to the awesomeness that God is.
46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts
this is how the church got started, and look what God has done, True North is sooooo legit!!
I always love reading through Acts. What happened in the early church is amazing. How Peter used the Bible to explain things that were prophesied about years ago surprises me each time. And one thing that surprises me the most is that when the disciples and apostles were given the gift of tongues, they didn’t just talk and be entertained with that, but they told the Jews “the mighty works of God.” That just surprises me.
Since it seems to be the norm to comment on one specific verse I will follow suit.
2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
“A rushing wind”. That is the best description of the Holy spirit. It displays the Holy Spirit’s characteristics. It’s invisible, but it’s effects are visible. It cannot be controlled by man so it does as it pleases. Jesus prophesied about it’s coming. Now, the Holy Spirit comes to the apostles in their time. With him, the Holy Spirit brought gifts of the spirit and the power of Jesus Christ. Peter, a man too timid to admit that he was a follower of Jesus to a slave girl, is now standing before many of those who yelled for Jesus’ death and preaching the gospel. That cannot be explained by anything else but God’s divine work in human hearts. This last year, I have come to grow in my knowledge of the Holy Spirit and his effect on the christian soul. The Holy Spirit is powerful and does many great works. I pray that I will let the “rushing wind” take control of my sails and lead me down that narrow path.
I read…
I liked the last verse of this chapter. This chapter was about the beginning of the church and how God started it and filled all of the new Christians with the Holy Spirit. The last verse talks about new people being added to the Christians numbers each day. Is this happening now? To ensure revival happens and that more people become saved. Be evangelizing to others so that they may inherit the kingdom of God also.
Great to see you on here Bryan! I like that last verse also. When we think about how God is saving people daily it makes us think whether we are the type of person is can use to to grow the kingdom.
21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
This chapter is SO INTENSE!What I like about verse 21 is that my eternity is secured in the Lambs Book of Life….I know that I committed my life to the Lord and I full trust Him and I know I am a sinner and I cannot live without God and His knowledge…I am so glad that I am saved. But the end time is near!
Hebrews 3:13 says to encourage eachother as long as it is called TODAY! Lets face it, the rapture could happen at any moment…now…NOW! Its so intense i cant even grasp it- all i can think of is praying Maranatha! But I also have a duty as i pray maranatha..The Lord will return when every ear has heard the gospel and when everyone will have been the choice to become saved or not…its my duty as a follower of Christ to make that happen. If i want the Lord to return so badly, then i better be out there in the world preachin it! Can i get an AMEN??
I want the Lord to return ASAP and I cannot wait until i am with him, but as for now, i am here on this earth for a reason and i dont want people to see the scary wrath of God!
So MARANATHA! Lets make it happen!!!
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
This reminds me of my response when I finally realized that I was a sinner deserving hell. I was cut to the heart and wanted to get right with God immediately. I pray for many many students at True North and other high schools in Orange County to realize their need for a savior, be cut to the heart, and repent.
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
As we can see in this verse they Christians were fellowshiping and praising God for what He had just done. This caused a revival to be spread among the people and it caused people to be saved. Its so important that we show Gods powere to all around us so they will catch the fire and spread it more. I know its one of the most amazing things when someone close to you is saved and we cant help but rejoice to our God. It says in this verse that day by day more people were added to Gods kingdom, and it shows that we are supposed to praise God for all that are saved. Even when we dont like someone that is saved we need to love them and be more than happy for them because we now have everything in common.
45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
Sometimes I think that I need to keep everything for myself because I want to make sure I am satisfied and I get everything I want. This is selfish and sinful, I need to be putting everyone before me and making sure they get enough. If I am worried that I won’t get enough of what I want then I am not trusting in God and lacking in faith.
Great Post Brennan!
41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
God’s spirit was working that day and He used Peter to convict the hearts of about 3,000. That is almost all of the Aliso Niguel high school. Think if almost everyone at Aliso repented of their sins and put their faith in Christ. That would be such an awesome day!!! God’s Spirit is still convicting hearts of sin. Look at the work God has done at True North. But there is more work to be done. There are so many more kids that need to hear the gospel and have an opportunity to repent. It is our job to take the gospel to them, just like Peter did. I’m praying for Revival this summer that will flow into next year and transform the high schools of Orange County.
21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
Great chapter! I especially like verse 21 because it is so simple to just call upon the name of the Lord and eventually be able to be with him in Heaven. Although, a lot of people don’t make the right decision and depart from God’s way instead. It isn’t easy living a Christian life with temptation everywhere, but it is so worth it in the end! I am so happy to know that by obeying God’s law I can be with God one day! God has given us incredible opportunities to evangelize to others, and I want to jump at those opportunities because I want others to be saved in Christ Jesus also! :)
23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
Mmmmmm I love how Peter ties the crucifixion with God’s amazing plan; His plan for us to be saved from our sinful captivity and live with Him! God knew about Christ’s death; even Christ (who is God) knew about His death. This was no accident, or ruthless martyrdom–this was what God destined throughout history, so that we sinful people can be freed from our bondage to this world and so that we can start living for the One who paid our debt.
40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
As I was reading this it was really cool to picture it. I can just see paul preching in front of thousands of people and just going for it with all he has. He wasnt worried about what people would think about him or what could happen to him afterwards. Paul is a great example of what I should be striving for in evangelism
38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The gift of salvation is unimaginable to think about!! When we become Christians, we are automatically assured that we will live in perfect peace for eternity witht he LORD Jesus Christ who is sitting at the right hand of God. My salvation brings me such joy and I do thank God nearly enough for saving my soul!!!
MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!!!
6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.
God is so amazing how he can make everyone understand this preacher although they all spoke different languages. only the Lord can make it possible that many different people with different languages can all understand one speaker. the Lord is so powerful and miraculous. the Lord uses everything for his glory.
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.
The Holy Spirit is SO awesome! Peter, who at one point denied Jesus THREE times, is now preaching in front of all these people about the Bible! God can do such amazing things with anyone! I can’t wait to see what God will use me for in my life!
Reading Peter’s sermon is incredible and powerful.WOW!
41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
The Word of God, the gospel, truly penetrates hearts like sword does with flesh. As I read this verse afresh today, I realized that sometimes a think God can only do so much. Here, He saved three thousand people in one day!! I get excited just thinking about that and how is not outlandish to think that God would do a work like that in orange county.
23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
God is so powerful, He is so amazing, great, and mighty. Everything was a part of His plan and worked amazing results even though it seemed so horrible at the time. The Son of God was slain. Innocent: He was brutally murdered, and yet now all who believe can be saved from a fiery death. If God worked through that, He can work in my life. Verse 23 says “His definite plan” there is a way, and God is working it. I shouldn’t be afraid, or worry, or stress because God is going to work everythign out and all i have to do is listen and obey even though I don’t understand and it’s hard more often than not.
Also verse 24 just struck me with more evidence of the Lord’s power. Death could not hold Him, it simply couldn’t because He’s just too awesome:) This is a little lame but I’m not afraid of the dark anymore because of it(i have a point i promise). Jesus conquered death and sin, and because I am saved, there is nothing out there that can hurt me, even when the lights are off. Because demons and whatever I was afraid of in the dark can’t torment or “hurt” me anymore because Jesus defeated all of it when He died. Just one of the cool lightbulb moments I thought I’d share :D
Anyways, praise to Jesus Christ and the Lord for His death/resurrection and amazing divine, foolproof plan He has for us all!
MARANATHA.
27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
or let your Holy One see corruption.
this verse is amazing. it is so great to have a God that even after i sinned against Him and desserved hell 1000 times over he did not abondon me. in fact He went so far to not abandon me that he died for me and took my punishment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this is INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! in return i will give Him what i have and follow Him.
MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!!!.
Mhmm how true! Our undeservingness is completely unfathomable and yet we have been saved by God’s amazing grace!
Great to see you reading through Acts on here Jake! Keep up the comments!
4 And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
That whole chunk from this chapter about fellowship was a terrific read, (along with Christ’s answer to prophecies, that was my fave too!). Before Christ came back in the day, what really brought people together was their background as a jew or a gentile. This verse just really stood out to me because now, all they really have in common is Christ, and that’s all they care about!! Christ is their new life as Christ is ours and it’s His holy spirit that brings us together in Him!! Praise to Jesus Christ in heaven for the wonderful things he does in people’s lives, (including my own!!). :D
nd how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God
I love these verses because it shows us that the Gospel of Jesus Christ was meant for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you are yellow, red, brown, white, black or blue. Every race needs the good news of the gospel, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory. Sin is the fundamental problem that every human being has. It separates us from God and will separate us eternally if we don’t repent of our sins and put our faith and trust in God. If you haven’t done that, don’t worry because today is the day of salvation. There are no guarantees that anyone of us will be around tomorrow. Things happen like car crashes, sporting accidents, plane crashes, natural disasters, disease,and bicycling accidents. There are no guarantees about the longevity of your life. So if you are sinner who stands condemned before a holy and righteous God. Then please repent of your sins and put your complete faith and trust in Jesus Christ and you will be saved. In this life knowing truth is the only thing that matters.
Can’t wait to see you tomorrow brother!
6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?
This is a great verse. GOD is a GOD of miracles, but this aspect of his personality is often ignored by many Christians. GOD can do amazing things if we just trust in him. I need to marvel on this aspect of GOD more often.
17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out 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; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
-Ahhhh MARANATHA!!!!! this gets me so pumped for when the LORD returns!
6 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” 37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
-mmm the mighty name of God that brought thousands to their knees! SO amazing! that right there is so powerful! I love it!! If we can spread the good news, maybe we too can see this happen!
40 …and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
This is the first ever church sermon, and over 3000 people are saved! This is so intense, but it definitely doesn’t just happen.It takes unbelievable amounts of prayer and effort to make things like this happen. God is the one who changes people’s hearts, but we are called to do everything we can to spread the Gospel. If we are never thinking about it or praying about it, our efforts will be mediocre at best. I want to make it a priority to be praying DAILY that God will start massive revival at our high schools this year and next, so that we can truly sing “O for a Thousand Tongues” with over 1000 people giving glory to God!
“‘I saw the Lord always before me,
for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
my flesh also will dwell in hope.
These verses are so comforting! It brings me joy to know that the Lord is always there! He is always at my right hand and with Him, nothing can shake or move me! That is so encouraging and makes me so thankful. God is with us through everything, even the worst of days when i feel all alone, God is right there! I just need to accept that and trust it! I must rejoice and be glad for my God protects me(:
38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Great verse!! It makes me so thankful that Jesus gives us this opportunity. Not one single person deserves anything Jesus has done or given us. Jesus Christ died for us and forgives us everyday of our sins. It makes me realize that i must forgive more and not hold grudges. I want to be like Jesus Christ so i must forgive and move on. If we repent and get baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, we will receive the Holy Spirit which is just a great gift! Thank you Lord for giving us the opportunity of eternal life in heaven, forgiving us of our sins, and giving us the Holy Spirit! Praise the Lord<3
41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
Such a cool chapter! Awesome to read about so many people being saved and it sounds like the revival we need now in our high schools! I want to make a difference and share the gospel to those who desperately need to here the truth!
23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
So awesome to read Peter preaching the gospel to these Jewish leaders! It’s pretty crazy that he’s preaching about this and it had just happened and all of it was the definite plan of God. God is so good, we just have no idea! Just reading this chapter tonight is super encouraging thinking of how I am living hundreds of years after the events in this chapter took place and God has saved me and I am a part of his plan in the church! What a great God we serve! I don’t ever want to stop proclaiming this gospel to everyone that I can!
28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
Without God, there is no life. He gave us physical life and is our creator. Then, we became sinful and satan tried to take us away from our God, but God send his son Jesus Christ to be crucified for our sin. We don’t deserve that at all. God completely sustains us in every single way possible. He’s shown us there is a life beyond this because of what his son did for us on the cross. Praise the Lord for all he has done and for saving us from what we truly deserve and instead giving us hope of eternity worshiping him!
41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
This verse is great! it reminds me to be praying for revival at OC highschools! A great way to go about this is to pray for and support your campus lunch. Our church does not do them just for fun, but ultimately to save people. So bring your friends to the last lunch of the year!
38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Ahhhh, this is one extremely popular verse to twist. MANY people twist this verse to make it say that baptism is part of your salvation. The response to that is YES, but only baptism in Christ, washing our sins away. NOT water baptism or baptism as a baby. HOWEVER, the Bible talks about the issue.
Look at Luke 3:3 “And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”
It talks about a different kind of baptism! Not water baptism!
BUT the best example of the BIble’s clear explanation of baptism comes from
1 Peter 3:21-Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
This verse is simply the clearest and most straight forward. Water baptism (removal of the dirt from the body), doesnt save. Its the repentance and appeal to Christ that saves.
Maranatha.
44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
The last paragraph is such a cool example of how us as Christian brothers and sisters should be showing love and taking care of each other. How different is my selfish ambition than these Christian’s desire to sell what they owned and distributed the money among those who needed it. LORD, please help me not to be so selfish with what I have- in fact its not even mine but rather just things you have entrusted me with. LORD, please help me to be willing to sacrifice more and more, even all my possessions, if it will serve the physical or spiritual needs of others, especially fellow Christians. Please give me a heart to look out for their welfare all the time rather than spend most of the time looking out for myself and only looking to others when I happen to think about them.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
God is so good :) He has made known to me the paths of life throughout the past four years of high school, and espeically this year. I know that wherever I go, with him by my side, I can have gladness. He gives me great joy even when i least expect it, for which I am truly grateful. As the Master of our lives, he wants to see his children do his will and to see them smile. I want to please God and thank him for all his blessings by obeying his commands.
Acts 2
38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
How awesome it must have been to see this breaking of natural law done by God. God poured out His Spirit onto the twelve disciples as the start speaking in different dialects about the mighty works of God. Never before had the Holy Spirit been delivered into the hearts and (mind) of man. This was a moment of Biblical Revival as we see that three thousand people that day repented of their sin and were baptized. In verse thirty eight we see that people repented of their sin and received the gift of the Holy Spirit. We must ask God to specifically forgive our past sins laying them at His feet. If we believe ourselves to be a Christian but do not see change (the work of the Holy Spirit) than we need to evaluate what our faith is based upon. A Christian has visible signs of inward change!
Acts 8:22 22 Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.
Still having trouble logging in via Facebook! Agh.
41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
Wow! Three thousand people getting saved?? Can you imagine how exciting that would be? We usually get pumped up for Revival in the summer because of the work that God does in so many young peoples’ hearts, but imagine if three thousand people were to get saved at Revival X. Obviously at this point the church was new, but there was a fervor for the Lord – a kind of fervor that is absent in way too many churches these days. We need to (more specifically, I need to) remember that there is reward and fulfillment in Christ, and in having a fervor for Him.
AD I love you man! Nice to see you on SOTD!
Wow, there is just so much here to take in. As I read this I couldn’t help but recall the many sermons I’ve heard preached from this passage. I also got really excited about the amazing things God can do through the power of the Holy Spirit. Like Bobby said, this is a complete revival of the hearts of so many people on that day — something that still needs to happen to many of us. And for those of us whose hearts have already been revived, we should take this boldness and excitement as a model of what the church ought to be like! We should be excited to spread our new life to others!
28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
I am still a sinner, but I am glad that His light shines so that I am aware of what is before me. I like this verse because it reminds me that even though there are and will be many more hardships to come, God will provide a way.
Acts 2
Verses 29 – 41 are Peter’s great Gospel presentation. The Gospel was translated in many dialects by the 120 brothers who were filled with the Holy Spirit. Peter was not the lone evangelist who led three thousand to be saved. God used His workers to multiply His saving power to reach the diverse crowd of thousands. I love how we see God put the workers to the plow and in doing so reaped for His glory a mighty harvest. It is not only the responsibility of pastors or teachers lead people to Christ it is the Great Commission of all who follow and serve Jesus Christ. I pray that this year in the high schools of Orange County we will see students led by the Holy Spirit boldly proclaiming the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. God’s power has not diminished and His Spirit could save thousands thru True North.
Acts 1:15 In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said,