Pentecost & Stephen

What happens in Acts 1–7

The book of Acts picks up exactly where Luke's Gospel left off, with the risen Jesus preparing His followers for the next chapter of God's plan. Acts is the story of how a small group of frightened disciples in an upper room became a movement that transformed the Roman Empire. The author is Luke, the physician who also wrote the Gospel, and he addresses both works to 'Theophilus.'

Before ascending to heaven, Jesus gives His disciples final instructions: wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit. He also gives the book's roadmap: 'You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.' The disciples watch as Jesus is taken up into a cloud. Angels appear and promise He will return the same way He left.

The disciples gather in the upper room, about 120 believers, and replace Judas with Matthias. Then comes the day of Pentecost. A sound like a violent wind fills the house. What looks like tongues of fire rest on each person. They begin speaking in other languages, not gibberish, but real languages understood by the international crowd in Jerusalem for the festival. Peter stands and delivers the first Christian sermon, explaining that this is what the prophet Joel predicted: God pouring out His Spirit on all people. He proclaims that Jesus, whom they crucified, has been raised and exalted as Lord and Messiah. The crowd is 'cut to the heart' and asks what to do. Peter says, 'Repent and be baptized.' About three thousand people believe that day.

The early church is described in one of the most beautiful summaries in Scripture: they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. They shared possessions, met in homes and at the temple, and 'the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.' This was not a program but a community transformed by the Spirit.

Peter and John heal a lame man at the temple gate, drawing a crowd and an opportunity to preach. The religious leaders arrest them, but Peter boldly declares, 'Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.' The leaders are astonished at the courage of 'unschooled, ordinary men' and realize 'these men had been with Jesus.'

Ananias and Sapphira pretend to give the full price of their property while secretly keeping some back. The issue isn't the money, they were free to keep it, but the lie. They dropped dead, and 'great fear seized the whole church.' God takes honesty in the community seriously.

As the church grows, practical needs arise. Greek-speaking Jewish widows are being overlooked in food distribution. The apostles appoint seven men 'full of the Spirit and wisdom' to serve, the first deacons. Among them is Stephen, who performs great wonders and speaks with irresistible wisdom.

Stephen is arrested on false charges and brought before the Sanhedrin. He delivers the longest speech in Acts, a sweeping retelling of Israel's history showing that God's people have always resisted God's messengers. He accuses the leaders of doing the same with Jesus. They are furious. Stephen looks up and says, 'I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.' They drag him out and stone him. As he dies, Stephen prays, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit' and 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them', echoing Jesus' own words on the cross. Watching and approving is a young man named Saul.