Acts 2 Bible Study |
What is the "Day of Pentecost"?
Also called the "Feast of Harvest" or the "Day of First Fruits", it was a
feast during which the people brought as an offering the first fruits of
their grain harvest to thank God, as well as to express their trust that He
will bless the rest of the harvest. Along with Passover and the Feast of
Tabernacles, the Day of Pentecost was second of three major feasts that God
commanded to be kept in the Old Testament.
Why was it called, "Day of Pentecost"?
Pentecost was celebrated 50 days after the Passover. The Greek word pentekostos means “50th”.
What did they hear in Acts 2:2?
"Sound... of rushing mighty wind."
Where did the sound come from?
"Heaven".
What was the sound of?
The Holy Spirit, as Jesus had promised: "And I will pray the Father,
and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever -
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees
Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you." (John 14:16-17)
What did they see and feel, and how did they end up?
"Divided tongues, as of fire" that "sat upon each
of them." They ended up "filled with the Holy Spirit and
began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."
What drew the "multitude"?
The disciples speaking in their "own language".
What are the named places and people called today?
"Parthians and Medes and Elamites" are Iranians.
"Mesopotamia" is Iraq. "Judea"
is Israel, while "Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia" are all in Turkey.
Egypt, Libya and Rome are the same today, "Cretans" are from Crete, the
Greek island, and "Arabs" are Saudi Arabians.
To what did some of them attribute what they were witnessing?
The disciples being drunk: "They are full of new wine."
Why might the Holy Spirit have come on the Day of Pentecost?
As the day signaled the start of the grain harvest, He might have wished to
signal the start of the harvesting of souls.
What is "third hour of the day"?
Three hours from the start of the day, which was deemed to be 6am. Peter was
saying that it's only 9am, which is too early to start to drink, let alone be drunk.
Why did the eleven other Apostles stand up with Peter in Acts 2:14?
Perhaps so that the crowd can see with their own eyes that they weren't
drunk. Peter may have even pointed or gestured to them when he said, "these" are not drunk in Acts 2:15.
Why is Peter quoting from what the prophet Joel said in Joel 2:28-32?
To say that what they were witnessing wasn't drunkenness but the
fulfillment was Joel's prophecy; now that the "last days"
or the final phase of God's plan for mankind had begun with the harvesting
of souls, the Holy Spirit was being "poured out" on not
just kings and prophets but "all flesh", including
"sons... daughters... young men... old men... menservants and on maidservants."
What about the "wonders" mentioned in Acts 2:19-20?
They are things to happen "before the coming of
the great and awesome day of the Lord" - the Second coming of Jesus.
What did Peter do in Acts 2:22-24?
In one long sentence, he summarized to the crowd the message about Jesus,
that they had illegally ("by lawless hands") crucified
Jesus, whose identity God had "attested... by miracles"
and whom God had intended ("determined purpose and
foreknowledge of God") to be sacrificed and
"raised up" from "death".
And what does Peter tell the crowd in Acts 2:25-28?
That the death and resurrection of Jesus, the "Holy One",
was prophesied by none other than David, whom they revere, in Psalm 16:8-11 as quoted.
Why does Peter bring up that David is "both dead
and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day?"
He is reminding the people that unlike David, who died and stayed dead,
Jesus stayed neither dead nor buried, and His tomb is empty.
What does Peter also share in Acts 2:30-31?
David not only knew that Jesus would be resurrected, but also that He will
ascend to "sit on his throne" in heaven.
Was Peter speaking to a crowd of disciples?
No, it was just a crowd that had gathered after hearing a strange sound,
then people speaking in languages they had never learned.
Were they hearing pleasant things from Peter?
Not really. He was telling them that they had killed God.
So why did they keep quiet instead of objecting to or shouting down Peter?
They couldn't deny the truth of what he was saying. The body had disappeared
from a guarded tomb and over 500 people were running around the region
testifying that they had seen the resurrected Jesus: "After that He
was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part
remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep." (1 Corinthians
15:6) Think about this for a second. Had there been any doubt about Jesus'
resurrection at the time, Peter would have been challenged, if not shouted
down by this crowd, who would have dispersed, dismissing Jesus as just a
rabbi who had done and said some nice things but eventually talked too much
and gotten himself killed. But if Jesus was someone who is
stronger than even death and not only rose from the dead but actually
had prophesied that in advance, then everything else He said - including His
declaration that He is God who came to die to save us from our sins -
deserved at least a very careful consideration, if not immediate acceptance.
If Jesus hadn't proven His deity by conquering death, Christianity would
never have made it past this crowd.
What ended up happening to them?
"They were cut to the heart" by the truth that couldn't be
challenged and "about three thousand", an enormous number
in those days, as well as today, dropped to their knees right then and there and accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
What was Peter's first word of advice to them?
"Repent."
From what, and what does it mean?
From sins. The translated Greek word is metanoeo, which means to
change one's mind or attitude about, so repenting from sins means changing one's mind or attitude away from sins.
What is Peter's next word of advice?
"Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins."
Why?
Peter wasn't saying the act of baptism, which involves being submerged
in water for a moment (the translated Greek word is baptizo, which
literally means to immerse or submerge in water) results in the remission -
i.e., forgiveness - of sins (see earlier section on
Baptism), but to be baptized as a symbol of believing "with all your heart" (Acts 8:37)
that Jesus' death on the cross resulted in that.
If Jesus' death on the cross did that, why then do we need
to "receive the gift of the Holy Spirit"?
Because we're human, we will not stopping sinning completely despite our
best efforts. The Holy Spirit is the One who guides, teaches and admonishes
us so that we sin less and less and become more and more the person that
Jesus wants us to be. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit gives us spiritual gifts:
"There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are
differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of
activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the
manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for
to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word
of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit,
to another gifts of healings by the same[a] Spirit, to another the working
of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to
another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of
tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to
each one individually as He wills." (1 Corinthians 12:4-11)
Are these gifts for all Christians?
Every Christian receives at least one spiritual gift.
What are we supposed to do with them?
Help each others and to bring glory to Jesus. Spiritual gifts are not to be used for selfish gains.
How many believers were in Jerusalem when Jesus ascended to heaven?
"About a hundred and twenty." (Acts 1:15)
How many new Christians did each of them have to tend to after this one sermon alone?
Twenty-five (3000 / 120 = 25). The harvest indeed had started.
How did the first Christians deal with their possessions?
They "had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods,
and divided them among all, as anyone had need."
Surely, this isn't how Christians are supposed to live today?
Actually it is, and this is how many Christians in the "developing" world
still live, while the Christians in the "developed" world tend to hang onto their possessions.
But shouldn't we keep back at least some possessions for
our rainy days in the future?
Imagine you have savings of $100,000 and your sister needs $100,000 for a
life saving surgery. Would you use that money to pay for her surgery or keep
it for your future and let her die? In God's eyes, a Christian half-way
around the world whom we have never met is just as much our sister as a
biological sister, and holding back possessions - all of which belong to God
- while her needs go unmet is sin, as is not trusting that God will provide
for our future rainy days if we used His possessions in our care to help
those on whom the rain is falling today.
What special evangelistic programs increased the number of
people being saved in the first church?
None, it is "the Lord" who
"added to the church
daily those who were being saved."
Does this still apply today?
Absolutely. Our job is to "Go into all the world and preach the
Gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15) Whom God saves and adds to the church is up to Him