June 10, 2021 - Acts 2:14- 41

Preaching is a divinely called profession and I believe one that clearly demonstrates the power of God working through the weak vessel of man. I have heard and seen this reality through the years as people have stuttered, used bad grammar, been unprepared, and yet God has changed lives through the proclamation of Jesus as the Savior of the world.

Acts is a series of divinely orchestrated messages that the Holy Spirit uses to bring people to faith in Jesus Christ by clearly pronouncing the historical facts of the death and resurrection that took place in the listener’s recent past. Before and after these messages, we see the work of the Holy Spirit either preparing individuals or the supernatural results of the Holy Spirit affecting their lives.

The Word of God used by the Spirit of God through the instrument of a submitted person creates change and eternal consequences that impacts a community’s life. This truth becomes evident as Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, rises and begins to speak to those assembled about the phenomena of what they had seen and heard. The crowd questions the proceedings, even accusing the group of drunkenness in the early hours of the morning (v.13).

The confusion created by this verbal miracle of everyone hearing the praises of God in their own language and the outpouring of praise raised questions in minds of the onlookers. Peter used that curiosity to launch into a preaching/teaching time to educate them to the work of God. He uses the passage in Joel to begin, cross references into Psalm 16, 68, and 110 before concluding again in Joel.

The result is people were cut to the heart, repentance and baptism of multiple individuals (vv.37-39), with three thousand souls added to their numbers (v.41). Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 1:18, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Each week messages are presented to congregations around the world, pray for those speakers, that like Peter they will speak with sensitivity and scriptural accuracy. That is where the true power lies and not in the speech of man.