Two Key Questions Acts 2 Acts 2 12

Two Key Questions Acts 2

Acts 2: 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean? " Acts 2: 37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do? "

33 AD • 120 Christians 300 AD • 6 Million Christians Mid 300 s AD • 34 Million Christians By the year 350, one in every two persons in the Roman Empire was a church member!

Many scholars see in Acts 2 the actual birth of the church, the veritable launching of the Christian movement that would eventually turn the ancient world upside-down.

I believe that we also see in Acts 2 a story which demonstrates: 4 how it was that the Christian movement could expand so rapidly in its earliest stage of existence; 4 the effect God wants each local church to have on the community in which it’s located; and 4 the effect God wants each of us as individual Christ-followers to have on the people around us.

• “What does this mean? ” • “What shall we do? ”

Acts 2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. .

Acts 1: 4 … "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.

Acts 1: 8 … you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. "

… {2} Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. {3} They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. {4} All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them….

Did you know that this is a major theme in both the Old and New Testaments: the idea that when the Holy Spirit comes upon a person it is common for them to begin to engage in some form of unusual Spiritenabled speech?

Very often the prophesying we see in the Bible takes the form of a person being enabled by the Holy Spirit to speak forth prayer and praise to God, or to speak forth a message from God to other people.

Here are some passages from the Bible which demonstrate the fact that when the Holy Spirit comes upon a person, some form of prophetic speech usually occurs:

Numbers 11: 25 -29 1 Samuel 10: 6 -11 1 Samuel 19: 19 -24 1 Chronicles 12: 18 2 Chronicles 24: 20 Joel 2: 28 -29 Luke 1: 41 -45 Luke 1: 67 Luke 2: 25 -28 Acts 2: 4 Acts 4: 8 Acts 8: 14 -19 Acts 9: 17 -18 (cf. 1 Cor. 14: 18) Acts 10: 44 -46 Acts 13: 9 Acts 19: 6 Ephesians 5: 18 -20

Sometimes the prophetic speech the Holy Spirit enables when he comes upon a person is in their vernacular—the language they use everyday. At other times the prophetic speech is referred to as glossolalia or “speaking in tongues”—a language (either earthly or heavenly) that the prophesying person has never been trained in.

… {5} Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. {6} When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language….

… {7} Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? {8} Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? …

… {9} Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, {10} Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome {11} (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!“ …

… {12} Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean? " …

The presence and activity of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Jesus’ first followers arrested the attention of those living around them, prompting them to ask the question: “What in the world is going on in the lives of you Christ-followers? ”

According to the book of Acts, the most effective preaching of the gospel occurs when it’s in response to this key question being asked by people who witness something really remarkable and Godhonoring going on in our lives!

. . . {13} Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine. “ …

… {14} Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. {15} These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! {16} No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

"'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, prophesy your young men will see visions, your old men will dreams. {18} Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy…. prophesy {17}

… {19} I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows 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 everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. ' …

Joel had prophesied that the era known as the last days would be kicked off by a general outpouring of the Spirit upon all kinds of people without regard to their gender (“sons and daughters”) age, age (“young men” and “old men”), or socioeconomic status (“even on my servants”).

“… everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. ”

Who is this “Lord” whom Peter’s hearers were being encouraged to call upon?

… {22} "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as yourselves know. {23} This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross….

… {24} But God raised him from the dead, dead freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him….

“The person you guys put to death was and is your messiah, the Christ! His messiahship is evidenced by the fact that God has raised him from the dead!”

… {25} David said about him: "'I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. {26} Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope … …{27} because you will not abandon me to the grave, 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' (Ps. 16: 8 -11) …

… {29} "Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. {30} But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. {31} Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay….

… {32} God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. {33} Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear {34} For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said …

… "'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand … … {35} until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet"' (Ps. 110: 1) …

… {36} "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. " Christ …

… {37} When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do? " …

After being told that they were responsible for having killed the Christ, their messiah, Peter’s hearers basically wanted to know: “What in the world do we do now? Is there any hope for us? ”

… {38} Peter replied, "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} The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call. " …

…{40} With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation. " …

… {41} Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day….

The presence and activity of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Christ’s first followers prompted the people around them to ask the first key question “What’s going on among you Christians? ”

And then their Spirit-inspired sharing of the gospel about Jesus’ death, resurrection and exaltation to God’s right hand prompted the crowd to ask the second question: “What do we do now? Is there any hope? What do we have to do to be saved? ” saved?

Luke closes out the second chapter of Acts describing the kind of community or church life that occurs when church members are genuinely filled with the Holy Spirit:

… {42} They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. {43} Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles….

… {44} All the believers were together and had everything in common. {45} Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need….

… {46} Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, {47} praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people….

… And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

“According to the well-known statistician of Christianity, David Barrett, there were an estimated 74 million ‘Pentecostals/Charismatics’, or 6% of the world’s Christian population in 1970…. … In 1997 he estimated that this figure had reached 497 million or 27% of the Christian population, more than the total number of ‘Protestants’ and ‘Anglicans’ combined, and only 27 years later…. … Barrett projects that according to present trends this figure is likely to rise to 1, 140 million or 44% of the total number of

1900 Percentage Number of of Pentecostals Christians 0 0 1970 74 million 6% 1997 497 million 27% 2025 1, 140 million 44% Year

Being filled with the Holy Spirit in a Pentecostal manner (experiencing some form of Spirit-enabled prophetic speech) tends to produce a Christ-follower who’s both prayerful and “dareful”—who’s joyful, worshipful, committed to a radical kind of community, and who’s willing to speak up for Christ in the marketplace! marketplace

The good news is that the same Holy Spirit who empowered the first-century followers of Jesus to win their world for Christ is available to help us twenty-first century followers of Jesus do likewise!

Are we willing to let God fill us with the Holy Spirit and empower us to really be the church, the body of Christ, in our day and age?

As I indicate in The Holy Spirit in Mission, it will also enable you to: • hear God’s voice, • receive ministry assignments from him, • speak and act into the lives of hurting people on Christ’s behalf, • making disciples and • achieving God’s missional purposes in the world!

Imagine a church filled with folks truly empowered by the Spirit to speak and act into the lives of others on Christ’s behalf.

Two Key Questions Acts 2