Conversion Stories - Acts 2

On the Day of Pentecost, the apostles, inspired by the Holy Spirit, began to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Peter spoke of Jesus's death, burial and resurrection. When he had finished, the thousands in attendance had one question for him..."What must we do to be saved?"

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Thank you for listening to the Cultivating Growth Podcast. We are at the beginning of a new month. If you're following along, we are actually at the beginning of a new year, even. And so we are excited about getting uh started once again this month, as we have over the past several months. We're gonna spend the next four weeks in one topic. And John and I will spend some time talking over the first three weeks, and we'll bring a guest in for week number four. And this week we're gonna spend some time in the book of Acts, specifically looking at four distinct stories of conversion within the book of Acts. And we're gonna start at the very outset, Acts chapter two, the day of Pentecost. And with that said, let's get to it.

SPEAKER_00 0:51

Jeremy, as you and I were kind of talking about what this month would be, what the topic of this month would be. Obviously, at the beginning of a new year, there is a lot of conversation about new beginnings and what lies ahead and all of those sorts of things. And so we thought, well, what better way to start a new year than to talk about the new beginning that Jesus offers to all of us? And that that is really what a conversion to Christ is all about. It is a new beginning where we leave an old life, one that was dominated by sin behind, and we begin a new life following Jesus. And as as we look to the pages of Acts, that is essentially what we see almost on every page as the gospel spreads after Christ is sending out his apostles after he has left and ascended back up into heaven. And it is now their responsibility to take the good news of Christ to the masses. And what we see is the response from many being to follow Christ, to believe in him, and to be converted to one of his followers, one of his children. And so we're going to begin in Acts chapter 2, as you referenced in your intro. And Acts chapter 2 is really that first example of what happens when the gospel is preached. And we see in Acts chapter 2 on the day of Pentecost as the apostles come together in Jerusalem and the Holy Spirit descends upon them, and they begin preaching the gospel message and the response that they get as a result of that. And it is really a beautiful example and a beautiful story of what happens when the gospel of Jesus Christ is boldly proclaimed. The response is, What do we need to do to follow this? What do we need to do to be saved? And it's just a great example of conversion, and I think a great place for us to begin this conversation this month.

SPEAKER_01 2:40

There's no question that uh the similarity that you'll be able to find throughout all of our conversations this month is Jesus. I mean, he is at the very center of each and every one of these stories of conversion, if you will, including this one here in Acts chapter two. I do think it's interesting, and I think important to, you know, kind of contextually and timeline, certainly for Acts chapter two, to kind of keep it in our minds that even though we are in a new book and the gospels in our Bibles have have come and gone, all four Gospels are passed, and now we're in, you know, kind of this book of history, the book of Acts. But yeah, we're not years removed from Jesus or even months removed from Jesus. We are weeks removed from Jesus. Acts chapter 2 is in Jerusalem, where Jesus spent a good deal of time. Everything around Jesus is still very raw, certainly within the Jewish community. For the most part, they're gonna know who Jesus of Nazareth is, that Peter and the other apostles will begin to talk about. Their understanding of who he is may not be as complete as uh the apostles lead them to, but they certainly know who he is. And so there is so much happening, and it it is uh really the setup for what the book of Acts is. It is taking that good news and which uh the apostles have been tasked with, and that good news is Jesus, specifically that he died and that he raised from the dead, and now because of his life, because of his sacrifice, because of his victory over death, now we can have all of those things, specifically forgiveness of sins and victory over the second death, ultimately. And so Jesus is the focus here in Acts chapter two. Guess what? Next week, Jesus will be the focus. Week three, Jesus will be the focus. Week four, Jesus will be the focus, but he most certainly is here in Acts chapter two.

SPEAKER_00 4:34

Yeah, I mean you hit you hit the nail on the head. What Peter preaches, Peter's the one who kind of stands up in front of everybody and and takes the microphone, so to speak, and and starts proclaiming this message, what he preaches is Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. And then when you get into Acts chapter 3 and Acts chapter 4, what is preached? Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. And you can carry that all the way through the book of Acts and then all the way through the rest of the New Testament. You can go to 1 Corinthians chapter 15, as Paul writes to the church in Corinth, and he talks about the gospel that he has declared to them. What is that gospel message? It's Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. And so you can see that that is at the center of everything that is to be taught. It's the foundation of what it means to come to know Jesus and to follow him. And to your point that you were just making, you know, they're at the day of Pentecost, Pentecost is fifty days after Passover, Penta 50. It's fifty days after the Passover. Well, Jesus was crucified around the Passover, and so to your point, from the time that Jesus was crucified, it's only been fifty days. He spent forty of those days walking around talking to hundreds of them. And so, yes, this is all very fresh in their memory, so much so that as Peter is preaching, he even calls attention to this in verse 36 of chapter 2. Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified. And so he is talking to people that probably witnessed this, many of them anyway, or if they didn't witness it firsthand, certainly had heard the stories, and it was something that had had dominated the headline, so to speak, in Jerusalem ever since then.

SPEAKER_01 6:18

Yeah, and I mean the whole key to you know Peter's sermon, and we're not, you know, we're we're gonna talk about the conversion of of people to Christ kind of at the end of this story, but you know, pe the the whole punch of Peter's sermon is this Jesus whom you know, right? Whether you saw him directly, whether you uh saw him on the cross or saw him performing the miracles or heard him teach, you know who he is. I mean, you you you have heard of him. So this is someone that you know, but to showcase the point that that Jesus, that one that you know, that was just here, that it was the Son of God. That was the Christ. And so he he he dips into the pages of the Old Testament. Certainly, you know, something that they would be familiar with. And he makes some points about the the prophecies concerning the Christ and how Jesus of Nazareth fits that. He makes a really powerful point about David and their understanding and the importance of David and the mind of each and every one of uh the Jews that would be here, but then making the point that listen, David is still in the grave. Yeah, he's he's he died just like everyone else has ever died. And so he's gonna make the point that Jesus is different than that. We can go to David's grave and we can dig him up. Well, we could go to Jesus' grave and there's no digging him up there. He he walked out of there. And so you have now these incredible contrasts, and certainly culminating to where you read already there in chapter two and verse 36 that it is this Jesus, the one that's been crucified, the one you've been listening to, the one that you've seen, that one that you put on the cross and allowed for that to happen, that was the Son of God. That was the Christ. And now the light bulb begins to go off for a lot of them, and this idea of conversion now to the Christ certainly starts to happen.

SPEAKER_00 8:05

And I think as we think about this practically, you know, what what is the application for us today? I think the the truth is that the same message of who Jesus is, what he has done, the Old Testament prophecies that he fulfilled, the the same message that we see the apostles preaching in the book of Acts, that's the same message, and I'll even go a step further, that's the only message that truly leads to conversion. It it is the singular message that leads someone to become a follower of Christ. And I think sometimes we we do ourselves a disservice if we begin to try to complicate the message or exaggerate it for for a certain point, or try to just preach something different and unique in some way. I know that's a temptation for a lot of preachers out there. I want to be I want to be different. You know, I want to preach something that nobody's ever heard before. Well, the truth is that the same message that Peter taught on Acts chapter 2 is the same one that you and I have to be preaching, and everyone else who's going to preach the gospel needs to be preaching, because that's the only message that brings people to Christ. The only way you get to Acts chapter 2, verses 37 and 38 is if you preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified, as Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians chapter 2. That's the message that leads people to this point, and it's the only message that will lead people to this point.

SPEAKER_01 9:31

Yeah, it's really interesting. When you really start to think about, especially verses 36, 37, and 38, kind of at the end of, you know, this presentation, the sermon really that Peter delivers about Jesus, who he is, that he was the Christ, that he was crucified, that he was buried, that he rose from the dead. And I do think it's interesting in verse 36 specifically, when he lets them know, you know, surely God has made this Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. And so Peter is looking backwards. He's talking about the past. And they all know this. You know, weeks ago, that Jesus you crucified. And I think for them, what happens in you know, verse 37 when they're you know cut to the heart and and they ask, well, what what what can we do? That's a question that really makes sense because Peter has painted a picture of you this is over. You you've you've done you've done this. You crucified him, he's already been raised from the dead, he's already gone. And and now you you have this this almost uh uh desperate w what what can we do now is the question. We we know that that was a a huge error that's been made. Can it be rectified in any way? And that is ultimately the same question that people face, you know, even today, certainly when sin is involved. Sin equals death. That is a biblical reality, that is a man reality. And when you come to that realization, I I have sin, that equals death. Well, what I mean well what can I I don't want that. What can I do about that? And that is the exact same place that they find themselves here.

SPEAKER_00 11:11

Yeah, and the answer to that question, thanks be to God, is that there is something that can be done about it. Yeah, that's right. That's right. God's not gonna leave you in that situation. In fact, that's why Jesus came. I mean, that that was the whole purpose of him being here, that was the whole purpose of him dying, that was the whole purpose of him defeating death, is so that we don't have to die in our sins. He died in our place, he conquered death, and in doing so gives us the confidence that we can also overcome sin and death because of Jesus and because of his sacrifice. And and that that's really the punch of the message is once you get somebody to the point of I see and I understand and I believe what now, now it's time for the good news. Because up until this point, you guys killed Jesus. Bad news.

SPEAKER_01 12:01

Bad news, bad news, bad news.

SPEAKER_00 12:03

But now, now that now that we're here, now that you believe, and now that you're sincerely asking the question, now it's time for the good news. Because Jesus isn't going to leave you in that situation. There's an opportunity to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, as Peter kind of concludes this message. And that that's really the beauty of the gospel is that it doesn't leave us in that sinful, helpless state. It provides for us the solution that mankind has always sought after.

SPEAKER_01 12:32

No, it's interesting. After what is a devastating mistake that's been made. I I mean, you know, not to rank the mistakes that mankind has ever made, but I mean, this is a devastating mistake, right? And now they they've come to that realization, and maybe they were expecting when they answered this question nothing. You you blew it. You you had an opportunity, and you blew it. And uh, I guess you could say sorry, but I mean but that isn't what happened. And you're exactly right. It is, hey, let's you know, take that frown and turn it upside down, you know, scenario. There is something that you can do. Yeah, it's that error has been made. And it was egregious, and it was terrible, and it it caused big problems between you and God. But there's something that can be done. And that's what that's what remains today. That's what that's what sin is. Sin, when we commit sin, it is egregious, and it is a terrible decision, and it is devastating, and it causes big problems between you and God. But yet at the same time, because of Jesus, there's always uh a step to take. And for them, it was pretty concise, you know, from Peter repent, be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus for the remission of your sins. That mistake, that error, that a sin that took place, that can be that can be washed away. Because of the blood that was spilt can be washed away. And we learn right here in Acts chapter 2, thousands of them, thousands of them take that step.

SPEAKER_00 14:07

So as we kind of wrap things up for today, just to kind of reiterate what it was that led everyone to that point that Jeremy just talked about, that was the message of Jesus Christ, his death, his burial, and his resurrection that led everyone to that moment. And I referenced earlier from 1 Corinthians chapter 2, we really see the same message being taught everywhere that the apostles went, and Paul will routinely make reference to that. And I just love how he kind of presents that to the church in Corinth in 1 Corinthians chapter 2. So I thought we could end there. 1 Corinthians chapter 2, beginning in verse number 1, Paul says, And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom, declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

SPEAKER_01 15:06

Thank you for listening this week. If you haven't already done so, we'd appreciate it if you would take just a second to subscribe to the podcast, whatever platform you're listening to, rate and review the show so we can continue to spread the good news of Jesus as widely and effectively as possible. Thanks again for joining us this week, and we'll talk again next week.