Pastor and 1st Lady Mims

Mims Chapel Church

Week 5, March 29, 2026

LESSON 5

The Day of Pentecost

Lesson Text:

Acts 2:14-40

Memory Verse

"This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses."
Acts 2:32

Key Terms
Decomposition • The state or process of rotting; decay.
Feast Day • A day on which a religious celebration is annually held.
Glossolalia • The phenomenon of speaking in an unknown language, especially in religious worship.

Suggested Emphasis

The Feast of Pentecost was one of the three most important feast days in Judaism (along with Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles). As a major holiday, it could be expected that Jerusalem would be teeming with pilgrims. "But no one could have predicted what would happen at that particular festival of Pentecost. The 120 Christians were all together in one place. Suddenly they heard the sound of rushing wind, as if a tornado were descending upon them. They saw what looked like tongues of fire snapping and cracking around them and landing on each of them. Then they began to speak in other languages so that foreigners among them could understand what they were saying" (Edwards, 2008). A crowd of visiting worshippers from the larger Jewish diaspora witnessed the miracle, and heard the testimonies in their native tongues. "And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?" (Acts 2:12). In answer to their questions, Peter gave this initial sermon of the newborn Church.

Emphasis 1:

A Pretext for Speaking

The ecstatic, frenzied nature of the disciples did not escape notice. Some spectators mocked the glossolalia because they thought the disciples were "full of new wine" (v. 13). Their scorn provided Peter with a pretext to take the lead in the conversation. He stood, preliminarily to answer the charge that they were drunk, but fully intending to walk through the open door of utterance that now allowed him to share the Gospel. Peter directly refuted the accusation against their sobriety. "These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming," he said. "Nine o'clock in the morning is much too early for that" (Acts 2:15, NLT). He added scriptural evidence to explain that this was a supernatural occurrence. The demonstration of tongues was fulfillment of the prophecy by Joel: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh" (v. 17). His audience knew Scripture, and even the scoffers would have been silenced by that reference.

Emphasis 2:

Confronting the Crowd

The preaching then began to transition into a prosecution. First he made a statement about which he presumed they could agree: "God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know" (Acts 2:22, NLT). But The preacher and the other apostles spent the rest of the time ministering to the crowd, and apparently baptizing 3,000 new believers! Missions Application Questions 1. Why did some spectators start to mock disciples on the Day of Pentecost? 2. Whom did Peter blame for the Cruci-fixion of Christ? 3. How would you answer someone who asked what they must do to be saved?] then he simultaneously attributed Christ's death to the "determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God" and to "wicked hands" in the employ of his hearers (v. 23). The providence of God cooperated with humans' corrupt free will. Peter celebrated the Father for His role in this, yet accused his audience of a grave sin. "God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it" (Acts 2:24, ESV). That is to say, it was a moral impossibility for the Son of Man to stay dead given all He said about Himself and all the prophecies of His resurrection. To strengthen his argument, Peter cited David the psalmist (Ps. 16:811), who foresaw, for example, that God would not abandon His Anointed One to physical decomposition.

Emphasis 3:

Proclaiming the Gospel Message

And then it was time for the "good news." God raised Jesus from the dead, again as prophesied. In Psalm 16 there is an appeal by David for protection against his enemies, and an assertion that God would always be faithful to the psalmist. Then the conclusion of the psalm—verses which Peter quoted in his sermon—went on to express a hope of resurrection and eternal life. Peter explained that, since David was long dead and buried, this was a reference to the "Son of David," the Messiah (Acts 2:30,31). "This Jesus hath God raised up," and Peter asserted that he and the disciples around him were all eyewitnesses (v. 32).

After a few more exhortations and another Scripture reference, the devout men in the crowd were convicted by Peter's presentation. "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37), they asked the apostles. This allowed Peter to end his message with the forerunner of our modern altar calls. "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:38).

Missions Application Questions

Why did some spectators start to mock disciples on the Day of Pentecost?
Whom did Peter blame for the Crucifixion of Christ?
How would you answer someone who asked what they must do to be saved?

World Missions Prayer Points

Let us pray that God continues to pour out His Spirit on all of humanity.
Let us meditate on the wonder of Christ's resurrection from the dead.
Let us pray for an open door to lead someone to salvation this week.