Acts Bible Study: Day 3
Today’s passage: Acts 2:1–41
Focus verse: When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. (Acts 2:6)
Just before Jesus returns to heaven, he tells his disciples to wait in Jerusalem for a present that Papa will send: the gift of Holy Spirit power. Then Jesus ascends, returning to his heavenly father.
The disciples go back to Jerusalem to wait as commanded. As they wait, they select a replacement for Judas, and they do a lot of praying.
Ten days later Pentecost happens.
Nothing like this has ever occurred before. Yet there are hints of it in both the Old and New Testaments.
In Exodus, the people wait at the bottom of a mountain. There’s thunder, lightning, and a deafening trumpet blast. The people tremble. Smoke covers the mountain. There’s fire, and there’s more smoke. The earth quakes. God appears.
In the New Testament, after John baptizes Jesus, the Holy Spirit—looking like a dove—comes upon Jesus. Then the booming voice of Father God affirms his son.
Later, at a supernatural event we call the Transfiguration, Jesus takes Peter, John, and James up a mountain. Jesus’s face glows like the sun and his clothes dazzle a bright white.
Suddenly Moses and Elijah show up and the three have a conversation. Again, Father God speaks, “I love my boy and want you to listen to him.”
Each of these three stories parallels what’s about to happen at Pentecost. They’re all connected.
At Pentecost, Father God’s gift does indeed arrive. The sound of rushing wind fills the place. Something that looks like flames of fire rests on each person. The Holy Spirit fills them, and they speak in other languages.
Perplexed, a crowd gathers. Each person hears the disciples speaking in their own language. The people freak out, trying to fathom what this all means. But others mock the disciples, thinking they’re drunk.
It’s only been fifty days since Jesus overcame death by rising from the dead, and it’s only been ten days since he returned to heaven.
Prior to that, Jesus spent his public ministry teaching about the kingdom of God and preparing his disciples to continue without him—at least without him in person.
Yet they need the Holy Spirit to fully equip them for ministry. They can’t go forward on their own and hope to succeed. That’s why Jesus told them to wait for Holy Spirit power.
Now, supernaturally empowered, Peter speaks boldly. Three thousand people believe in Jesus and are baptized. And this is just the beginning of what the Holy Spirit enables Jesus’s followers to do. The Holy Spirit will change everything.
Seeing what the Holy Spirit can do should inspire and energize us with endless possibilities.
Questions:
- Do we need to wait for the Holy Spirit?
- How can we move under Holy Spirit power?
[Discover more about God’s power in Exodus 19:16–20, Matthew 17:5, and Luke 3:22.]
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Read more about the book of Acts in Acts Bible Study: Discover How the Early Church Can Inform What We Do Today, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.
Revitalize your faith with Acts Bible Study by Peter DeHaan. This 40-day journey through the early church reveals timeless lessons on community, perseverance, and Holy Spirit power.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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