Summary of Acts 2:36-47:
God has made Jesus Lord and Christ.
The people asked what should they do and Peter told them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus to be forgiven of your sins and receive the Holy Spirit. Everyone of you can receive such a gift. 3000 chose to be baptized that day.
These people were considered the first church. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of the bread, and prayer. They gave to everyone as needed. They continued to meet and eat together and praise God. The Lord grew their numbers daily.
BSF Study Questions Act 2 Lesson 2, Day 5: Acts 2:36-47
12) Part personal Question. My answer: “Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” I have done just that many times humbly.
13a) They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. All of the believers were together, selling their possessions and goods and giving to anyone who had need. They met together every day in the temple courts to break bread together and eat together, praising God and enjoying each other. The church is unified here as everyone made an effort.
b) Part personal question. My answer: It looks much the same in today’s church, except the selling the possessions part. Instead, we bring our tithes for the church to use to help those in need. In my life, it’s definitely not a daily activity. Instead, it’s on Sunday. I don’t really share my life with anyone except my immediate family.
Conclusions BSF Study Questions Act 2 Lesson 2, Day 5: Acts 2:36-47
I like the picture of how the early Christians had to rely on each other. There were so few of them that they knew they were stronger together, so they drew on that strength to grow their numbers. In today’s world of self-sufficiency, we could definitely take a lesson from the past.
End Notes BSF Study Questions Act 2 Lesson 2, Day 5: Acts 2:36-47
Cut to the heart
This is a good way of describing the conviction of the Holy Spirit. The people now knew that they were responsible for the death of Jesus (as each of us are), and they had to do something in response to this responsibility.
- Peter had some previous experience with cutting. When Jesus was arrested, Peter cut off the right ear of one of the men who came to arrest Jesus (John 18:10). All this was an embarrassing mess that Jesus had to clean up. That showed Peter in the flesh, doing the best he could with a literal sword of human power.
- When the resurrected Jesus changed Peter’s life and when the power of the Holy Spirit had come upon him, Peter did some much more effective cutting; cutting hearts, opening them to Jesus. This is what Peter could do in the power of the Spirit, doing God’s best with the sword of the Spirit, God’s Word. Which sword is more powerful? Man’s sword or God’s sword?
Repent
Repent means to change one’s mind or direction of thinking and embrace Jesus as Lord and Messiah. Repent has been rightly called “the first word of the gospel.”
- When John the Baptist preached he said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 3:2).
- When Jesus began to preach He said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).
- When Peter began to preach, he started with repent.
Be Baptized
In that day, Jews were not commonly baptized, only Gentiles who wanted to become Jews. For these Jewish men and women to be baptized showed just how strongly they felt they needed Jesus.
This day of Pentecost saw an amazing harvest of souls. The church went from about 120 people to 3,120 people in one day.
Many of the 3,000 were undoubtedly pilgrims who came to Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost who went back home, traveling far from Jerusalem, taking the good news of Jesus Christ with them. There were huge resources of water available on the temple mount, and pools and reservoirs nearby, so it was not difficult to find a place where the baptisms could take place.
Fellowship
Verse 42: The ancient Greek word koinonia (translated here as fellowship) has the idea of association, communion, fellowship, and participation; it means to share in something.
The Jews had a tremendous custom of hospitality during any major feast like Pentecost. Visitors were received into private homes, and no one could charge for giving a bed or a room to a visitor or for supplying their basic needs. The Christians took this tremendous feast-time hospitality and made it an everyday thing.
Christian Living
God wants us to share our lives with one another.
Christian experience was daily, joyful, and simple.
Historical Note
The group of new believers is a mere annoyance to the Roman Empire, but it does not stop growing. In fact, in less than one generation, Christians will have penetrated Rome, the center of civilization. In an era when new religions are a dime a dozen and disappear virtually overnight, Christianity instead grows — all beginning on one day — Pentecost.
