How to Approach these commentaries & studies for yourself? Be sure to READ Acts 1 before continuing.. this is a supplemental resource and not a replacement from meditating on the text yourself! 🙂
After reading Acts 1-2, check out our starter blogs to this Acts series:
After studying through Acts 1, we are brought to one of the most pivotal chapters in the New Testament. Before continuing, here is a quick comprehensive timeline that will hopefully help bring Acts 2 into even greater perspective:
Jesus Christ was crucified on the Day of Preparation for the Passover celebration (Exodus 12; John 19:31), that is, the Friday before the Sabbath of Passover week (Mark 15:42).
Three days after his death, He was resurrected from the dead, defeating sin and death once and for all and making a way for all those that call on His name to be saved and in relationship eternally with Him! (John 11:25-26; Mark 16:6; Matthew 28:5-6; Luke 24:6-7; Romans 10:13)
Interestingly enough, Christ was resurrected on the Jewish kept holiday: Feast of Firstfruits. This holiday was instructed by God through Moses to the people of Israel as they awaited to enter into the promised land, let me know if you see any…parallels.👀🤪
“9 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest, 11 and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, so that you may be accepted. On the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. 12 And on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb a year old without blemish as a burnt offering to the Lord…”
Leviticus 23:9-12 ESV
As Jesus, ✨again✨, fulfills the foreshadowing of scripture.
After Christ’s resurrection on the Feast of Firstfruits, Jesus walked with His followers for 40 days. He taught & instructed his followers in everything they needed to know, especially to wait in Jerusalem for the Promised Helper, Holy Spirit.
On that 40th day, He ascended into Heaven before their very eyes (Acts 1) to be seated at the right hand of the Father. 10 days later, Pentecost arrived (the Greek word “Pentecoste” meaning fiftieth) also known as the Mosaic given holiday: Feast of Weeks, beginning 50 days after the wave offering (Lev 23:15-16; Deut 16:9-10).
We know that The Holy Spirit filled everyone in the upper room 10 days after Jesus ascended, since he walked with his disciples for 40 days, and the Feast of Week(pentecost) was/is held 50 days after the Feast of First Fruits(which took place on the day of Christ resurrecting).
This brings us full circle into how Jesus TOTALLY and completely fulfills every foreshadowing, prophecy, law, and iota in the Old Testament, even down to the details of the Jewish calendar/holidays. And the timing of Pentecost is no coincidence and the outpouring of the Spirit is not random, but since Genesis 3 has been prepared by our Father in Heaven!
“…Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them…”
Matthew 5:17
Acts 2:1-13: Prophecy of Joel fulfilled
Now that we know the significance of the timing and fulfilling of Pentecost(feast of weeks) and how this weekend annual celebration was held by the Jewish people, we are able to make even more sense why and how the 120 follower of Christ were gathering in the upper room!
“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance…“
Acts 2:1-4…
The outpouring of the Spirit fulfills Jesus’ promise in Acts 1:4-5, this is why He commanded His followers to wait in Jerusalem, for this very salvation history moment! So that for the first time ever Holy Spirit could indwell ALL of those who had put their faith and trust in Jesus! Including enabling the Spirit filled individuals to begin to proclaim the Gospel in various languages, specifically of those who were witnessing this great scene.
The multilingual, multicultural, and multiethnic scene in the upper room gives us a prophetic vision that the Gospel & being baptized in the Holy Spirit would come first to the Jews AND THEN to the Gentiles (Acts 10)! Praise God !!
This moment in salvation history baptized and commissioned the Jewish Church into the ministry and purpose of Christ that is still being carried out to this day, to the Jews and the Gentiles, & will continue to be carried until Christ returns! He is patient so that as many people would repent and turn to Christ (2 Peter 3:9).
Acts 2 fulfills the prophecies spoken by Joel:
““And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.
… And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved...”
Joel 2:28, 29, & 32a
Pneumatology to Missiology
If you haven’t already, be sure to rabbit trail to our 3 part Holy Spirit series to behold the wonder and awe of how incredible the Holy Spirit is as the Gift and Helper to the Church!
Jesus knew, that if His people were going to be apart of bringing His Good News to the ends of the Earth, to every nation, we were going to need a whole lot of Help (Holy Spirit).
This is why Holy Spirit showed up, poured Himself out, and is with us forevermore– uniting us to Christ Jesus, who bring us to the Father! Without Jesus we could not access the Father and without the Holy Spirit we could not access Jesus and without the Holy Spirit we could not be one with God. This is why Pneumatology is always before Missiology, we cannot pursue the great commission without first being filled & sealed by the Spirit of God! Amen!
This birthing of the Church moment was so unfamiliar that the followers of Christ were accused of being drunk! Which is hilarious. Instead, the men and women were being intoxicated by the Spirit of God to proclaim the Good News in all of the languages of those who had traveled from different nations!
“Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts ofLibya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
Acts 2:8-13
The New Testament Church was created to be:
This was the birth, the commissioning, the crescendo of the cross. That Holy Spirit would fill, seal, and testify to Christ Jesus through the followers of The Way. And again, not only proclaim the Gospel in Hebrew and Aramaic, but in every tongue that represented the various nations and people groups; therefore, revealing a prophetic message that salvation would extend from the Jewish people to the Gentiles(end of the Earth). That not only Israel would be set apart as holy, but the entire inhabitants of the Earth!
A Psalm of David.
The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters. Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. They will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God their Savior. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, God of Jacob. Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty— he is the King of glory.
Psalm 24
The promises and covenants that God has made to Israel will forever stand. Why? Because there is actually something God CANNOT DO. If He makes a covenant, He CANNOT break it; therefore, every covenant He makes will never be forgotten.
Israel has been set apart as the people of God (Abrahamic covenant; Gen. 12) even in this new era of salvation, Israel is still the Lords AND the rest of the Earth is the Lords. This is where we see a shift in redemption in Christs proclamation of the great commission (Matthew 28:19-20). Yes, Israel is the Lords. And now, the remaining of the Earth is the Lords. All people WILL acknowledge and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! (Is. 45:23; Phil. 2:10-11 ; Rom. 14:11 ; Rev. 22)
It is kinda silly to think that God, who created the Universe, would not get ALL the glory as creator of ALL the Earth, every nation, every tongue, and every heart. Whether they choose to follow Him or not. He will be given the glory, the honor, and the power (Rev. 4, 21, 22)!
Peters First Spirit Filled Explanation:
Basic question: What does the coming of the Holy Spirit mean?
Basic Answer: A New Era of Salvation has ARRIVED (v. 16-21)
Peter’s Spirit Filled Preaching Style
- Deeply Rooted in Scripture – every act of ministry should be saturated in the Truth of the Gospel and scripture, old and new testament texts.
- Highly Contextualized– Peter preached off of what His audience already knew & how they would best understand!
- Clear Call for a Spirit Lead Messages & Responses (*every sermon should be Spirit lead and call for a Spirit lead response!*)
Acts 2 Key Take Aways
- Outpouring of the Spirit = eschatological sign
- Speaking in tongues = Spirit filled + multiethnic sign
- Diversity is a part of the church from the beginning (multicultural, multilingual, multiethnic, male & female, multinational, slave or free, ect.!)
- Connects back to the key verse of the book: Acts 1:8
- The Gospel includes the resurrection & ascension of Christ!
How did the Jewish People Respond to Peter’s Message? Read: Acts 2:37-47!
In Christ,
Cosette
Lovely read! Can’t wait for part 2
obsessed, I’ll be back for more
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