PETER'S SPEECH.

 OUR STORY BEGINS IN JERUSALEM, AND REPORTS THE WORK IN THE HOLY LAND. THE TIME SPAN OF ALL THIS IS FROM A.D. 30 TO ABOUT 62. OUR STORY COVERS THE TIME FROM PENTECOST TO THE TIME OF PAUL'S ARREST IN ROME. THE BOOK OF ACTS ( STORY OF THE CHURCH BEGINNINGS).  THE BOOK IS REALLY AN ACCOUNT OF " SOME OF THE APOSTLES." THROUGHOUT THE BOOK WE HAVE THE RECORD OF HOW JESUS WAS PRESENT WITH HIS GRACE AND POWER TO SPREAD ABROAD THE SALVATION WHICH HE HAD WON.  OTHERS HAVE PROPOSED THAT IT BE CALLED " THE ACTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT." THE SPIRIT HAD EMPOWERED THE FOLLOWERS OF JESUS TO WITNESS TO THEIR SAVIOR. LUKE SPEAKS TO THEOPHILUS A HIGH OFFICIAL  IN GOVERNMENT, WHO WANTED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS PERSON CALLED CHRIST, WHICH THE HOLY  SPIRIT INSPIRED HIM TO WRITE FOR OUR SAKES ALSO. 1) HE REPORTS JESUS CONTINUING ACTIVITY IN THE INTEREST OF HIS CHURCH AND FOR SALVATION OF SINNERS, THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE POWER HE GAVE TO THE BELIEVERS  TO WITNESS.
2) LUKE RECORDS WHAT CHRIST MESSAGE FOR THE CHURCH WAS FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. WE LEARNED IT FOCUSED ON THE CRUCIFIED AND RISEN SAVIOR, THAT IT WAS A MESSAGE OF REPENTANCE AND THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS, THAT THE APOSTLES BASED THEIR MESSAGE ON OLD TESTAMENT, SCRIPTURE AND THE FACTS OF SALVATION HISTORY. ACTS IS FULL OF EXAMPLES OF THEIR PREACHING AND TEACHING. NOW THERE WAS STAYING IN JERUSALEM, GOD FEARING JEWS WHO HAD COME FROM EVERY NATION UNDER HEAVEN, FOR THE FEAST. SOME OF THEM HAD COME TO LIVE OUT THEIR DAYS IN THEIR HOMELAND.  ALL OF THEM WERE "GOD-FEARING,"  THAT IS, THEY TRIED TO LIVE IN FAITHFULNESS TO THE GOD OF ISRAEL AND IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE LAW OF MOSES. WHEN THEY HEARD THE SOUND,  A CROWD CAME TOGETHER IN BEWILDERMENT, BECAUSE EACH ONE HEARD THEM SPEAKING IN HIS OWN LANGUAGE. UTTERLY, AMAZED, THEY ASKED:
 " ARE NOT ALL THESE MEN " ( APOSTLES WHO ARE SPEAKING GALILEANS?)  THEN HOW IS IT THAT EACH OF US HEARS THEM IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE? EACH PERSON IN THE CROWD HEARD AND UNDERSTOOD SOME OF THE APOSTLES SPEAKING THE LANGUAGE OF HIS HOMELAND. HOW COULD NATIVES OF A SMALL AND RUSTIC REGION SPEAK IN LANGUAGES OF MANY NATIONS. THE APOSTLES SPEECH WAS NOT A BABBLING WHICH THE HEARERS THEN INTERPRETED. IT WAS COHERENT AND INTELLIGIBLE SPEAKING. THE APOSTLES WERE TO GO INTO ALL THE WORLD, BUT ON THIS DAY PEOPLE FROM ALL THE WORLD WERE GATHERING AROUND THEM IN JERUSALEM. AMAZED AND PERPLEXED, THEY ASKED ONE ANOTHER, " WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?" SOME HOWEVER MADE FUN OF THEM AND SAID, " THEY HAD TO MUCH WINE.
THEN THE SPIRIT MOVED MEN TO GLORIFY GOD IN LANGUAGES THAT WERE UNDERSTOOD BY ALL WHO HEARD. " THIS REVERSAL OF BABEL" (WHERE GOD CONFUSED THEIR LANGUAGES), THEY WERE TRYING TO BUILD A TOWER TO HEAVEN, TO CONFRONT GOD, FOR DESTROYING THE EARTH BY THE FLOOD.  STILL OCCURS WHEN MISSIONARIES LEARN NEW LANGUAGES IN ORDER TO DECLARE THE WONDERS OF GOD TO PEOPLE IN A WORLD MISSION FIELD'S. IT WAS NATURAL FOR EVERYONE WHO HEARD IN THEIR OWN TONGUE, TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SUCH AN EVENT, SOME REFUSED TO BELIEVE EITHER THE MESSAGE OR THE MIRACLE. THEY PREFERRED  TO DISCREDIT BOTH BY AN " EXPLANATION" THAT SLANDERED THE LORD'S SPOKESMEN. THEY ACCUSED THEM OF DRUNKENNESS. PETER COULDN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE AND STOOD UP AND ADDRESSED THE CROWD: " FELLOW JEWS AND ALL WHO LIVE IN JERUSALEM, LET ME EXPLAIN THIS TO YOU;  LISTEN CAREFULLY TO WHAT I SAY." THESE MEN ARE NOT DRUNK, AS YOU SUPPOSE, ITS ONLY NINE IN THE MORNING! PETER ADDRESSED THE CROWD IN A MANNER AND WITH A MESSAGE THAT SHOWED THE CHARGE OF DRUNKENNESS TO BE FALSE. THE ELEVEN STOOD WITH HIM IN SUPPORT OF WHAT HE HAD TO SAY. WHAT HE SAID WAS THE TESTIMONY OF ALL THE APOSTLES.
 NINE IN THE MORNING WAS THE HOUR OF MORNING PRAYER. WINE WAS DRUNK AT
MEALS ONLY, SINCE IT WAS TOO EARLY TO HAVE TOO MUCH WINE, SINCE IT WAS TOO EARLY TO HAVE BREAKFAST. . PETER DEFENDED "THESE MEN" THE ELEVEN WHO WERE STANDING SILENT WHILE HE SPOKE. PETER CONTINUED:
ON, THIS IS WHAT WERE SPOKE 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 SHALL SEE VISIONS,
 YOUR OLD MAN 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 HEAVEN ABOVE
AND SIGNS ON EARTH BELOW,
BLOOD, 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.
PETER'S REAL ANSWER TO THE CHARGE OF DRUNKENNESS LAY IN HIS EXPLANATION OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING.
THE SPEAKING IN THE OTHER LANGUAGES WAS THE "SIGN" THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT
WAS BEING POURED OUT, AS GOD HAD PROMISED THROUGH THE PROPHET JOEL.
THE PROPHET UTTERED THESE WORDS ABOUT 87O B.C.
THE PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS ESPECIALLY  EVIDENT IN THE MIRACLE OF LANGUAGES.
 NOT EVERYTHING JOEL PROPHESIED WAS GOING TO HAPPEN THAT DAY, BUT WOULD BE FULFILLED IN GOD'S GOOD TIME. AND IN HIS WAY.
GOD'S PROMISED THROUGH JOEL THAT ALL PEOPLE, MALE, FEMALE, YOUNG, OLD WOULD RECEIVE THE SPIRIT. ALL WHOM THE LORD OUR GOD WILL CALL.
 THIS OUTPOURING WHICH BEGAN AT PENTECOST, CONTINUES TODAY WHERE EVER
THE GOSPEL IS PREACHED. JOEL'S PROPHECY SPEAKS OF CHRIST'S SECOND COMING,
HIS COMING IN JUDGMENT. JESUS SPOKE OF IT IN SIMILAR LANGUAGE. " WHEN YOU HEAR OF WARS AND REVOLUTIONS, DO NOT BE FRIGHTENED. THESE THINGS MUST HAPPEN FIRST, BUT THE END WILL NOT COME RIGHT AWAY.... THERE WILL BE FEARFUL EVENTS AND GREAT SIGNS FROM HEAVEN. (WATCH).