2 1When the day of Pentecosta came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a noise came from heaven. It sounded like a strong wind blowing. This noise filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw something that looked like flames of fire. The flames were separated and stood over each person there. 4They were all filled with the Holy Spiritb, and they began to speak different languages. The Holy Spirit was giving them the power to do this.5There were some godly Jews in Jerusalem at this time. They were from every country in the world. 6A large crowd came together because they heard the noise. They were surprised because, as the apostlesc were speaking, everyone heard in their own language. 7They were all amazed at this. They did not understand how the apostles could do this. They said, "Look! These men we hear speaking are all from Galileed. 8But we hear them in our own languages. How is this possible? We are from all these different places: 9Parthia, Media, Elam, Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asiae, 10Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the areas of Libya near the city of Cyrene, Rome, 11Crete, and Arabia. Some of us were born Jews, and others have changed their religion to worship God like Jews. We are from these different countries, but we can hear these men in our own languages! We can all understand the great things they are saying about God." 12The people were all amazed and confused. They asked each other, "What is happening?" 13But others were laughing at the apostles, saying they were drunk from too much wine.
37When the people heard this, they felt very, very sorry. They asked Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?" 38Peter said to them, "Change your hearts and lives and be baptizedy, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ. Then God will forgive your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39This promise is for you. It is also for your children and for the people who are far away. It is for everyone the Lord our God calls to himself." 40Peter warned them with many other words; he begged them, "Save yourselves from the evil of the people who live now!" 41Then those who accepted what Peter said were baptized. On that day about 3000 people were added to the group of believers. aPentecost An Israelite or Jewish festival celebrating the wheat harvest fifty days after Passover. See ¡°Festival of Harvest.¡± bHoly Spirit Also called the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, and the Comforter. In union with God and Christ, he does God¡¯s work among people in the world. capostle A follower of Jesus chosen to represent him in a special way. During his earthly ministry, Jesus named twelve men as apostles. They had the specific responsibility and authority to represent him and proclaim his message throughout the world. Later, he appeared to Paul and gave him a similar commission, especially to non-Jewish people. Barnabas, Paul¡¯s missionary companion, and James, the brother of Jesus, are also called apostles, as well as several others in the New Testament. Some of these occurrences of the word, however, have the more general sense of ¡°messenger¡± or ¡°representative.¡± d2:7 from Galilee The people thought men from Galilee could speak only their own language. eAsia The geographical area, sometimes called Asia Minor, that is now the western part of modern Turkey. fprophet A person who speaks a message from God. Many of the books in the Old Testament are messages spoken or written by ¡°the prophets,¡± who were some of those God chose to speak for him. God often used dreams or visions to tell or show his prophets what they should say. gSpirit See ¡°Holy Spirit.¡± hprophesy To speak or teach things from God. ivision Something like a dream used by God to speak to people. jwonders Miracles that cause people to react with amazement and fear of God. kmiraculous sign An amazing act that demonstrates the power of God. l2:21 who trusts in the Lord Literally, ¡°who calls on the name of the Lord,¡± meaning to show faith in him by worshiping him or praying to him for help. mJoel 2:28-32 nIsraelite Belonging to the nation of Israel (see ¡°Israel¡±). omiracle An amazing act done by the power of God. pDavid Israel¡¯s greatest king, who ruled about 1000 years before Christ. Besides being a great military and political leader, he was a deeply spiritual man and a gifted musician, who wrote many of the Psalms. He made plans and arrangements for the building of the first Temple in Jerusalem (¡°the city of David¡±), which was actually completed by his son Solomon. The Scriptures said that a descendant of David would be God¡¯s chosen messiah (king), who would establish an eternal kingdom. For that reason, Jesus is sometimes called ¡°the Son of David.¡± q2:27 place of death Literally, ¡°Hades.¡± Also in verse 31. rPsalm 16:8-11 stomb A grave dug in a wall of rock or a building where a dead body is buried. It can also be a small building made to show respect for important people who had died. t2:30 God had promised ¡¦ as king See 2 Sam. 7:12, 13 and Ps. 132:11. uMessiah A Hebrew word that has the same meaning as the Greek word Christ (see ¡°Christ¡±). It was a title for the kings of God¡¯s people in the Old Testament and for the special king God promised to send as a ¡°savior¡± to defeat evil and establish the reign of God. Many prophets made it clear that this new kingdom would be eternal; that is, not only would the promised Messiah bring about a time of justice and right living among God¡¯s people here on earth, but also his kingdom would extend beyond this world to life forever with God. However, most Jews of the first century expected the Messiah to be a political ruler here on earth who would defeat the other nations and return the nation of Israel to a position of great glory and power. But God intended his Messiah to establish a new ¡°Israel,¡± an eternal kingdom that would bless all the nations. v2:35 until I put ¡¦ power Literally, ¡°until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.¡± wPsalm 110:1 xIsrael Another name for Jacob (see Gen. 32:24-28) and for the nation God chose to accomplish his plan of blessing the world through the Messiah (see ¡°Messiah¡±). The people of Israel were the descendants of Jacob¡¯s twelve sons. In the New Testament this name is sometimes used in a broader sense to mean all of God¡¯s people. ybaptize To perform the act of baptism. See ¡°baptism.¡± z2:42 ate Literally, ¡°broke bread.¡± This may mean a meal or the Lord¡¯s Supper, the special meal Jesus told his followers to eat to remember him. Also in verse 46. See Lk. 22:14-20. aaTemple The permanent building in Jerusalem that replaced the portable ¡°Holy Tent¡± that was used by the Israelites from the time of their wandering in the desert to the reign of King Solomon, when the first Temple was built. Like the Holy Tent, the Temple was the center of Israelite worship, although provision was made for it to be ¡°a house of prayer for all nations¡± (Isa. 56:7). |