• (14) But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words“. (22) men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles. wonders, and signs, which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know – (23) Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; (24) whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. (25) For David says concerning Him: ’I foresaw the Lord always before my face, For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. (26) Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad, Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope, (27) For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. (28) You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’ (29) “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. (30) Therefore, being a prophet and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up Christ to sit on His throne, (31) he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. (32) This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. (33) Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.

The Acts of the Apostles was written by Luke; physician, historian and beloved companion of the apostle Paul. To put our verses in context we must realize this spontaneous address by Peter happened only 50 days after that Resurrection of Christ Jesus. Just over 50 days since Peter had denied Christ three times; when nine of the apostles had fled from the garden of Gethsemane in terror after the arrest of Jesus and not one of His disciples recognized the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus was the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophesies. Now a short seven weeks later this uneducated fisherman from Galilee addressed a large hostile crowd in Jerusalem claiming Christ Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God. And from that day on every one of the disciples stood firm in their conviction. What happened?

Luke tells us earlier in chapter 2 of Acts that on that first Pentecost Sunday with the gift of the Spirit, there was a sound from heaven as of a rushing wind and that noise caused the multitudes “from every nation under heaven” in Jerusalem for the feast of Harvest to come together. And then when Peter began to speak “everyone heard (and understood) them speak in his own language”. Peter begins with this phenomenon of what everyone was witnessing and hearing by quoting the prophesy of Joel – It’s so beautiful I have included it here: ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit and they shall prophesy.” Peter then moved to authenticate Christ Jesus as the promised Messiah; through His miracles, His death and resurrection and now, through His authentication by the Holy Spirit.

Pentecost Sunday is recognized as the birthday of the church. We are now in the last days and the events of that far ago day tell us that faith must be specific to our Lord, Christ Jesus.