Birth of the Church

We have been on a Journey from Eastr to Pentecost and now 1 week past. The book of Acts is a great book to read an watch the incredible work of the Holy Spirit though early believers.

This week, as we continue, the church is born and Peter stands up to speak. The disciples have now accepted the call to carry on Jesus mission on earth. Now they have the power of the Holy Spirit to enable and empower them to spread the Gospel about Jesus.

All of the previous messages have led to this moment… the birth of the church. These timid, fear filled followers are changed into bold and courageous witnesses to the fact that Jesus was crucified, and then rose from the dead… and they are telling everyone.

Thousands respond and put their faith in Jesus.

Today as we look at Peter’s first sermon, we are not just looking at history. we are witnessing the birth of the church as a movement. The message Peter preached is the same message we preach today and it’s transforming lives all over the world.

Acts 2:14–41 NLT

14 Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. 15 These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that. 16 No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel: 17 ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. 18 In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike— and they will prophesy. 19 And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below— blood and fire and clouds of smoke. 20 The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives. 21 But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ 22 “People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. 23 But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. 24 But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip. 25 King David said this about him: ‘I see that the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. 26 No wonder my heart is glad, and my tongue shouts his praises! My body rests in hope. 27 For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave. 28 You have shown me the way of life, and you will fill me with the joy of your presence.’ 29 “Dear brothers, think about this! You can be sure that the patriarch David wasn’t referring to himself, for he died and was buried, and his tomb is still here among us. 30 But he was a prophet, and he knew God had promised with an oath that one of David’s own descendants would sit on his throne. 31 David was looking into the future and speaking of the Messiah’s resurrection. He was saying that God would not leave him among the dead or allow his body to rot in the grave. 32 “God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. 33 Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today. 34 For David himself never ascended into heaven, yet he said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit in the place of honor at my right hand 35 until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.” ’ 36 “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!” 37 Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” 38 Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” 40 Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” 41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.

1. The Gospel is preached with boldness.

Acts 2:14 NLT

14 Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this.

Just a few weeks earlier, Peter had denied knowing Jesus 3 times, scared to death of being associated with Him. In the courtyard of the high priest, when a servant girl accused him of know Jesus, he strongly deined even knowing him. He denied him 3 times. He was full of fear… fear of arrest… fear of judgement… fear of suffering. He was a mess.

But now, this was a different Peter. Peter the many who was cowering in fear, stands in front of a huge crowd in Jerusalem, probably in front of some of the same people who shouted for Jesus to be crucified, and preaches a powerful message. He boldly proclaims the turth of a risen Jesus, declaring that Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophecies about a Messiah.

So what changed Peter? The Holy Spirit!

When Jesus ascended up to heaven, He promised the Holy Spirit who would come and empower His followers to be His witnesses (Acts 1:8). And at Pentecost, as we learned last week, that promise was fulfilled. The Holy Spirit changed Peter from a fear filled fisherman to a powerful and fearless preacher. The boldness we see in Peter is not coming from Peter, it’s the work of the Holy Spirit in Peter.

Peter’s message was clear and to the point. He pointed to the crucified and risen Jesu as the compete fulfillment of the prophecies. He quotes Joel and David to show that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was God’s plan all along. (Acts 2:16-21; 25-28)

He didn’t mince his words either nor did he soften his message. He told them straight up…

Acts 2:36 NLT

36 “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!”

He flat out tells them that they crucified the Messiah. Peter’s boldness should help and challenge us today. Too often we let fear hold us back from sharing the Gospel. We are afraid of judgement, rejection, or awkwardness. But Peter’s transformation show us that transformation doesn’t come from within ourselves, as many self help books teach, it comes from the work of the HS within us.

If we want to be like Peter, we need the same Spirit driven courage that Peter had … the same Spirit driven courage that led him to stnad up and boldly speak out. We can’t muster this up on our own. We have to pray for the Spirit to fill us, to transform us and move us beyond fear to being a faithful witness.

We must trust the Word, the Messiah, and the call to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

2. The Gospel is based on Scripture.

We must have faith and trust in the Bible as the WOG.

When Peter stood up and preached on the day of Pentecost, he ddin’t just use His words and wisdom, His message was rooted in Scripture.

He quoted from the prophet Joel He declares, Acts 2:16

Acts 2:16 NLT

16 No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel:

He was showing that what they were seeing was predicted years before byt the prophet Joel. He sowed that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit wasn’’t some random event, but that it was part of God’s plan all along. Joel had said that God would pour out his Spirit on everyone, empowering sons and daughters to prophesy, young men to see visions, and old men to dream dreams. Joel 2:28–32 “28 “Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. 29 In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on servants—men and women alike. 30 And I will cause wonders in the heavens and on the earth— blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and terrible day of the Lord arrives. 32 But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, for some on Mount Zion in Jerusalem will escape, just as the Lord has said. These will be among the survivors whom the Lord has called.”

Peter makes it clear that this prophecy was being fulfilled right then and there.

But Peter doesn’t stop there. He also points to King David’s words in Psalm 16, declaring that David spoke about the Messiah’s resurrection before it came to pass.

Acts 2:27 NLT

27 For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.

Peter tells then that David wasn’t talking about himself, but about Jesus the Messiah. He was speaking prophetically about Jesus whose resurrection was the undeniable evidence of His Messiahship.

Peter’s message was powerful because it was based on the WOG, not his one understanding. He shows the crowd that what they are witnessing is part of God’s redemptive plan… a plan that was foretold in the scriptures hundreds of years earlier and now fulfilled in Jesus.

Just like Peter, our boldness must be based on the Scripture. We don’t share our own ideas and opinions, we proclaim the eternal truth that God revealed to us in His word… That as the scriptures say, salvationis through Jesus. The scriptures testify of and about Jesus.

We need to depend on the Holy Spirit to give us boldness and courage like He did Peter and the disciples so that we can speak the truth, trusting that God’s word will not retun void… that it will accomplish what God wants.

Here’s the deal.

3. The Gospel demands a response

Acts 2:37 NLT

37 Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”

Peter’s sermon was not a theological lecture. It was a spiritual confrontation. The people reacted saying that Peter’s words pierced their hearts. This shows the conviction of the Holy Spirit and they desperate need for forgiveness… for redemption. This was a spiritual earthquake.

Peter’s response gives us a blueprint for real conversion…

Acts 2:38 NLT

38 Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Each person must repent

Greek word is Metanoia. He is not talking about regret. He is talking about a complete turning away from a life dominated by self and sin, and turning toward God.

Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change in our actions.

Then Peter said…

Each person must be baptized.

Baptism is a public declaration of following Jesus. It’s an outward sign of an inward transformation, a washing away of the old and new birth into Jesus. It’s a public confession of joining the community of Believers.

Then Peter says,

Each person Receives the Holy Spirit.

This is the presence of Jesus in us. Its the guarantee of of our inheritance, and the source of our ongoing transformation. The Holy Spirit equips us for service, empowers us to witness, and conforms us into the image of Christ.

The result was incredible.

Acts 2:41 NLT

41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.

Don’t get caught up on the numbers, which were exciting. This was the birth of an excited and vibrant, Spirit filled group… the church.

The Gospel still demands a response. It’s not a suggestion; it’s a divine imperative.

We are continually faced with a choice: will we surrender to Christ, or will we remain in our own ways?

4. The Church is born and the mission continues.

Acts 2:42 NLT

42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.

This is the birth of the Church. It’s a history changing event. The early church was marked by the following characteristics.

They were devoted to the Apostles Teaching.

They were committed to learning and living out the truth of the Gospel. This show us how important it is to recive Biblical instruction.

They were devoted to fellowship with each other.

They shared life together… encouraged each other… supporting each other… It’s important to be connected. Community is important.

They were devoted to celebrating the Lord’s Supper together.

They remembered the sacrifice Jesus made for them and anticpated His return. Worship and communion are both important.

They were devoted to prayer.

They were constantly in communication with God, seeking His guidance and power. Dependance on God is vital.

This was a dynamic movement which from this moment the mission of Jesus to make disciples of all nations was propelled forward. The church became the vehicle through which the Gospel would be spread to the ends of the earth.

And we are inheritors of this legacy and mission.

The church is not a building or organization; it’s the body of Christ, a living organism empowered by the Holy Spirit. We are called to continue the mission that began at Pentecost, top be witnesses to the transforming power of Jesus, and to invite everyone to the Banquet Table.

Conclusion

The same Spirit who transformed Peter and the early disciples is alive and active today, ready to transform us and empower us to be His witnesses.

We need to carry the fire of Pentecost with us so let our lives be marked by:

Unwavering Boldness: Let the fear that once held us captive be replaced by the courage that comes from the indwelling Spirit. Let us speak the truth of the Gospel with clarity and conviction, knowing that God is with us.

Unshakeable Grounding: Let us root our lives in the Word of God, allowing it to shape our thoughts, words, and actions. Let us be diligent students of Scripture, ready to give an answer for the hope that is within us.

Unceasing Transformation: Let us surrender to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to mold us into the image of Christ. Let us embrace the process of sanctification, knowing that God is making us new.

Unreserved Community: Let us commit ourselves to the fellowship of the Church, supporting and encouraging one another as we journey together. Let us build a community of love, grace, and truth.

Unrelenting Mission: Let us embrace the mission of Jesus, to make disciples of all nations. Let us be His ambassadors, sharing the Gospel with those who have yet to hear.

The world is waiting for the Church to rise up and be the light that Jesus called us to be. Let us not shrink back in fear or complacency. Let us step out in faith, empowered by the Spirit, and declare the good news of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.

Go forth, then, in the power of the Holy Spirit, and live the “After Easter” life – a life of boldness, purpose, and unwavering devotion to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.