Acts 2 begins with the day of Pentecost, the celebration of the spring barley harvest. When the twelve apostles gathered in a house, the Holy Spirit rushed in like a wind and tongues of fire rested on them; as a result, they were given the ability to speak other languages. By acquiring this ability, they were then able to minister to people other than those who spoke their native tongue. Luke uses this to appeal to the mission for all people to be a part of the kingdom of God. The Jews in Jerusalem were from “every nation under heaven,” and all of them received the message in their native tongue, to their astonishment (2:5-7). When the crowds dismissed the apostles as drunks, Peter gives a twenty-two verse sermon, quoting the prophet Joel and asserting that Jesus, the Messiah, fulfilled ancient Israelite prophecy. Upon hearing this, the crowd was “cut to the heart” and about three thousand Israelites felt called to the Kingdom, subsequently being baptized (2:37-42). After this sermon, the members of the Jesus movement gathered, ate food, and praised the Lord in the temple and the numbers grew (2:43-47).

In Acts 3, Peter and John arrive at the gate to the temple and when they see a lam man asking for alms, Peter took him by the hand and healed him, making him able to walk (3:1-8). The people watching were amazed, and Peter proceeded to deliver a second sermon, where he links Jesus with Moses (appealing to Hebrew Scripture) and calls for the crowd to repent and turn to God (3:12-26). When the Sadducees heard about this, they arrested Peter and John, but not before five thousand “believed” and were brought to the Lord (4:1-4). Peter and John were released because the chief priests and the elders “[found] no way to punish them because of the people, for all of them praised God for what had happened” (4:21). This is a testimony to the spread of the Jesus movement and the influence the public amazement from the miracles had on people in power. The statement that “none of the rest dared to join them” in Acts 5:13 implies that there was a clear divide between followers and nonbelievers, meaning Christians were an established group. The apostles’ ministry was so successful that, after observing and hearing of many “signs and wonders,” people joined the group in droves and were laying the sick and impaired out in the streets so they would have the chance of Peter’s shadow crossing over them (5:15-16). The apostles were arrested a second time, but were released from their cells under cover of darkness by an angel of the Lord (5:19-21). Confronted by the chief priests, who didn’t use violence because they were afraid of the crowd’s reaction (a testament to the growing influence of Christianity), the apostles were flogged (5:27-40). Despite this, the apostles continued to teach and “proclaim Jesus as Messiah” (5:42). In Acts 6, seven disciples were chosen as additional representatives of the faith, and the Word spread further. One of these men was Stephen, who was opposed by some Diaspora Jews. The opposition “stirred up people” and had Stephen arrested, with false witnesses as testimony (6:12-13). Stephen gives a near chapter-long speech that contains many references to the Septuagint (the primary Bible of early Greek-speaking Christians), providing further evidence for the fulfillment of prophecy and the legitimacy of Jesus as Messiah. As a result, he was stoned to death outside the city.

Chapter 8 documents the spread of Christianity beyond Jerusalem, to Judea and Samaria. The apostles scattered and continued proclaiming the Word and converting people from different backgrounds (in accordance with the Scriptures). Verses 27-40 describe Philip converting a travelling Ethiopian eunuch who had went to Jerusalem to worship. The eunuch was reading a passage from the prophet Isaiah, and Philip went over to help him understand it. Philip connected the scriptures with the “good news” of Jesus and the eunuch wanted to be baptized, and went on “rejoicing” (8:36-39). This narrative exemplifies how the Word transcends racial and socioeconomic barriers and opens up the kingdom of God to anyone willing to accept Jesus as the Messiah and the fulfillment of Scripture. It was part of God’s divine plan all along for all who were willing to join the Kingdom could be saved. This is a theme also present in Luke, as well as earlier in Acts. The Jews in Jerusalem were not the only ones meant to join the Kingdom; the apostles were endowed with the power of language to minister to people of all nations and give them the invitation to follow Christ.