Acts 2
Devotional by Garrett Hall
Read Acts 2
Acts 2
The Coming of the Holy Spirit
2 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
Peter’s Sermon at Pentecost
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;
18 even on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
20 the sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him,
“‘I saw the Lord always before me,
for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
my flesh also will dwell in hope.
27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
or let your Holy One see corruption.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne,31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
35 until I make your enemies your footstool.”’
36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “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. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
The Fellowship of the Believers
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.
Devotional
Today, we read about two monumental events in church history. The coming of the Holy Spirit and Peter’s sermon at Pentecost. These are two incredible events because (1) the Holy Spirit is now able to indwell believers when previously he would only rest on someone for a period of time (see the Prophets), and (2) Peter’s sermon at Pentecost is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, sermons ever preached.
However, I want to direct our focus to verses 42-47 and the fellowship of the believers. I want us to frame this in the context of a Life Group and see how the actions of the early church mirror our own Life Group core values: Invite, Learn, and Love.
- First, we invite people into our lives so that they will invite Jesus into theirs. The early church “broke bread together and had fellowship with one another” (v. 42). They also attended the temple together and shared meals in each other’s homes. Because of this, they found favor with all people (v. 46-47).
- Second, we learn to follow Jesus. Similarly, the early church “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching” (v. 42).
- Third, we love others by caring and ministering to them in the context of biblical community. Acts 2:44-45 states, “And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.” (v. 44-45). It’s important to note that the early church exercised voluntary generosity, it was not mandated.
How are you living out these core values in your Life Group?
Our Life Group continues to grow because we INVITE people to join us. We have an AMAZING teacher that has us studying God’s Word in depth, so we are constantly LEARNING who God is. Within our class we have smaller groups ( a community) where we LOVE on each other and do life together. The “Core Values” in Act 2 are being lived out in our Life Group🙏🏾❤️
Our Encourager Life Group is as our name implies “Encouragers”. We love and encourage our members to invite our friends, even strangers to visit our Life Group to learn about the Lord. We also encourage each other in our journey doing Life Together.
I learnt how powerful and fearless a Christian can become after he or she receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit. For instance, Peter used to be a timid and weak disciple of Christ but when the day of Pentecost came, we all saw the Lion in Peter was awake . Three thousand souls were worn on that glorious Day.
To me I believe as a church we need emphasize more on the importance of the Holy Spirit baptism for Believers that has received water baptism because base on what we have read in the book of Act chapter two, nothing would happened or changed if the Apostles did not receive the Baptism of Holy Spirit. That means they will remain powerless and ashamed to share the Gospel according to Act 1:8.
O, how Jesus loves you and me. Father, teach us to share the simple message that Christ loves each of us. May we hide your word in our hearts. Open our eyes and our hearts to ways we can help others.
Our life group is studying in a book EXPERIENCING GOD. KNOWING AND DOING THE WILL OF GOD. That is teaching us how we can become closer to God.
I am so blessed to be a part of a church that preaches the Word of God. Each time I read His Wird or hear It, I am moved…just as those at Penrecost.
It is so important to hear each other and allow everyone in the life group to have an equal voice so that they not only feel welcomed but truly that they belong, honestly once an invitation is accepted the learning is almost expected in some ways but the blessing is LOVE. Our groups Sunday is curated around a lesson with specific discussion questions that generate communication in a way that allows us to see each other and know each other. This in turn allows us to grow stronger not only in our relationships with each other but with God – because we grow more comfortable in His word and our ability to communicate it.
Yes, sharing each other’s thoughts and life experiences with Jesus brings us closer together and allows us to share our heart and love for HIM
Unfortunately, the ESV omits “in one accord”. Unity of the believers was critical then as it is today. Note that the tongues miracle was one of hearing as I understand it. Also, tongues were literal known languages, not unknown tongues.
Thank you Lord Jesus for recording Pentecost. Reading these verses I feel like I’m there. And to also read the end of the Bible, Revelation 22;17, And the Spirit and the bride say Come. O thank you Jesus. That Your bride the church has the honor with Your Spirit to say Come!
Come to Jesus! All that thirst Come. All who are weary and heavy burdened Come. In Your Name Jesus Amen
What I love about today’s reading is that this gospel literally changed their lifestyles and impacted their decisions and informed their passions. It caused each of the believers to long to know more about the Lord and serve one another. I’ve found that the members of our Life Group have the same desires: to LEARN about Christ, LOVE Him and one another with sacrificial and generous hearts and to not keep a good thing to themselves (INVITE-ing others).
Amen! Daily we must spend time with the Lord. This habit steers our desires and passions toward Kingdom things.
Father in Heaven enable me to love others as you love me through the power of your Holy Spirit.
Life Changing!🙏🏾
Thank you Lord for giving us the gift union with the Holy Spirit . Guide me and direct me in your path, lead me to the right group to break bread with, to create positive God loving relationships. You are ever so faithful.
The early church was a Life Group. They did life together, all the time. They INVESTED in each other’s lives. They were involved in each other’s lives, not just on Sunday. If you are not involved in the lives of others in your Life Group, then I would like to encourage you to get involved. If you are not in a Life Group, get in one. If you want to know what an amazing Life Group looks like, come join us on Sunday mornings for The Parent Trap in room LE 324! We do life outside of the church building together, not just on Sundays!
which campus? and what time do you meet? and what’s life group ( Parent trap) about?
We are a discussion oriented group with mostly school age kids but our ages range from late 20s to 40s. We’d love to have you join us!! On Launch day- Jan 21- we’ll begin meeting in room 324. For now we’re at the top of the stairs off the foyer bameside the sanctuary. We’d love to have you!
Sorry- Champions Campus.
We always invite and are so excited when newcomers visit our LG. We make plans together to participate in activities outside of the building, but most importantly, we are learning God’s Word in an intimate setting where we can challenge and be challenged, ask questions, dive deeper together, and pray for one another.
“To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” – Colossians 1:27
Grateful!
Invite, Learn and Love
Simple but so easy to lose focus
Will strive to live out our Lord’s commandments
Be willing to share your lives. Who knows something you went through may help someone come closer to the Lord. Life groups are a good start.
Our Life Group is like a family. We study God’s Word and interact in class to get clarity and understanding of each lesson. We meet and fellowship outside the Sunday gathering and share our experience s and issues. But most of all
we are a group of prayer warriors who lift each other up daily. No group member is hesitant to let there prayer request be known. We share brotherly love.
The Holy Spirit does change and impact lives and how blessed we are to have that. 🙏🏾♥️.
As a member of a new Life Group, it’s exciting to see how these traits (now over 2000 yrs old) still draw people together: invite (to believers & non-believers ie evangelism), learn (studying of God’s Word) & love (ministry and connecting with others). It’s easy to see why our first Focused Priority as a church is Making Disciples.
That is almost what was being said in Genesis from Mike Huckabee of Prestonwood on 10-2-2016 and that it is what happened to Joesph.
What an encouraging passage today! I love that “Invite, Learn, Love” (in Life Groups as well as the early church) is such a practical way to display that we are living a totally different life than the “crooked generation” (vs 40). Our God gives us clarity on how we are to live- I am grateful that we are called to follow Jesus and to do it with others!
Our church and our life group has made such a difference in our family. The relationships we’ve made, within the church and smaller still within our life groups, have brought us jobs and even were instrumental in the adoption of our sweet baby girl. If you don’t think the relationships you make in church matter or can change your life- I want to kindly or gently tell you they 100% do!!
Creating a space for others to grow close to other believers is an important part of growing in our relationship with others. Life Groups create a safe place for people to grow in their relationships with other believers and create community within the bigger context of the large church body. Kearney and sharing together creates lasting and vital relationships that are need to.thrive in a world that is constantly pushing on believers to be less like Christ and more like the world
The Holy Spirit truly does enable us to share life together as a Life Group because we share His very life in us, bearing each others burdens, coming alongside to help our brothers and sisters, and reaching out to others as we share the gospel and His truth and love to a world that needs Him.
My day didn’t start off very well. First, I overslept. Got up and took my dog Molly for a walk. She’s a golden retriever and all that entails. During our walk, she had a case of the “zoomies” where she suddenly goes crazy and starts running back and forth around me! Unfortunately this evoked language from me I had long forgotten that erupted in anger at her. It’s not her fault she’s a goldie! But it was my fault I allowed this to corrupt the beginning of my day. Thanks to the Lord He has forgiven me and cleansed my heart today! If it wasn’t for the Holy Spirit, I would be in perpetual trouble. Lord, today I ask you to use me for Your glory and not my own.
I believe that KINDNESS is the pathway to LOVING others, INVITING them to LG/Church/Christ & helping them LEARN more about who Christ is!
You could say I want to be ILL for the rest of my life & it all starts through simply being KIND🐕🦺 & not a stinker🦨!!
Father,
Thank You for your great mercy. Thank You for listening for my cry to you for mercy when I was dead in my sin. Thank You for your great patience and for your continued guidance as I walk every day.
Help me to carry Your Word and give it to those You bring to my attention.
Help me to flee from sin and embrace You and the perfect provision of Your Holy Spirit.
Thank You, Lord. Amen.
Peter’s message was so powerful! I can’t wait to continue to LEARN more about the word of God! I hope to join a life group this year. Amen!
Invite-Learn-Love
Invite – Be welcoming and approachable in all aspects of your life.
Learn – The best way to learn is to teach others about what you are learning. Share your journey with others.
Love – Love others as He loves us. We are His children.
May the Lord distribute wide the gift of hospitality among his people and increase our devotion to prayer.
Love learning more about the Holy Spirit. To God be the glory! The fellowship that we have in all the minisrtries that our church provides – we are without excuse if we are not involved with others in some way. God has been providing everything I need all my life. May I allow the Holy Spirit to guide me more and more each day.
Loretta Adler says:
January 9, 2024 at 12:47 pm
Our Encourager Life Group is as our name implies “Encouragers”. We love and encourage our members to invite our friends, even strangers to visit our Life Group to learn about the Lord. We also encourage each other in our journey doing Life Together.
a lot of scripture to digest today. lots of things to encourage us to invite ,learn and love.
life groups certainly do that very well. if your not in a group find and go visit one.
the holy spirit is very powerful for us to rely on guiding us thru our daily lives.
Jesus so a way for us now all we need t do is follow it.
This month will be my first time ever attending a Life Group and I must say, I have already received such a warm welcome. I am very much looking forward to this new journey and having the opportunity to learn from those more experienced than myself in God’s word.
I love our church and my Life Group. I feel my Life Group is doing everything it says we should be doing about inviting, breaking bread and caring for each other. Of course we can always do more but we are on the right track. I thank God for our church and its leadership . May we never forget that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior and we need to follow His commands.
In my life group Identity we are able to fellowship with one another and share our stories and how God has shown up in our lives. We are able to learn God’s word together and what he requires of us as believers. We show love to one another by not being judgment about our past experiences and be thankful for what God has done and is still doing.
Amen
Is there anyway you can make the daily devotional type darker. It is so faint that it’s hard to read.
Yesterday, after the comment about it, I went in and switched it to black. Today I’ll add a bit of heavier font to make it easier to read. Hope it helps!
A motivating discussion is worth comment. I believe that you need to write
more about this subject, it may not be a taboo matter but typically people do not speak about such subjects.
To the next! Kind regards!!