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Summary Acts 1:1-26; Acts 2:1-13
Jesus Christ had died on a cross, risen from the dead, appeared to many for about 40 days, and then was taken up to heaven to be with God the Father. But before he left he commanded his followers to wait for the promised Holy Spirit whom he would send to them. He told them that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them, and that they would be his witnesses locally and nearby, and to the remotest part of the earth. And all his followers were continually devoting themselves to prayer, while waiting.
At this time Peter stood up in the midst of Christ’s followers (a gathering of about 120 people) and he spoke about Judas, who had betrayed Jesus, and of Judas’ death, and of the need to select another to take his place. Matthias was the one chosen, and he was added to the eleven apostles.
Now it was the day of Pentecost, and they were all together in one place. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. A crowd gathered, and they were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in their own language. They heard them in their own languages speaking of the mighty deeds of God, and they were amazed and perplexed as to what this could mean. But others were mocking and accusing them of being drunk.
Peter’s Response
This quoted section above is only a portion of Peter’s response, but this is the part I will focus on in this writing. So, Peter was saying to the doubters that what they were seeing take place was a fulfillment of what the prophet Joel prophesied (Joel 2:28-32) many years before Jesus Christ was born, that these things would take place in the last days. And we are still in these last days, and these things are still taking place in our day and time, although they are presently being refuted by many doubters. But…
Our Rule of Thumb
This is our “rule of thumb” (accurate guide or principle) we are to follow in these cases. We are not to quench the Spirit by despising (deriding, hating) prophetic utterances, but we are to examine everything carefully against the teachings of the New Testament Scriptures, as a whole, in their correct biblical context, to see whether or not these prophesies (including dreams and visions) are of God, or if they are of the flesh, which we can tell if they totally contradict the teachings of Christ and of his New Testament apostles.
And sadly, there is so much fakery going on today in this area that it does tend to lead Christians, as the majority, to not even want to consider that God might still be speaking to his servants via dreams and visions and prophecies. But please know, also, that to prophesy is not mainly about predicting the future, but it is about sharing the truths of the Scriptures in practical ways which can be applied to our lives today, which is relevant to our present culture. It means merely to speak forth the words of God.
And the purpose of prophesy is to be for the spiritual encouragement and maturity of the body of believers in Jesus Christ. It is taking the teachings of the Scriptures and making them relevant to what is going on in our world and in the church today, and giving out the messages that are most needed in these critical times we are in right now. This includes constructive criticism and instruction that builds a person up to be a suitable dwelling place of God, via dying with Christ to sin and obeying his commands, in practice.
[Romans 6:1-23 Luke 9:23-26; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:15-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20]
Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897
Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.
O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.
O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.
Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
Caution: This link may contain ads
Your Sons and Daughters Shall Prophesy
An Original Work / September 8, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Jesus Christ had died on a cross, risen from the dead, appeared to many for about 40 days, and then was taken up to heaven to be with God the Father. But before he left he commanded his followers to wait for the promised Holy Spirit whom he would send to them. He told them that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them, and that they would be his witnesses locally and nearby, and to the remotest part of the earth. And all his followers were continually devoting themselves to prayer, while waiting.
At this time Peter stood up in the midst of Christ’s followers (a gathering of about 120 people) and he spoke about Judas, who had betrayed Jesus, and of Judas’ death, and of the need to select another to take his place. Matthias was the one chosen, and he was added to the eleven apostles.
Now it was the day of Pentecost, and they were all together in one place. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. A crowd gathered, and they were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in their own language. They heard them in their own languages speaking of the mighty deeds of God, and they were amazed and perplexed as to what this could mean. But others were mocking and accusing them of being drunk.
Peter’s Response
But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day; but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:
‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says,
‘That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind;
And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
And your young men shall see visions,
And your old men shall dream dreams;
Even on My bondslaves, both men and women,
I will in those days pour forth of My Spirit
And they shall prophesy.’” (Acts 2:14-18 NASB1995)
This quoted section above is only a portion of Peter’s response, but this is the part I will focus on in this writing. So, Peter was saying to the doubters that what they were seeing take place was a fulfillment of what the prophet Joel prophesied (Joel 2:28-32) many years before Jesus Christ was born, that these things would take place in the last days. And we are still in these last days, and these things are still taking place in our day and time, although they are presently being refuted by many doubters. But…
Our Rule of Thumb
“Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 NASB1995)
This is our “rule of thumb” (accurate guide or principle) we are to follow in these cases. We are not to quench the Spirit by despising (deriding, hating) prophetic utterances, but we are to examine everything carefully against the teachings of the New Testament Scriptures, as a whole, in their correct biblical context, to see whether or not these prophesies (including dreams and visions) are of God, or if they are of the flesh, which we can tell if they totally contradict the teachings of Christ and of his New Testament apostles.
And sadly, there is so much fakery going on today in this area that it does tend to lead Christians, as the majority, to not even want to consider that God might still be speaking to his servants via dreams and visions and prophecies. But please know, also, that to prophesy is not mainly about predicting the future, but it is about sharing the truths of the Scriptures in practical ways which can be applied to our lives today, which is relevant to our present culture. It means merely to speak forth the words of God.
And the purpose of prophesy is to be for the spiritual encouragement and maturity of the body of believers in Jesus Christ. It is taking the teachings of the Scriptures and making them relevant to what is going on in our world and in the church today, and giving out the messages that are most needed in these critical times we are in right now. This includes constructive criticism and instruction that builds a person up to be a suitable dwelling place of God, via dying with Christ to sin and obeying his commands, in practice.
[Romans 6:1-23 Luke 9:23-26; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:15-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20]
Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897
Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.
O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.
O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.
Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
Caution: This link may contain ads
Your Sons and Daughters Shall Prophesy
An Original Work / September 8, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
