Acts 2

Acts 2 (New International Version)


The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost
1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia 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!" 12Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"

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

Peter Addresses the Crowd
14Then 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. 15These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! 16No, 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.
18Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.'
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 you yourselves know. 23This 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. 24But 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. 25David said about him:
" 'I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
26Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will live in hope,
27because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
28You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.'

29"Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31Seeing 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. 32God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. 33Exalted 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. 34For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,
" 'The Lord said to my Lord:
"Sit at my right hand
35until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet." '

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

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

38Peter 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. 39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."

40With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." 41Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

The Fellowship of the Believers
42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.



Interesting points of Discussion:




•[See v.1] 'day of Pentecost'- fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus Christ and ten days after his ascension into Heaven, Jesus' promise to the apostles of 'the gift my Father promised' [see v.4, Acts 1] is fulfilled as God suddenly reveals his glory to mankind and pours out the Holy Spirit upon everyone in the community (takes place in Jerusalem)

•[See v.1] 'they were all together in one place'- as we see the disciples preparing for the Pentecost, it is clear that God has spoken to them to gather and wait in this certain 'place'; they are obeying God's command along with prayer and organizing themselves as a group

•[See v.2] 'a violent wind came from heaven'- just as God's appearances earlier in the Old Testament was accompanied by powerful, magical acts of nature- recall the burning bush and cloud of fire before which Moses and the Israelites appeared, the Holy Spirit's arrival is signified by this hurricane-like wind and 'tongues of fire' [see v.3]; the similarity with which the Holy Spirit is revealed goes back to the idea of the Trinity being God, the Son and the Holy Spirit who are all revelations of God in three persons and share the same essential and unique attributes of God

•It is interesting that the Holy Spirit is the last of the Trinity to be revealed; it came to carry on Jesus' work and is a pivotal presence in the establishment of the church

•These signs of God that Israel was used to was now being presented to people from all nations who had come to Jerusalem to observe the Pentecost; it was God now making a covenant with those outside of Israel for those who would believe in his son Jesus Christ

•[See v.4] 'began to speak in other tongues'- people began to speak in languages other than their own native language

•[See v.6] 'each one heard them speaking in his own language'- all these people from different nations and cultures with distinct languages are not only speaking in languages other than their own; it seems that every single person who is listening to another person speaking is hearing his own native language!

•In this moment we can see the amazing supernatural power of the Holy Spirit allowing people from radically different backgrounds to engage with each other in conversation; God not only finally extends his branch (formerly Israel) to the whole world but he goes even farther to break all the barriers between these nations and unify them as one body of believers

•The Penetecost in the Old Testament was the feast of Weeks as set forth by God- a celebration after 7 weeks of the joyous harvest season on the "fiftieth" day, which means "Pentecost" in Greek

•Concerning the Penetecost, the Lord said 'When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.' [Leviticus 23:22]

•God was referring to 'the poor and the alien' as the Gentiles (non-Jews) to whom he would reach out to by baptizing them with the Holy Spirit, extending his grace through Jesus Christ to those outside the assembly of Israel and revealing his divine plan to spread the Gospel beyond the limits of Israel in what was the birth of the church

•Tongues is a spiritual gift of the Holy Spirit and its wonders have been known to be uttered in both a unique heavenly language and other people's native languages as in the context of Acts 2

•[See v.16] 'spoken by the prophet Joel'- Peter speaks out the truth in response to some of the Jews who doubted this wonder of God and called it a result of having 'too much wine' [see v.13]; the Holy Spirit's powers were revealed in many forms including prophesying, having visions and dreams

•Prophet Joel's prophecy here as stated by Peter was not just concerning the Penetecost and the first coming of the Holy Spirit but what was yet to be fulfilled- the restoration of Israel and the second coming of Christ in the last days in which once again the Holy Spirit would be poured out

•[See v.34-35] David said that "The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet"; this was God telling Jesus upon his return to sit next to Him and expect Him to bring his defeated enemies under his feet

•[See v.38-41] Peter establishes the foundation of the church in introducing repentance and forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ and the receiving of the Holy Spirit; we see the power of the Holy Spirit in ministry making believers out of non-believers en route to the beginning of the church

•[See v.42-47] This early church is described as full of joy and excitement being unified in their hearts to the point that they 'sold their possessions and goods' for each other; God grows this church not only in size but transforms them on the inside through the power of the Holy Spirit to live joyfully among each other, to learn from each other, to teach other and to help one another

•In modern times, this picture of a Utopian society where everyone shares equally is hard to fathom and too ideal for a survival-frenzied, profit-driven, luxury-striving world

•But it's clear that from the beginning God has called us to be generous in sacrificing for the sake of others and also to live with each other for each other, not forgetting that he has called us to be one and the same having 'everything in common'