Acts 2:22-42 - “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know — 23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. 24 “But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power. . . . 36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ — this Jesus whom you crucified.” 37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” 40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” 41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. 42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
The renewal of the People of God comes as a result of the declaration of Jesus ministry, predetermined death, and resurrection. The term “agony” (v 24) is odin which is often translated “birth pang” - This imagery is very fitting as this connects to the new creation. I. H. Marshall says, “Then we have ‘a remarkable mixed metaphor, in which death is regarded as being in labour and unable to hold back its child, the Messiah’ (citing F. Field).”
The Pentecostal Community is baptized. This is plain in vs 41, as well as shown in the baptismal pattern from Jerusalem to the Gentile cities. Christ commanded baptizing the nations (Matt. 28:18-20). Like Israel before, the renewed Israel (Church) must go through the water and be anointed with the water of the Holy Spirit. God brings people “into” Christ and clothes us with Him in baptism (Gal. 3:27). Practically, don’t worry about the circumstances of your baptism; rather accept by faith that God has set you apart as His child in this.
The Pentecostal Community is devoted to apostolic teaching. The apostles were teaching how Christ fulfills the promises God gave to the fathers and Israel. Christ fulfilled all the redemptive hopes in His ministry and atoning death. He also brought in new creation in the resurrection: “they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead” (Acts 4:2). You must accept that in Christ there is new creation because resurrection life is now in the world.
The Pentecostal Community is devoted to fellowship. The term “fellowship” (koinonia) means at root, “participation together.” Christian fellowship is sharing life together under the terms of the new covenant because of our union in Christ. This involves friendship, sharing of material needs, working together, and the spiritual communion we have with Christ and His Body in worship experienced in the Eucharist. We must “love one another” (Rom. 13:8, 1Pet. 1:22, 1Jo. 3:11), “encourage one another” (1Th. 5:11, Heb. 3:13, 10:25), “serve one another” (Gal. 5:13), “admonish one another” (Rom. 15:14), “be devoted to one another” etc. For example: 1 Cor. 10:16 - “Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing (koinonia) in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing (koinonia) in the body of Christ?
We must “love one another” (Rom. 13:8, 1Pet. 1:22, 1Jo. 3:11), “encourage one another” (1Th. 5:11, Heb. 3:13, 10:25), “pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another” (Rom. 14:19), “stimulate one another to love and good deeds” (Heb. 10:24), “serve one another” (Gal. 5:13), “admonish one another” (Rom. 15:14), “be devoted to one another,” “give preference to one another in honor” (Rom. 12:10), “regard one another as more important than himself” (Phil. 3:3), “clothe yourselves with humility toward one another” (1Pet. 5:5), “be of the same mind with one another” (Rom. 15:5, 12:16), show “forbearance to one another in love” (Eph. 4:2), and “be subject to one another in the fear of Christ&r