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Acts of the Apostles: Pentecost and the Birth of the Church (Ep 131)
Episode 13111th September 2025 • My Ministry Mission • Jason McConnell
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In this episode of My Ministry Mission, we dive into Acts 2:1–41 and explore the powerful story of Pentecost, the day the Holy Spirit came like wind and fire, birthing the early Church. We walk through Peter’s bold sermon, the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy, and the baptism of 3,000 souls who were “cut to the heart” by the Gospel. Discover the rich historical and cultural background of Pentecost, the theological significance of the Spirit being poured out on all people, and practical applications for living a Spirit-filled life today. Join us as we learn how the same Spirit that empowered ordinary disciples then is still empowering believers now to share Jesus boldly in our world.

References to Bible Verses:

Acts 2:1–41; Acts 1:4-5; Acts 1:9; Acts 1:14-15; Jeremiah 31:33; Leviticus 23:15-22; Leviticus 2:11; Romans 6:3–4;

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Transcripts

Introduction and Recap

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Jason: Thank you for listening, and welcome to the podcast. I'm your host, Jason McConnell. Well, here we are again, another exciting journey through the acts of the apostles. In our last episode, we looked at the authorship, the purpose, and the heartbeat behind this incredible book, Luke, the physician and historian, is carefully writing down the movement of God through ordinary men and women who dared to follow Jesus into the unknown.

And now we arrive at a turning point. Imagine with me a group of disciples, maybe about 120 or so huddled together in an upper room in Jerusalem. They've been waiting, praying, and wondering what Jesus meant when he said, you will receive the power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. Think about their situation.

Jesus had ascended into heaven. The Roman empire still held control over the land. The Jewish leaders still oppressed their message, fear, uncertainty, and danger loomed everywhere. Yet they obeyed. They waited in faith, not knowing exactly what power from on high would look like, and then it happened wind like a rushing storm, fire resting on each of them voices lifted in languages They had never spoken before.

The city of Jerusalem packed with pilgrims from every nation for the Festival of Pentecost, suddenly turned its eyes on this small group of spirit-filled believers. I mean, this moment wasn't just spectacular, it was the birth of the church. And in this episode, we're gonna walk through Acts chapter two verses one through 41.

preach with such passion that:

So let's dive in because Pentecost is our inheritance in that same spirit. Who moved then is still moving now.

The Day of Pentecost

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Jason: Before we dive into rushing wind and tongues of fire, let's take a step back to remember where we are. Jesus has risen from the dead appearing to his disciples over the course of 40 days.

During this time, he taught them about the kingdom of God and he gave them this promise in Acts one verses four and five. Do not leave Jerusalem but wait for the gift my father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

Then came his final words. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. And that's Acts one, verse eight. We talked about that lot in the last episode. And with that, Jesus ascends into heaven just before their very eyes in Acts one, verse nine.

Now, the disciples returned to Jerusalem as he had instructed, and they went to the upper room, likely the same place where they had celebrated the last supper. In Acts one, verse 14 tells us they were all joined together constantly in prayer along with the women and marry the mother of Jesus and with his brothers.

I wanna think about that scene. 120 believers gathered together, according to Acts one, verse 15. They're waiting. They don't fully understand what's coming, but they know Jesus has promised something big. They spent their na, their time in prayer and unity, seeking God's direction. They even chose Mathias to replace Judas bringing the 12 back to the full number.

Now commentators point out that this period of waiting is crucial. David Guzzi notes that before the spirit was poured out, the disciples were prepared by obedience, staying in Jerusalem by unity, praying together, and by scripture seeking God's will. In choosing Matthias, the spirit wasn't sent to a scattered, disobedient, or divided group, but a community that was seeking God in one accord.

And the timing here is no accident. They're in Jerusalem during Pentecost, one of the great Jewish pilgrimage feast. Originally, harvest Festival, Pentecost or Shabbat was also celebrated as the anniversary of God, giving the law to Moses on Mount Sinai. And the parallel here is kind of interesting. At Sinai, God gave the law written on stone tablets, right at Pentecost, God gives his spirit writing his law on human hearts.

So as Acts chapter two opens, we have this group of believers gathered in unity. They're waiting in prayer. On the very day, the Jews are celebrating God's covenant. Now the city is full of pilgrims from every nation. The stage is perfectly set and into that moment, heaven breaks in with wind, fire, and power from on high.

So let's step into the story. It's Acts, chapters two verses one through four. When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of, of violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to the rest to rest on each of them.

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the spirit enabled them. Now. There's a really cool parallel here. If we go back to Leviticus 23, verses 15 through 22, where it explains the Festival of Weeks or the, or Pentecost, the priests were instructed to wave two loaves of bread, two loaves of leaven bread before the Lord as part of the celebration.

Now at first glance, this might seem like some ordinary ritual. Two loaves of bread though lifted up before God. But Charles Spurgeon, the great preacher, made an observation that connects this ancient ritual with what happened in Acts chapter two, he said, where there not two loaves? Not only shall Israel be saved, but the multitude of the Gentiles shall be turned onto the Lord Jesus Christ.

I want you to think about that for a minute. Two loaves of bread, not just one, and God's wisdom baked into the very festival of Pentecost. Pun not intended. There, there was a hint of what was coming. One loaf could represent Israel, God's chosen people, the other, the gentiles, the nation, and the nations who were basically far off.

But both loaves are lifted together, both accepted by God, both brought into his presence and, and notice something else here. These loaves were baked with leaven. Normally, Levin was seen as a symbol of sin and was excluded from offerings made by fire. You can see that in Levi. Levi gets two verse 11. Yet here on Pentecost, God is commanding that the offering include Levin.

Why would he do that? I mean possibly because when Jews and Gentiles are brought together in Christ, we are not presented as sinless in ourselves, but as redeemed sinners accepted by grace through the finished works of Jesus. So that was kind of a cool thing for me to stumble upon. But notice the science here.

The science are what important. The wind and fire. Now, these aren't random theatrics, they're not spiritual fireworks for entertainment. All throughout the Old Testament, wind and fire are markers of God's holy presence breaking into the world. I mean, think back to Exodus chapter 19. Israel is camped at Mount Sinai waiting to receive God's covenant.

The mountain trembles wrapped in smoke and fire as God descends in fire. The people are so overwhelmed that they beg Moses to go speak with God on their behalf because they couldn't endure the raw holiness of his presence and fire their symbolize. God's purity, his power, his consuming glory. Then we jump forward to Ezekiel chapter 37, the Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones.

Ezekiel is taken to a field of scattered skeletons. These, these lifeless and hopeless right, but God commands him to prophesy and as he does the breath, the Hebrew word ruach, meaning wind, breath, or spirit, the breath sweeps through the valley. The bones rattle come together and flesh covers them until the spirit breathes life into what was once dead.

Wind symbolizes God's creative powers, creative spirit. The breath that makes the dead live again. Now bring that imagery here into Acts two. A rushing wind fills the house echoing the breath of God that gives life tongues of fire, descend, echoing the presence of God on Sinai. But this time, instead of resting on a mountain or filling a valley, God's presence rests on people.

Not just on Moses, not just on Ezekiel. Every believer in that room. And here's the beautiful part, the Holy Spirit. The holy fire that once terrified Israel on Sinai is now resting gently, individually, on the heads of the disciples. The same spirit who breathes life into dry bones is now breathing power into ordinary men and women.

What was once distant, meaning God's presence, is now intimate, personal dwelling inside every believer. That's the message of Pentecost. God is no longer contained to temples, to mountains, or to sacred spaces. Through his spirit, he has made his people his dwelling place. And these weren't elite scholars or soldiers or politicians.

They were fishermen and tax collectors and common men and women. And God chose to fill them, and that means he will fill you and Me too. I mean, it's important that we allow the spirit to fill every part of our lives, not just Sunday morning, not just when we feel particularly spiritual, but in our work, our families, our private thoughts.

The same spirit who rushed into the upper room wants to empower all of us right here, right now, today. Alright, so here are the disciples experiencing the unimaginable God's presence, rushing in like the wind and fire filling them with the Holy Spirit. This miracle wasn't meant to be hidden Inside that upper room, the sounds spill out onto the streets, drawing a crowd.

Let's continue in Acts chapter two, verses five through 13. Now, there were staying in Jerusalem. God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment because each one heard their own language being spoken utterly amazed. They asked, aren't all these who are speaking Galileans?

Then how is it that each of us hears them in our own native language? And this is where I'm gonna mess things up a bit. Par, uh, pars, Medis, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, cap Chia, poncho, and Asia. Gra Pam Fila Egypt, parts of Libya near Kyrene. Visitors from Rome, both Jews, and converts to Judaism, CREs and Arabs.

We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongue. Amazed and perplexed. They asked one another, what does this mean? Some, however, made fun of them and said they have had too much wine. I'm sure I slaughtered some of those names, so forgive me if that's, if I didn't say things right. There's a lot in that, that verse, but I want you to pause here and imagine this scene.

Jerusalem at Pentecost was ling with people. Pilgrims from across the Roman empire had traveled long roads to be there. Families speaking different dialects. Cultures mingling the streets, crowded with worshipers, and Luke gives us that long list of nations, not just for some geography class or to trip me up.

It's his way of showing us that the gospel's reach was global from day one, from Mesopotamia to, to. To the east, to Rome, to the west, from North Africa to the island of Creed. People from every corner of the known world were hearing the wonders of God in that moment. Now, keep in mind, the disciples weren't trained linguists, they were gals.

They were looked down upon as uneducated country folk. Yet suddenly through the spirit, they were speaking languages, perfectly understood by strangers from all around the known world. Here's where the theology gets kind of neat. Do you remember the story of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11 where humanity and its pride tried to build a tower to the heavens and God scattered them by confusing their languages?

Pentecost is now reversing that Babel. It's the reversal of it. Instead of division, the spirit brings unity instead of scattering, God gathers. Different languages aren't barriers anymore. They are bridges to proclaim his glory. This is a reminder for us that the gospel is for all nations, all people.

There is no us or them in the kingdom of God. If the Spirit chooses to speak every language on the streets of Jerusalem that day, then the spirit is still moving across languages and cultures and nations today, and we should challenge ourselves to look around and see if there's somebody we might be overlooking.

Maybe there's a coworker or a neighbor, or even somebody in your own family. That, that we've quietly been assuming isn't interested in Jesus. Pentecost reminds us not to underestimate what the Spirit can do in reaching people we'd never expect. And yeah, sometimes some, some of the crowd mocked them.

They've had too much wine, but that tells us something too. Not everyone will understand when God moves, but the spirit's work is too powerful to be dismissed where God is at work. Hearts will be stirred, questions will be asked doors. For the gospel, we'll definitely be opened. So the crowd is amazed, confused, and even mocking them.

But in the middle of the noise and questions, one man stands up with a voice full of courage.

Peter's First Sermon

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Jason: That same Peter, who once denied Jesus, now speaks boldly to explain what's happening. So let's continue. Acts chapter two, verses 14 through 21. Then Peter stood up with the 11, 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. These people are not drunk as you suppose it is only nine in the morning. No, this is what's spoken by the prophet Joel. In the last days, God said, I will pour out my spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy.

Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams. Even my on my servants, both men and women. I will pour out my spirit in those days and they will prophesy and I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth Below blood and fire and billows of smoke, the sun will be turned to darkness.

The moon. To blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord, and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Wow. Picture that moment. The air is buzzing with noise and confusion. Some in the crowd are amazed, others are mocking. Some are probably desperately trying to understand what just happened.

The sound of rushing wind, tongues of fire. Ordinary Galilean speaking the wonders of Gods in all languages from every corner of the empire. Then Peter steps forward. I mean, think about that. This is the same Peter who just a few weeks earlier had cowered in fear before a servant girl in the high priest courtyard and swore he didn't even know Jesus.

The same Peter who had wept bitterly after his denial. Now here he is standing tall in front of a huge skeptical and restless crowd, raising his voice with authority and conviction. What changed? The Holy Spirit has transformed him from fearful fishermen into fearless preacher, and notice the wisdom and how Peter begins.

He doesn't try to calm the crowd with human reasoning, nor does he appeal to emotion. The very first thing he does is anchor of this strange, weird, supernatural event in the word of God. He quotes the prophet Joel. His words with Jewish audiences would've been known and respected by drawing straight from scripture.

He showed them that this is not chaos, not drunken babel, but the fulfillment of God's longstanding promise. In essence, Peter is saying, don't be confused. Don't think this is something new or out of control. God has always planned this. The spirit you see poured out today was foretold centuries ago by prophets.

This is one of the greatest lessons of Pentecost. The spirit's work never contradicts the word. The the two are always in harmony. What Peter is showing us here is that when God moves in powerful and even surprising ways, we should test it and understand it through the lens of scripture. For Peter grounding, his sermon in Joel wasn't just smart, it was spirit led.

Pointing the people back to the God who had written this moment into history long ago. And what exactly is this prophecy? Peter kind of tells it plainly. He is like in the last day as I'll pour out my spirit on the people, on all people. Those words may sound familiar to us now, but for the people standing in Jerusalem on that day, this was nothing short of revolutionary.

'cause you see the Old Testament in the Old Testament, the spirit's presence was usually selective and temporary. The spirit came upon prophets to declare God's word upon kings to rule with wisdom upon craftsmen to build the tabernacle or upon judges to deliver Israel in times of crisis. But the spirit didn't dwell permanently in every believer.

Ordinary people didn't expect to experience the power and presence of God the way Moses or Elijah did, but now. Peter is announcing something brand new. The spirit is available to all people, not just prophets, not just kings, not just spiritual elites. The floodgates of heaven have opened and God's spirit is being poured out on everyone who believes.

Sons and daughters, young and old men and women, servants and masters, the rich and the poor, the educated and the uneducated. Every barrier that society builds, God will tear it down in the spirit. This is radical. In a culture where women were often marginalized, the spirit says, your daughters will prophesy in a culture where the elderly might be overlooked.

God says, your old men will dream dreams. In a culture where young or considered unqualified to lead, God says, your young men will see visions. And in a society where servants have no voice, God says, even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my spirit. So what does this mean for us? It means that none of us are disqualified from being used by God Your age doesn't matter whether you're a teenager or just starting to explore your faith or a senior with a lifetime of experience, a spirit can speak through you.

Your gender doesn't matter. God has called both sons and daughters. Your background doesn't matter whether you've been walking with Jesus for years or just came to him yesterday. If you belong to Christ, you are a vessel for his spirit. So if you believe the lie that you're too young, too old, too ordinary, or even too, or even too broken to be used by God.

Pentecost tells us that the spirit delights in using ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things. Ask the Holy Spirit this week to show you one way, just one way he wants to use you. Whether it's sharing an encouraging word, praying for somebody boldly speaking the name of Jesus, where you've been silent before.

Remember, the promises still stand. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Wow. I need to take a breath after that one. Look, Peter has shown the crowd that there are witnesses, that what they're witnessing is not chaos, but the very fulfillment of prophecy of Joel's prophecy, the dawn of the age of the Spirit.

But he doesn't stop there Now, he shifts from explaining the signs to proclaiming the heart of the gospel. Jesus Christ, crucified, risen, and exalted. So let's continue in Acts two verses 22 through 36. Fellow Israelites, listen to this, Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by G by God to you, by miracles, wonders, and sign, which God did among you through him.

As you yourselves know, this man was handed over to you by God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge. 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 is impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

David said about him. I saw the Lord always before me because he is at my right hand. I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices. My body will also rest in hope because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead. You will not let your holy one see decay. You have made known to me the path of life.

You'll fill me with joy in your presence. Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew God, knew that God had promised him an oath that would place one of his descendants on his throne, seeing what is to come.

He spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah that he was not abandoned on the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. God raised his, raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it exalted to the right hand of God. He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.

For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this, God has made this Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah. Now, I want you to remember who Peter's talking to here.

This crowd wasn't hearing about distant rumors. Many of them had been in Jerusalem during Passover when Jesus was arrested, tried and crucified. Some may have even shouted, crucify him in pilot's courtyard. Their crucifixion was public knowledge. It was still fresh in everyone's memory. And Peter does something powerful here.

Something that takes incredible boldness. He looks out at a crowd who knows the truth of what happened. Just weeks earlier, Jesus of Nazareth had been nailed to a Roman cross outside the city. Many in this very audience may have walked by that kill. They couldn't deny it. So Peter names the reality you put him to death, but he doesn't leave them in despair.

He pairs that painful, undeniable truth with an even greater truth. But God raised him from the dead death, the greatest enemy, the fear that has stalked humanity since the garden had no power to hold Jesus. It was impossible. Peter declares for death to keep its hold on him. The grave could not contain him.

The stone could not seal him. The sin could not conquer him. Then Peter does something every devout Jew in that crowd would've leaned into Here. He anchors this event in the Psalms of David. He reminds him that David himself spoke of God's holy one who would not see decay. Everyone knew where David's tomb was.

His body had long since returned to dust. So who was David really speaking of? Well, Peter makes it clear it was a prophecy of the Messiah, the true son of David for his Jewish audience. This carried enormous weight. The promises to David weren't side notes in their faith. They were essential to their hope.

For generations, Israel had looked for a descendant of David to sit on the throne forever, to restore God's kingdom. And now Peter proclaims that that promise was, those promises are fulfilled in Jesus, the one they crucified, but whom God raised. This is the centerpiece of Christianity, the resurrection.

The cross without resurrection is just tragedy, but the cross with resurrection is victory. It's the proof that Jesus is not just a good teacher or a failed revolutionary, but the Lord and Messiah, the exalted one now seated at the right hand of God and Peter makes it unmistakably clear. Jesus reigns as king, and here's the sting in his words, this same Jesus whom you crucified, the contrast couldn't have been sharper.

The crowd condemned him, but God vindicated him. They rejected him, but God enthroned him. The choice before them now is unavoidable. They will continue to resist him or they'll bow down to him as Lord. Boldness flows from knowing that Jesus is alive. Peter had once been terrified of being associated with Jesus so afraid that he denied him three times, but now filled with the spirit and grounded in the resurrection.

Peter proclaims Jesus with fearless conviction. The power of resurrection truth, fear loses its grip when we know that even death can be defeated. What fears are still holding you back from boldly proclaiming Jesus. Fear of rejection, fear of ridicule, fear of not having the right words. Peter shows us that boldness doesn't come from personality, it comes from the spirit.

Stand on resurrection truth. This week when fear whispers, stay quiet. Remind yourself, Jesus is alive and nothing, not even death can silence him. Peter's words must have landed with incredible force. I mean, he has shown them from scripture that Jesus is the promised Messiah. Proved by his resurrection and exaltation and the crowd can't escape the weight of his truth.

Jesus' Lord. And they crucified him. Conviction pierces their hearts and they cry out for an answer. So let's, let's finish up the segment in Acts two verses 37 through 41.

The Call to Repentance and Baptism

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Jason: When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles Brothers, what shall we do? Peter replied.

Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you'll 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. With many other words, he warned them, but he pleaded with them.

ssage were baptized and about:

It wasn't just information for them to consider anymore. It was a, it wasn't like a new philosophy or or another religious idea to add to their collection. It was a transformative moment. It exposed their sin, their guilt, and their desperate need for forgiveness. And they knew they couldn't walk away, unchanged.

They had to respond. And isn't that exactly what Gospel does today? We live in a generation flooded with information, with news, opinions, podcasts, social media posts, but very little of it truly transforms. We scroll, we consume, and then we move on. The message of Jesus doesn't let us move on. When it's preached in the power of the spirit, it doesn't sit on the surface.

It cuts to the heart. It confronts us with the reality of our sin, but also with the incredible hope of grace. The people in Jerusalem that day were faced to face with the truth. This Jesus, whom you crucified is both Lord and Messiah. Our generation may not have stood in Pils courtyard or shouted for his crucifixion, but scripture makes it very clear.

Our sin puts him on the cross just the same. And when that reality sinks in, it should cut us to the heart. So here's my challenge to you. How do you respond? Will we dismiss it like any other headline? Will we admire? Like a good speech or will we let the spirit pierce our hearts and lead us to repentance just as the crowd did on Pentecost, the same spirit who moved then is moving now calling our generation to more than information.

He's calling us to transformation, to turn from sin, to turn toward Christ, and to live spirit-filled lives that can't help but be shared. We wanna share the good news. Peter's answer is simple but profound. Repent, be baptized, receive forgiveness, receive the spirit. Baptism wasn't a brand new idea to the Jewish people.

They were already familiar with ritual washings for purification, ceremonial cleansings before entering the temple or after being made ritually unclean. These washings symbolized outward purification, a way of preparing to come before a holy God. Not long before this moment at Pentecost, John the Baptist had called Israel to baptism in the Jordan River as a sign of repentance, turning from sin and preparing their hearts for the coming Messiah.

But now Peter redefines baptisms in a way that is revolutionary. It's no longer about a temporary cleansing of the body or simply about preparing for what is to come. Baptism is now tied directly to Jesus, his death, his burial, and his resurrection. When Peter calls the crowd to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, he's saying, this isn't just washing dirt from your skin.

This is dying to sin and rising to a new life in him. Now, Paul would later put it this way, in Romans six verses three through four. Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death. We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death, in order that Jesus, just as Christ was raised from the dead, we too may live a new life.

long to Jesus. Now, for those:

It was a line in the sand and a city where Jesus had just been crucified. Identifying with him publicly through baptisms was an act of courage, an act of faith, an act of surrender, and that's still true today. Baptism is not about earning salvation. It's about proclaiming salvation. It's the outward sign of the inward reality that Christ has made us new.

It's stepping into the waters and declaring to the world I am his and he is mine. Understand not all denominations feel the same way. If you disagree with me here, that's okay. I'm simply explaining what I've observed and learned along my own faith journey. But I want you to notice how these things come together as one repentance, forgiveness, gift of the Holy Spirit.

You can't separate them to repent. It's to turn away from sin and to turn towards Christ. To believe in him brings forgiveness of sin. And with the forgiveness comes the indwelling gift of the spirit. That's the full package of salvation. And did you catch the promise where Peter says, the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off.

Again, this is a preview of what's coming in Acts. The gospel is not just for Jews in Jerusalem, it's, it's for gentiles, for the nations, for you and me sitting here today already, God is showing that his salvation plan is global. The gospel always demands a response. It's not enough to admire Jesus or to be moved by a sermon.

Repentance means action, turning from sin and turning towards Christ. And baptism is an outward sign of that inward change. So as we wrap up this episode, I'd like you to ask yourself, have I truly responded to the gospel or am I just listening to it week over week? And for those of us who are believers, I have this challenge for you.

, you never know. Just as the:

s is the birth of the church.:

Conclusion and Challenge

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ed the birth of the church as:

Pentecost is a picture of of the Christian life today. Again, that same spirit who empowered the disciples empowers us. The same gospel that cut hearts in Jerusalem, still is changing lives around the world today. And the same call to repentance, believe and be baptized is still God's invitation to all people near and far live.

Spirit filled, live bold. Don't underestimate what God can do through you. You may feel too ordinary, too unqualified, or too afraid, but remember, so did those disciples before the spirit came. When God fills you, he equips you to do more than you ever thought possible. So get out there, share the good news with one person.

Maybe it's a coworker, a neighbor, a family member, even a stranger. God puts in your path. It doesn't have to be a polished sermon like Peter. Just share your story or speak the name of Jesus and trust the spirit to do the rest. Until next time, keep loving your neighbors. Dive into God's word daily and may the Lord bless you and keep you and fill you with his peace.

Take care of God bless, and I'll see you in the next episode.

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