Acts continues the narration of the ministry of Jesus; now Luke describes the ministry of Jesus through the church. Several parallels exist between the beginning of the ministry of Jesus and the beginning of the church’s ministry. First, the earthly ministry of Jesus had been in the power of the Spirit, now Christ fills the church with the power of the Spirit (Lk. 4:18; Acts 2:1-4). Jesus’ public ministry began with a baptism; likewise, the apostles’ public ministry began with a Spirit baptism (Lk. 3:21-22; Acts 1:5). Jesus began His ministry with a sermon that set forth the pattern for His ministry; the church began its ministry with Peter’s sermon that established the pattern for all subsequent preaching detailed in Acts (Lk. 4:17-21; Acts 2:14-36).

In Acts 1-2, Doctor Luke details the power available for Christian witness.

First, Luke highlighted the preparation for power (Acts 1:4-26). Jesus promised a Spirit power that would enable the church to witness globally (Acts 1:8). The church prepared itself to receive the promise of Jesus by obedience, prayer, Bible study, and unity. The church prepared itself to receive the Spirit power through obedience. The early church obeyed the command of Jesus to remain in Jerusalem. In addition, the early church continually prayed (Acts. 1:14). No doubt, they prayed for the realization of the promised power. At times, the church prays for a specific request once or twice, then stops praying. Persistent prayer is a sign of the urgency and the importance of the prayer object to us. Further, the early church studied the Scripture. Through the study of Scripture, Peter concluded the church needed to replace Judas. (Acts 1:16). Finally, the church experienced oneness. The word translated “one accord” or “unity” in Acts 1:14 literally means “like passion.”

Second, Luke described the provision of the power (Acts 2:1-4). The Spirit filled the 120 followers of Jesus on the Day of Pentecost. Luke details the phenomena associated with the outpouring of the Spirit—sound of wind and tongues as of fire. Scripture associates the Spirit’s activity as a mighty wind of creation. The Spirit develops order and feeling in God’s new creation, the church. Fire symbolized the presence of God.

The association with the Spirit’s outpouring and the Day of Pentecost should not be overlooked. Pentecost celebrated the beginning of harvest season. As well, in the New Testament era, Jews associated Pentecost with the giving of the Mosaic Law. Hebrews details the same phenomena—fire and a stormy wind—with the giving of the Mosaic Law (Heb. 12:18-21). The outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost signaled the giving of a new law—a law written on the hearts. Furthermore, Pentecost celebrated the harvest. When Moses came down from the mountain, three thousand Israelites died because of disobedience; when the Spirit came and filled the disciples, three thousand experienced salvation because of obedience to the Gospel (Ex. 32:28; Acts 2:41).

Third, Luke emphasized proclamation power as the disciples gave bold witness to the Gospel (Acts 2:5-6). The filling of the Spirit enabled powerful communication of the Gospel. The disciples preached and the Pentecost visitors understood the communication in their own dialect (Act 2:6, 8, 11). Throughout the book of Acts Luke described a consistent pattern. The filling of the Spirit produced bold witness.

Fourth, Luke demonstrated the piercing power of the Spirit to convict sinners (Acts 2:37-41). Christians, we are not responsible for creating a sense of guilt in the life of unbelievers. The Spirit accomplishes that task. In response to the Spirit’s piercing, Peter issued two commands to two different groups. He commanded all—you all—to repent. He commanded each individual (3rd singular) who repented to be baptized on the basis of the forgiveness of sins.