At the beginning of 2:1 Luke brings from the Old Testament a familiar reference to the Tower of Babel, this time in reverse. Instead of language being a barrier as in the OT, the disciples are filled with the Holy Spirit and begin to speak in many tongues. This is appealing to the diverse crowd that gathers to listen for they all are of various parts of the gentile lands that the disciples aspire to mission to and can understand clearly the different languages being spoken. This first act is an omen to the clarity in which the message of the Holy Spirit will be carried throughout the many lands and in many languages. The growth of the church happens in a communist fashion. “…those who believed were of one heart and one soul…” (4:32) Wealth and land are equally distributed and the story of Ananias and his wife serve as a strong testament to abiding by this. Peter in essence becomes a new miracle worker and even his shadow is thought to have the power to heal and this further builds the movement. (5:14-16)

After Peter and John find the lame man on the steps of the gate, Peter heals him through the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth (3:6-7) Peter and John seize the opportunity in front of a crowd of gentiles and Israelites to accuse them of ignorance and killing “the Author of Life” (3:15) They are then arrested by the elders and priests and threatened not to continue to spread the word, but the followers at his point have grown and make punishment of the two impossible. John and Peter refuse to abandon the good news and are released strong in their convictions. This is not the first time arrests happen. Later in Acts 5 the Saducces again arrest the apostles, this time they escape and are supported by their growing followers and determined faith.

In the Beginning of Acts 1:8 Jesus tells the apostles to wait in Jerusalem to spread the news until clear signs come from the Holy Spirit, at that point the apostles will “be his witness” from Judea to Samaria and to the “end of the Earth. In Acts 8 it is established early on that Philip spreads the gospel to Samaria, then through the eunuch the message is transmitted to “the ends of the Earth”. In taking a look at the map that constitutes the world of the Apostles at that time, Ethiopia was a far off land. The chance that Phillip would come across this traveler from there seeking the word of God as he reads the prophet Isaiah, are indeed a sign of Jesus assertion that the spread of the word is following his divine plan as fore mentioned in 1:8.