As with all works of God, the enemy Satan is immediately on the scene too, in some way attempting to stop the work. This happened on the day of Pentecost when some of the people who had seen and heard the wonderful signs mocked the believers by calling them drunken. This attempt of Satan to turn aside this wonderful new work of God gives opportunity to Peter to preach the first recorded gospel message of Church history.
The result of Peter’s faithful message was that the Spirit of God added three thousand souls to the newly formed body of Christ. The end of Acts chapter 2 describes a most blessed and happy condition of the believers in the Church, in spite of the attempts of Satan to destroy it.
1. Though mockingly accused of being drunken on “new wine” by the unbelievers, the Church indeed was enjoying “new wine.” (“Wine” often is used as a picture of joy in the Scriptures.) What was the condition of the believers in the early Church, described in Acts 2? Acts 2:___
2. The gospel message that Peter preached was a very sober and serious talk. Peter did not attempt to entertain his listeners as he preached this solemn message. There was great resulting blessing in the souls who were saved. Paul instructs the Thessalonian Christians that they were to display what character as those who were “children of the day”? 1 Thessalonians 5:___
3. Often Christians who seek to talk with others about the gospel do not know if their listeners are really serious about what they have heard. What did those who heard Peter’s message ask, which proved that they were serious about what they had heard? Acts 2:___
4. What public action confirmed that these Jews had truly believed the message that Peter preached? Acts 2:___
5. Though they were clearly condemned by Peter for the awful act of crucifying the Lord Jesus, how did the Jewish listeners receive the message of salvation? Acts 2:___