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When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs -- in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine."

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning."

"This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. 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 both see and hear. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool." ' Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified."

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?" Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, and your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him." And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.
-- Acts 2:1-15, 32-47

You have been born anew, not of perishable
but of imperishable seed,
through the living and enduring word of God.
-- 1 Peter 1:23

Sometimes we believe that if only we could have enough material possessions and winning scores in life we could become someone really new but our Lord shows us another way and enables us to experience a new birth today.

We remember vividly that Simon Peter, after denying he had ever known Jesus, fled into the darkness and wept bitterly. But when Jesus rose from the dead he sought out Peter. He found him and some of the other disciples on the Sea of Galilee after a night of fishing. At a breakfast of fish and bread that Jesus had prepared, Peter experienced forgiveness and acceptance and a new birth of life. This new birth of life is available to you and to me this and every day. It comes to us from the ever-seeking Jesus under the shadow of Simon Peter stretching through the centuries.

It's an old story but it still relates a message to us today. There was a Sunday school that operated under a particular policy of discipline. If any of the boys and girls became too difficult to handle they were sent to the pastor's office as a last resort. One day, little Johnny became very unruly and uncontrollable and disturbed the whole class so finally he was sent to the pastor's office. The kindly old pastor made Johnny sit down in one of the large chairs and then looked over the lesson materials for the day. Since the lesson told about Jesus ascending into heaven, he asked Johnny, "Where is Jesus?" The little boy was frightened and didn't know what to say. Again the pastor asked, "Where is Jesus? I'm sure you know where he is!"

There was only silence.

Again the pastor asked, "Where is Jesus?"

Suddenly Johnny jumped out of his chair, ran out of the office, down the hallway, out of the building, and all the way home. He ran through the front door and up the stairway and into his room and slammed the door. The mother was startled and after waiting and listening she ran up the stairs and opened the door. There was Johnny sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Johnny," she said, "Why did you come home from Sunday school? What happened?"

"Mom," Johnny replied, "we're in deep trouble. That church has lost Jesus and they think we know where he is!"

We do know where Jesus is today. Certainly, he is in heaven but he is also with each of us through the power of the Spirit. After Jesus rose from the dead and just before his ascension into heaven, he met with his disciples on the Mount of Olives and told them, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). At that point, we read that Jesus was "lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight." Once again, the disciples felt very much alone and so they walked down the Mount of Olives, through the narrow Kidron Valley, and then up into the city of Jerusalem. They found some of the other followers and they met together in the home of the upper room.

The Waiting And Watching Fellowship
We are told there were 120 of these followers (Acts 1:15). This included the disciples, without Judas Iscariot, and the women who went to the empty tomb on resurrection morning. Luke tells us they were "Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary, the mother of James, and the other women who were with them" (Luke 24:10). Also in that group there must have been Mary, the mother of Jesus, along with Jesus' brothers and sisters. I also would like to believe that Nicodemus who came to the cross with 100 pounds of myrrh and aloe to anoint the body of Jesus was there, as well as Joseph of Arimathea. There were also Joseph called Barsabbas, also known as Justus, and a man called Matthias (Acts 1:23).

Is it not possible that Bartimaeus, the blind man on the Jericho road, who called out to Jesus and received his sight was there? Certainly, the gospel of Mark remembers his very name and states that he followed Jesus all the way to Jerusalem and the cross (Mark 10:46-52). Yes, it is easy to surmise that Lazarus, who was raised by Jesus from the dead, was with the group in the upper room. After all, he and his sisters, Mary and Martha, were the closest of friends with Jesus. And when Lazarus was raised from the dead he became like a celebrity in the Jerusalem area and caused many to believe in Jesus (John 12:9-11).

What a great mixture of followers! We know that they prayed and worshiped together, conducted some important business, and watched and waited. There must have been many questions to be considered and feelings to work through. I agree with Lloyd Ogilvie who writes:

Had the disciples ever worked through their real feelings about a person like Mary Magdalene? With Jesus' absence, they were confronted by the fact that their relationship always had been cushioned with His gracious acceptance. Did they feel as He did? And what about the Pharisee, Nicodemus? Was he really one of them? He was a member of the Sanhedrin and yet had not been able to stop the excruciating thing the Jewish leaders had done to the Lord. The Pharisee had shown his loyalty by asking for the body of Jesus and assisted in His burial. But could he be trusted? And what about rich Joseph of Arimathea? He provided the tomb in the garden outside the city wall. But with all that Jesus had said about the rich and the responsibility for the poor, was his presence a genuine concern? If he had provided the tomb, probably as a secret admirer and follower of the Lord, was he really to be accepted among the inner band of loyal followers?1

In the midst of all their questions and emotions, I have to believe that their common grief and fear brought them together and enabled them to pray together. Prayer is a powerful resource in our meetings together and certainly can bring about unity. Often have I seen it in a contentious gathering of people meeting together -- when they were able to pray together there was a power that cleared the air, sharpened the mind, and softened the heart so that something was accomplished.

During the time that 120 followers were together, the shadow of Peter's leadership spread over the group. There was a need to choose another disciple to take the place of Judas and it was Peter who kept the group together and initiated the process of selection.

The Day Of Pentecost
Ten days went by! Then came the day of Pentecost, one of the three great festivals along with Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles, in which every male Jew within twenty miles of Jerusalem was legally bound to attend. The word "Pentecost" means "fiftieth" and occurred fifty days after the Passover in the month of June. It celebrated the early harvest of grain and the giving of the law to Moses on Mount Sinai. Since the weather would have been warm and beautiful and conducive to travel, the Jews from all around the Mediterranean world would have made the journey to the holy city of Jerusalem. Something incredible happened that caused a great crowd of people to gather around the home in which were the disciples of Jesus and their friends and supporters. The elements that went into this special coming of the power of the Holy Spirit consisted of wind, fire, and other tongues, so let's take a closer look.

Wind -- On the day of Pentecost there was heard the sound of a violent wind, only the wind was not felt. As a boy growing up on the prairies of North Dakota, the wind was always blowing. Sometimes the wind was just a gentle breeze that cooled the home on a hot summer day. The wind enabled one to fly a kite and to listen to those tinkling chimes that hung in the porch that would lull one to sleep. The wind could be a great friend.

Every summer I would spend some time on a farm owned by the Matthew family who had a son my age. What great fun we had playing in the huge grove of trees on the north side of the farmstead that served as a windbreak for the winter storms. It was a hot, sultry evening and I was seated on the back step, hoping for a cooling breeze. Two miles to the south was a neighboring farmstead that had a great grove of lilacs on one side that were in full bloom. Though it didn't seem like the breeze was stirring, suddenly there came to my senses the distinct perfumed sweet smell of the lilacs, yes, from two miles away. I realized that the air was moving and stirring and so it is with the power of the Spirit.

The wind can also be a mighty force. Hurricanes roar inland and destroy homes and communities. Almost without warning, thunderstorms roll into town or across a lake and catch one by surprise and do much damage. Those who live by an ocean know that the surf can be up and the waves pound wickedly, sending the sailboat toward the rocks. The wind can be a fierce and mighty power and so it is with the power of the Spirit.

On the day of Pentecost, there came from the heavens the sound and roaring of the wind that was heard within the home where the 120 were gathered, as well as in the streets of Jerusalem, but the wind was not felt. This coming of the wind was the coming of the power of the Spirit. In the Greek language of the Bible the word for the Spirit is ruach. When you pronounce this word properly you utter a guttural sound with breath in each syllable -- "REW! ACK!" Jesus knew all about the wind of the Spirit and how to pronounce this word. In his conversation with Nicodemus, the Pharisee, in the darkness of the night, Jesus said to him, "The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8).

Fire -- A second element that shows the coming of the power of the Spirit on those first followers of Jesus on the day of Pentecost was fire. We are told that "divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them" (Acts 2:3). Often in the historical record of the scriptures, thunder, lightning, and fire are associated with the presence of the Lord our God. When God wanted to call Moses to lead the people out of the slavery of Egypt he spoke to him out of a burning bush, only the bush was never consumed. When the people of Israel left the slavery of Egypt there went before them a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night for God was with them. When God came to Moses on Mount Sinai to give him the Ten Commandments we read, "Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, because the Lord had descended upon it in fire; the smoke went up like the smoke of a kiln, while the whole mountain shook violently" (Exodus 19:18).

Fiery lightning and storms were a great part of my life as a child. In fact, there are thunderstorms full of lightning that are always found all over the earth. Scientists tell us that there are an estimated 2,000 thunderstorms going on in the world at any one time! Often in the evenings, the heat lightning would seemingly move along the ground by the great fields of wheat. Late in the afternoons, huge cumulonimbus clouds called thunderheads would form and billow up into the sky some 50,000 feet. They would flash with lightning and you could hear the roll of thunder. Many of you have done the same thing as I have done through the years when there is an approaching thunderstorm. When I would see the lightning I would begin to count, "one thousand one, one thousand two," until there was heard the thunder because each second of time that one would count off between seeing the lightning and hearing its thunder would equal approximately one mile of distance. I would do this even when playing golf so I would know when to get off the course!

The story is told of a farm family in the midst of a thunderstorm. It was dark and it was time for their little boy to go to bed. The lightning was flashing and the thunder was crashing and the boy was very frightened. The parents decided that he could stay for a while and they let him sit between them as they read to him has favorite storybook. Finally, even though the thunderstorm continued, the mom picked him up and carried him up the stairs to his bedroom. The mom tucked him in and told him not to be afraid because God was with him. Back downstairs, the mom was sitting with her husband when suddenly there was a horrific crash of thunder that shook the whole house. Then they heard their son jumping out of bed and coming down the hallway to the head of the stairs.

"Go back to bed, God is with you," said the dad.

The little boy quickly replied, "No, I am coming down to be with mom. Dad, you come up here and be with God!"

On the day of Pentecost in the city of Jerusalem there was the roaring sound of the wind and the disciples and their friends and followers, all 120 of them, came out into the street with single tongues of fire upon their heads. Someone has written that if the resurrection of Jesus was like lightning, then the day of Pentecost was the thunder that followed.

Now the fire and the mighty roaring in the sky caused a great crowd of people to gather together in the street by the home of the upper room. What happened next is a further demonstration of the power of the Spirit.

Other Tongues -- Since it was the great festival of Pentecost, there were people gathered from all around the Mediterranean Sea and we read that the disciples and their followers spoke to them "in the native language of each" (Acts 2:6). No matter what country and area they were from, they could understand the message that was given. What happened here was not the phenomenon of "speaking in tongues," which occurred later in the church and was like a babbling of one's mouth involuntarily because of incredible ecstatic emotions from the indwelling of the Spirit and required special interpreters. Certainly, we will deal with this later on in this book as we continue to follow the shadow of Simon Peter. What we have here is simply a speaking in "other tongues." All of the Jews around the Mediterranean Sea could speak a language called Aramaic. This was the spoken language and many of the Jews also knew the Greek language that was the written language in the business world. The people that were speaking in "other tongues" were Galileans who had a very special dialect and brogue that made it difficult for them to be understood. We have already seen how Simon Peter was recognized in the courtyard of the high priest because of his Galilean brogue. The Jews gathered in the streets of the city were from all kinds of countries and areas that had their own kind of dialect yet they could all understand the message that was being given by the disciples and their followers. What a miracle!2

My grandmother, who raised me after the death of my mom, had come to this country from the northern part of Norway. She could speak Norwegian fluently as well as English and she made no attempt to teach us Norwegian because she wanted us to speak the language of her adopted country. Yet, we would often ask her to speak in Norwegian and tried to learn some things on our own. Her English, though fluent, still contained a distinct accent and brogue that made it difficult at times for us to understand. This memory helps me to understand better the great miracle of "other tongues" that occurred on that day of Pentecost. In some of that crowd were those who had difficulty understanding the miracle of "other tongues" that was going on around them. They sneered and yelled out that the disciples were drunk with new wine!

All eyes were upon Simon Peter who stood before them and began to preach. His shadow is upon our lives as he delivered the first recorded and documented Christian sermon in history. It began with an answer to those who thought he and others were drunk. Peter told the crowd this couldn't possibly be true since it was only 9 a.m. in the morning. The Jewish people would normally have their breakfast at 10 a.m., so it was like Peter was saying, "We haven't even had breakfast yet so we haven't done any drinking!" This sermon was probably only a summary of what was said but we still have here the meat of the message given in less than 600 words. How well I remember when I began my ministry that an old experienced preacher friend said to me, "Remember a real good sermon has an excellent introduction and a great conclusion and the two are close together."

As Peter continues with his message we find here all of the elements that need to be in great preaching today:

1. First of all, it is Christ centered, that is to say, it speaks of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus as well as his immanent presence among us through the power of the Spirit.

2. Then the sermon is full of God's plan for you and me. Our new birth of life is always available and renewable each day. It comes to us through the death and resurrection of this Jesus and nothing could have been done to stop or alter this carrying out of God's will. It was God's plan and he did it!

3. Peter's sermon is full of God's grace emphasizing that this plan from the beginning was to bring us under the influence of God's love and forgiveness available to us as a wondrous gift.

4. Finally this sermon contains an invitation to the congregation of people gathered. Certainly, this is true of every great sermon throughout all of history. It is an invitation to renew one's relationship to Jesus or to begin a relationship to Jesus requiring a complete turning around of life by the power of the Spirit. This is indeed a new birth under the shadow of Simon Peter.

This sermon of Peter, quoted from the Jewish scriptures, is our Old Testament today. Peter, by quoting from the psalmody as well as the prophet Joel, showed the great crowd and us who listen today that this Jesus is indeed the promised Messiah. Peter concludes, "Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified" (Acts 2:36). Obviously, Peter, now assured of his own forgiveness and filled with the gift of courage, reached the hearts of his listeners.

During my undergraduate days at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota, I became a part of one of several teams of students who went out to congregations to lead worship when the pastor for some reason couldn't be in the congregation. Each team had four students: one to make announcements and lead the worship, one to read the liturgy and two of the lessons, one to bring special music, and one to read the gospel and preach. The first assignment that was offered our team was to go to a congregation in the city of Brainerd located in northern Minnesota. This was in the month of January so the weather that weekend was snowy, icy, and bitterly cold. My task was to lead the liturgy and read two lessons of scripture. As we drove along, I could feel myself becoming more and more nervous and uneasy. What on earth had possessed me to take on such an assignment?

When we arrived, we were quite amazed that the church was full of people in spite of the bitter cold. During the worship, I was so nervous that I had great difficulty pronouncing any words beginning with "B" or "P" because of my trembling lips, but somehow I stuttered my way through. Afterward, I was really down on myself and was absolutely certain that I was not meant to be a pastor. As we were greeting the people, a distinguished old man with a great shock of white hair came up to me. He put his arm around my shoulders and said, "Son, you did a great job today in spite of your nervousness. It took great courage for you to help lead a worship service and I guarantee you that you will do better. In fact, you have a very special spirit and I just know that you are destined to be a great pastor! Always be strong and of good courage!" Then to top it off, he gave me a great hug and walked away. Something happened in that moment that was to follow me all the days of my life. There was received into the heart of my being the gift of courage and inspiration that came through the encouragement of that old man. Wow! I left the church walking on air! My friends who read this, close to you today there is someone who needs a word of encouragement from you. Always remember that encouragement puts courage into the heart of the one who receives it.

No question about it, Simon Peter was full of the Spirit and full of courage and he was able to preach such a sermon that we are told that it "cut to the heart" many of those who heard it to the point that they cried out to Peter and the apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?" (Acts 2:37). At this moment, Peter first of all told them that they needed to repent.

Here is a marvelous word from the Greek word metanoeo. In this little word are two words that show us the meaning. The word meta, which means "after," and the word neo from the word nous, which means "the mind." A good definition for repentance is "to change one's mind" and to change one's mind results in a change of direction for our lives. Peter went on to say that not only did the people need to repent, they also needed to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. The call to be baptized must have been shocking to them because baptism had been used for those who wanted to become a part of the Jewish faith. It was an initiation into Judaism. John the Baptist had used baptism in the River Jordan for people who wanted to renew their lives and in a sense to be born again to a whole new kind of life. It symbolized a new relationship to the Lord our God. Under the shadow of Peter and the power of the Spirit, 3,000 people were baptized and the early Christian church began. And what a church it was! The qualities of this church are clearly given to us in the historical record and to me describe what any dynamic church is today. So we can say that the church is:

* a people who have a sure knowledge of salvation through Christ's death and resurrection and who have received the living presence of the Spirit;

* a people who are willing to meet together to study and hear the preaching of the word;

* a people who genuinely care for one another and share much with those in need;

* a people who share together common meals and prayers; and

* a people who are full of praise and joy.

To be honest, I have never seen a great congregation or Christian that wasn't full of praise and the wondrous gift of joy. One of my favorite authors, Robert Louis Stevenson, who wrote such masterpieces as Kidnapped and Treasure Island, said: "Show me your praises and I will think more of your prayers."3

One of the heroes in my life is a basketball coach by the name of John Wooden, who is now in his nineties. He is well aware of the new birth and new life that comes to us through Jesus Christ our Lord. This story comes from an unknown sportswriter.

First of all, his life is marked by faithfulness to his wife, Nellie, who has gone to be with our Lord. When someone talks to him he is quick to say how much he misses her and loves her and can't wait to see her again. On day 21 of every month he will sit down and pen a love letter to what he calls his "best girl, Nellie." Then he will fold it once, slide it in a little envelope, and walk into his bedroom. He then goes to the stack of love letters sitting there on the pillow, unties the yellow ribbon, places the new one on top, and ties the ribbon again. It has been over fifteen years since Nellie died, after a marriage of 53 years. Wow! That means over 180 love letters have been written. In her memory, he sleeps only on his half of the bed, only on his pillow, only on top of the sheets, never between; with just the old bedspread they shared to keep him warm.

John Wooden's life is also marked by his faithfulness to coaching and to those whom he coached. Many of you will remember the years he coached basketball at UCLA, where he had ten NCAA basketball championships, the last in 1975. Nobody has even come within six of them. During his coaching career, he won 88 straight games between January 30, 1971, and January 17, 1974, and nobody has come within 42 games of that record since.

His life is marked by faithfulness to teaching young men to become something great with their whole lives. If you would visit him in his little condo in Encino, twenty minutes northwest of Los Angeles, you would see the report cards of his great-grandchildren and dozens of pictures of his beloved Nellie. And you would hear him say things like "Gracious sakes alive!" and tell stories about teaching "Lewis" the hook shot; Lewis Alcindor, that is, the one who became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He is remembered for spending a half hour the first day of practice teaching his men how to put on a sock. "Wrinkles can lead to blisters," he'd warn. Those huge players would sneak looks at one another and roll their eyes. Eventually, they'd do it right. "Good," he'd say, "and now the other foot!"

Of the 180 players who played for him, Wooden knows the whereabouts of 172. Of course, it's not hard when most of them call, checking on his health, secretly hoping to hear some of his simple life lessons so that they can write them on the lunch bags of their children, who will roll their eyes.

Though John Wooden is older and his steps are smaller and his back more hunched, he radiates the faith that is still born anew in his heart each day. With that great smile of his he says, "I'm not afraid to die. Death is my only chance to be with Nellie again."

As you and I seek to be born anew each day under the great shadow of Simon Peter, we can nod in agreement with John Wooden as he says, "There is only one kind of life that truly wins, and that's the one that places faith in the hands of the Savior. Until that is done, we are on an aimless course that runs in circles nowhere. Material possessions, winning scores, are meaningless in the eyes of the Lord, because he knows who and what we really are and that is all that matters." Furthermore, he knows what we can become under the shadow of Peter!

Read on to see the great healing power of Jesus coming through Peter and John and their great courage and boldness in the face of a growing opposition.

____________

1. Lloyd J. Ogilvie, The Communicator's Commentary -- Acts (Waco: Word Books, 1983), p. 47.

2. William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1955), pp. 14-27.

3. Robert Louis Stevenson, A Child's Garden of Verses (Edinburgh: Main Stream Publishing Company, 2001), p. 32.


Reflection And Discussion

Thought Questions

1. How does one become a member of the church today?

2. In what ways does new birth involve wind, fire, and other tongues for our lives?

3. What were the miracles that occurred on the day of Pentecost?

4. What are the characteristics of a dynamic church today?


Agree Or Disagree

* Repentance is an act always accompanied by sorrow.

* Baptism should be by immersion.

* Once baptized, always baptized.

* Once baptized, always saved.