Acts: Peter Speaks to the Crowd at Pentecost

Read: Acts 2:14-41

Then Peter speaks. In these few words Peter distills the gospel into a concise message, powerfully delivered, and hearts are forever changed. The deep conviction of Peter, with the band of Eleven, is as powerful today as it was then. Lord help us to learn this lesson as we consider the platforms You have given each of us.

Peter’s Boldness — An Example to Follow

Timing is everything, so they say, but I pray we can learn to affect our timing and boldly preach when given the opportunity as Peter demonstrates here.

Then 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. Acts 2:14

No holds barred. No going back. Wake up people and listen! Peter dives deep into words from Joel. I won’t copy/paste them here, though I’m tempted, take a look at ancient words that reflect a present reality: Acts 2:17-21, Joel 2:28-32.

And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord
will be saved.
Acts 2:21

Everyone can be saved. The work before us is rather daunting when we consider that everyone can be saved, even the guy that is an absolute jerk can be saved. He may not be one I can minister to, but I can pray for him.

You Killed Him — God Raised Him

Let’s get right down to the point of all of this!

and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But 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. Acts 2:23-24

Peter draws from the deep well of psalms that these devout Jews would know well. He picked up on David’s thoughts in Psalm 16 and brought them into a new light to help them understand the significance of what was said:

Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. Acts 2:31

Peter’s words, powered by the Holy Spirit, cut through the noise and confusion and spoke directly to the hearts of thousands of those present that day.

What Shall We Do?

I’m sure they had never heard such a sermon in their lives. Hearts pounding in each chest, tears forming, stumbling for words, all they could do is mutter a plea:

Brothers, what shall we do? Acts 2:37

There were no publications to pass out, no committees formed, certainly no church buildings in which to gather — none of this is required. What is the next step? It’s really quite simple:

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. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call. Acts 2:38-39

It’s so awesome that Peter, and the Eleven others, don’t even worry about how they’re going to handle the response. On that day, at that moment, some 3,000 received salvation from the bondage that they never thought was possible!

From 12 to 120 to more than 3,000 believers in such a short amount of time. Whew! We better get organized quickly!! This is spreading like wildfire!

It’s exhilarating to read this section of scripture. At the same time, it’s rather intimidating if we think we’re to follow Peter’s example and do this ourselves, but here’s the great news about the good news:  we have the very same Holy Spirit indwelling in each of us.

Lord, shake the mountains and move in this place at this time. May we get overly excited about the greatness of Your love, Your grace, and Your desire for each and everyone to be saved today!