Check out all the previous Acts readings here.

Acts Reading Plan | Week 2 | Day 1

Prayer

Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” Take a minute to breathe, calm your mind and reflect on the fact that God is God. Thank Him for this today and that He is God and you’re not.

Bible Reading: Acts 2:14-21

Read these verses three times slowly.

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

“‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

Reflection & Questions

Last week’s readings ended with the Holy Spirit being poured out on the 120 people gathered in the upper room. There was wind and fire, and then they began speaking in many languages – it was an incredible scene!

Today, Peter gets up to address the crowd that had gathered because of all the commotion. First, he dismisses that anyone is drunk – it’s only 9am afterall! (Yes, that’s Peter’s humor). Then he explains what is going on by quoting the Old Testament book of Joel (who was one of the Prophets), which the Jews had read with expectation for 400 years. Joel prophesied about the Day of the Lord when God would work in a whole new way by His Spirit. It was a day they had been waiting for – and Peter says, today is that Day! Joel speaks of the sun being darkened, among other signs, which everyone standing in the crowd had just experienced seven weeks earlier when Jesus died on the cross (see for example, Luke 14:44-45). And now, as the Spirit comes upon the 120, it is the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy: “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.”

This is an incredible, history-making moment. Previously, the Spirit would only rest on Kings or Prophets. But now the Spirit would be available to “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord.” Young. Old. Men. Women. Servants. Everyone. That includes you, if you trust in Jesus. It’s an amazing blessing of the Christian life: the Holy Spirit is in you. He is there to guide you, strengthen you and to speak through you. As we learn to listen to Him, we will be amazed at the impact on our inner strength and our ability to witness. This is how the gospel will spread to the ends of the earth!

1. Are you conscious that the Holy Spirit is in you? Why or why not?

Prayer

Talk to God in response to the reading today. Thank God for pouring out His Spirit, and ask Him to help you learn even more how to be guided by and rely on the Holy Spirit.

Worship Song

You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:

Extra Resource: The Holy Spirit

This video will help you understand the role of the Holy Spirit throughout time:

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Questions?