5June12 – Bible Study

Acts 2:1-40

So, I read Acts 2 today, finally continuing my reading from Saturday.
To be honest, I write these blog posts as much to help me process the scripture I am

reading as for you. I need to think about the words, and work out some aspects to my

life.

Here is Acts 2:1-40
2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 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[a] as the Spirit enabled them.

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

their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are

speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9

Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and

Asia,[b] 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?”

13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

Peter Addresses the Crowd

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 people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the

morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17 “‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heavens 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.’[c]
22 “Fellow Israelites, 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 you

yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and

foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men,[d] put him to death by nailing him

to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death,

because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 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 rest in hope,
27 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
you will not 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.’[e]
29 “Fellow Israelites, 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 to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned

to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to

life, and we are all witnesses of it. 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.”’[f]
36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you

crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

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?”

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.

I intentionally stopped there, as I feel like Acts 2:42-47 will simply be a long thought

process itself.

The first thing that stuck out to me was that Acts 1 all took place before the coming of

the Holy Spirit onto the disciples. That seems like it should play a factor into the

whole “casting lots” post from Saturday.
Perhaps we do not need to “cast lots” now because we have the indwelling of the Spirit.
Or, perhaps, it is still important and we still have much to learn about it.

After that, I noticed verse 13.
The arrival of the Holy Spirit was amazing, and had a profound impact, enabling the

believers to speak foreign languages, and yet, many people wrote it off, saying the men

were drunk.
This seems common to our world. May people will deny the faithful, claiming they are

crazy, foolish, or maybe even drunk.
Again, as many times before, I say that the life of faith is foolishness to those who do

not believe. So, if we are not called fools, we may want to evaluate whether we are in or

of the world, and where our faith plays out in our lives.

Then, I noticed the prophecy from Joel.
He clearly states that prophecy, visions, and dreams will continue into the last days.
“your old men will dream dreams”
guess that means Sean is old, as he certainly dreamed a vivid dream which God appointed

to him. Yet, we pass those occurances off as coincedence.
If the same Holy Spirit is dwelling in us as in the Apostles, which He is, then why

should we not have the same power as those early believers.

We should be seeking boldly after the face of God, yearning for Him, and in our intimacy

with Him, He will be able to reveal to us His will.

Finally, and this one is interesting to me, Peter calls them to repent and be baptized,

allowing the Holy Spirit to take care of the rest of the transformation that will occur

in each believers life.
How often do we think we need to dictate morality from the pulpit.
If a believer is not having conviction in his heart for the evil in his life, then he

isn’t paying attention to the Holy Spirit. A set of rules will not change that, only the

Spirit himself can change those behaviors.

So, that’s my lessons I have been pulling out of Acts 2 tonight, I hope it is encouraging

to you, and I also ask that you would share what God has been teaching you, whether

through this passage or other ways.

Tonight, please pray for my recovery from this stomach problem
for JT, as he has been having hard times lately
for Gayly, as he is trying to figure out the next steps and work through a maturation

process
for Jamie, as she follows where God has lead
for Nick and Gwenn and their family
for my brother, who had a birthday today
for land to build a house/workshop here in haiti
for wisdom on how to address potential support, and what projects to proceed with in the

future

Wish List:
-Auto-Darkening Welding Mask. (Not Harbor Frieght, the last one from there broke way too

quickly)
-Coconut M&M’s for Gwenn