- At His ascension, Jesus commissioned his disciples to preach his gospel. That same mission continues today, unbroken and unhindered for almost 2,000 years since. The book of Acts is an encouragement for the church today as Christians contend for the gospel of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. How did the disciples begin executing the biggest mission in the history of the world? The Bible says that while waiting for the Holy Spirit, they devoted themselves to prayer—they talked to God. The apostles led by following Scripture—through it, God responded. Consequently, the early church experienced success—but not without undergoing failure first. What can we learn from what they did? Join us Sunday ACTS #churchonmission.
- Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the heartbeat of the gospel message.
- Interpretation - What is the text telling/showing us?
- What do you think were the differing expectations of the crowd when Peter stood up with the Eleven (verse14)?
- Describe the man, Peter, in these verses as compared with the man, Peter, before Jesus went to the cross. How is he the same? How is he different?
- What was Peter seeking to do as he addressed the crowd?
- In reading Peter's message, how did he “get it” in terms of Jesus' commission in Acts 1:8?
- What was the purpose of Peter's quoting the verses from Joel? Where did the verses lead Peter in terms of the focus of his message?
- What are the supporting facts that “prove” Peter's “case?”
- What (or, rather, who) was the focus of Peter's message?
- In a sentence, what was the essence of Peter's message? How did that message tie into and fulfill the mission Jesus gave His disciples and the church?
- Implementation - What should the listeners response be?
- How can you and I, and how can our church, take Peter's message and re-tell it to those around us?
- Does the message change, or just the delivery and packaging?
- Can we expect to speak with the power of the Holy Spirit when we speak the message of the resurrection?
- Investigation - What's generally going on in this area of scripture?
The disciples praised God and declared His wonders (Acts 2:11). Many were amazed and perplexed, and wondered what it all meant. (Acts 2:12) However, there were some in the crowd who sought a rational explanation for what was happening, namely that the disciples must be drunk (Acts 2:121 & 13). The “harvest” was ready and the disciples were empowered to engage in their mission as witnesses of Jesus. So Peter – the one who not that many days before had denied Jesus, and then been forgiven and brought back into fellowship by Jesus Himself after His resurrection – yes, Peter who boldly stood up to address the crowd (Acts 2:14). Peter was effectively the leader of the Apostles, yet he stood with the other Apostles to fulfill their commission to witness to Jesus. To read in these verses the words Peter spoke is amazing and humbling at the same time. Clearly Peter was under the influence of the Holy Spirit as he spoke with power and clarity about His Savior and Lord.
Remember that the crowd were Jews and God-fearing converts to Judaism. They were steeped in the traditions and rules of the Law, and they were familiar with the Scriptures. Thus, Peter began his message with the Scripture, indicating that the disciples weren't drunk, but that the Holy Spirit had come upon them as prophesied by the prophet Joel (Acts 2:16-21). And at the end of the passage from Joel that Peter quoted was the key verse (Acts 2:21) that led him to the focus of what he had to say, namely, that Jesus the Messiah was resurrected from the dead for the salvation of those who come to Him in faith. What a message Peter had, and he gave it as commissioned by Jesus (Acts 1:8). And yes, this is still the message of the gospel – He is risen from the dead!
