Road Trippin With Rachael

In the last two lessons we have discussed what was happening in history during the book of Acts, and last week we went over chapter 1. Chapter 1 covered Luke establishing himself as a reliable source, naming who the letter was written to, talking about historical events, and name dropping. Now as we move forward, we are going to be be looking specifically at Chapters 2 and 3. During these chapters we will be looking at the happenings of Pentecost, Peter’s Sermon, and some of the miracles of the Early Church. 

Pentecost – What Actually Is It?

If we are following the Litergical Calendar, Pentecost comes fifty days after Easter. It coincides with Shavuot (the Feast of Weeks on the Jewish calendar). This becomes important later on in our discussion because it explains why there were so many people who are present in Jerusalem when Pentecost happens. That explains the “when” but as to the “what”: Pentecost is when the Holy Spirit indwelled believers. This means that all through who have accepted Christ as their personal Lord and Savior have the Third Person of the Trinity living inside of them. These events are recorded at the beginning of chapter 2.  

There is also a note that those first believers were gifted with the ability to speak in tongues. Several conversations and discussions have been had about speaking in tongues. However, that is not what we are here to discuss at this moment. The sudden speaking in tongues had caught the attention of those who were in Jerusalem. Because of Pax Romana, there were many Jewish men and women who were in Jerusalem who didn’t speak or read the Hebrew language. They were surprised that they were able to hear their own language. So surprising that they thought that the disciples who were speaking were drunk – early in the morning. 

Peter’s Sermon

Peter’s first sermon was one of the records. His breakdown is one that is now a standard outline for many sermons today. 

Peter’s sermon begins with referencing the Old Testament. In Peter’s case he references Joel 2:28-32. Since the New Testament hadn’t been written yet, pulling a group of Hebrew men and women into the Old Testament was the right move. He points out how Jesus was the fulfillment of Joel, and then moves into giving a Gospel presentation. He speaks of the arrest, the sins that the Hebrew leaders committed, and then also Psalm 16:8-11.

But Peter doesn’t end there, only making accusations of the Hebrew leaders (Acts 2:37), but he also issues a call to repentance. The offering is there for the people to accept or deny. The call was to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, who had died for the forgiveness of sins. 

This marks the birth of the church. As more and more people repented and the church was born. As the church was growing there began to be devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching – as they were the twelve with the closest relationship to Jesus during his earthly ministry. Some of the characteristics that emerged were as follows:

• They worshiped as a congregation
• They operated in small groups of people (the churches were not very big so the groups of people together were naturally small)
• They had meals together
• They had prayers together. 

These characters are now signs of a healthy church. Modern churches should be having worship as the congregation. Many churches have small groups or Sunday school groups that are meant to be a way to connect to others within the church. Meals together would eventually be communion, and its still great fun to get together with friends from church. Prayer has always been a part of the life of those of faith – whether it be a part of the Old Testament or the New, and it is still true of the modern believer and the modern church. 

Miracles of the Early Church

I’m not planning to focus and break down all the miracles that would be performed with the early church. Moving forward, I’ll be talking about them, but they won’t be a main focus. That being said, the Healing of the Lame Man is a significant moment in the life of the Early Church.

The apostles had no money, but they could offer a blessing in the name of Jesus Christ. A man who had been lame since birth was healed, and he became a living testimony to the power of faith in Christ. He was someone who wasn’t an apostle, which in some ways, made what he would say hold more weight for those who didn’t yet believe. 

And isn’t that the way? Sometimes, it is the people who have the least connection or knowledge that can have teh greatest influence.