Confused Because They Understood

In one paragraph

Pastor John walked through Acts 2 from start to finish, tracing the birth of the church from the events of Pentecost through the life of that first gathered community. He kept returning to a single conviction: the church is God's plan A for getting the gospel to the world, and there is no plan B. Pentecost was not a new holiday. It was the Festival of Weeks, celebrated fifty days after Passover,...

Read together

1. Acts 1 overview of what was covered in the previous sermon, including Jesus telling disciples to stay in Jerusalem and await the Holy Spirit
2. Acts 2 the primary text of the sermon, covering Pentecost, Peter's sermon, and the early church
3. Joel 2:28-32 quoted by Peter to explain the outpouring of the Spirit, including sons and daughters prophesying and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord being saved
4. Psalm 16:8-11 quoted by Peter as David prophesying the resurrection of Christ, that God would not leave his soul among the dead
5. Psalm 110:1 quoted by Peter to show that David did not ascend to heaven himself but spoke of the Lord sitting at God's right hand
6. Luke 4 referenced as Jesus preaching in Nazareth, stopping his reading before the day of vengeance, similar to Peter stopping at his point in Joel
7. Acts 2:42 the early believers devoting themselves to apostles teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer

Talk about it

1. Pastor Ray described the church as 'Plan A with no plan B' for getting God's message to the world, and said that every Christian must be a world Christian. What does that actually look like in your day-to-day life, and where do you feel the gap between that and how you are living?
2. The crowd that heard the disciples speaking on Pentecost was 'confused because they understood.' Have you ever had a moment where the gospel broke through to you in a way that was surprising or disorienting? What happened?
3. Peter quoted Joel and stopped right at the line 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved,' making that his point. Pastor Ray said it takes humility to call out. What makes it hard for people, including us, to call out to God?
4. Peter stood up and told the crowd, 'You nailed him to the cross and killed him,' and Pastor Ray added, 'I'm the one that killed him.' How does owning personal responsibility for the crucifixion change the way you think about grace and forgiveness?
5. Acts 2:42 describes the early church devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, shared meals, and prayer, and Pastor Ray connected that directly to how we should live now. Which of those four do you find easiest to neglect, and why?