Jerusalem was always a crowded city. When the Passover feast was due, thousands of visitors arrived and somehow found accommodation. Many of them stayed on the extra six weeks until Pentecost. It was a ready-made crowd for the preaching of the gospel. The apostles and others had prayed for a whole week, in a spirit of expectancy and anticipation. Did they know what was going to happen? They had Christ's promise and command, "stay in Jerusalem. I promise you the Holy Spirit is coming." He came on Pentecost Sunday. God allowed the Spirit to come in a way that attracted enormous attention. A huge crowd gathered, wanting to know what it was all about. As usual, it was Peter who walked to the front of the small group of believers and began to explain. Peter identified the coming of the Holy Spirit, then he identified Christ, and he identified the people in front of him as those who had crucified that same Christ. It was a powerful sermon, actually two sermons - the one which was reported for us and one which was simply described in verse 40 as "with many other words Peter warned them and pleaded them." Isn't the grace of God wonderful? Peter, a man who had often failed and who six weeks before had said he had never known Christ, now is taken up by God and used for the salvation of 3000 people. What an encouragement to us! In spite of our failures, God is willing to use us and has given us His Holy Spirit to empower our words and testimonies. Could we ask the Lord today for the Holy Spirit to use us as we touch someone for Christ? |
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