These verses record every occurrence in the New Testament, following the day of Pentecost, in which a person or persons made a decision to follow Christ.  Obviously, there were many people who became disciples whose stories are not recorded by the New Testament writers.  The Holy Spirit led Luke to record these few.  Obviously, there is much more to each story than Luke records.  These are instances of people who are encountering the good news of Jesus and making life altering decisions.  The Holy Spirit led Luke to record just these few details.

 Acts 2:36-38

³⁶ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

³⁷ Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” ³⁸ And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

 If you have been obedient to the process of this study, you will have read in your own Bible to put this verse into context.  If so, you should have read the whole of Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2.  No doubt you noted his quoting the Old Testament prophet Joel, whose prophecy is fulfilled in their presence on that day.  Joel says, and Peter repeats, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Joel 2:32).  One might have expected that Peter would tell those who asked, “What shall we do?” just to call upon the name of the Lord.  However, he gives them the reply of Acts 2:38.

It is clear that the many in the crowd at Pentecost believed the message of Peter and his fellow disciples.  They believed that Jesus was “both Lord and Christ” (that is, the Messiah).  Many of those who heard the message and believed also decided to place their faith in Jesus and to rely on him for their salvation, despite their earlier rejection of him.  No doubt that faith brought about an open expression not only of their despair (“What shall we do?”), but also of their choice to follow Jesus (what might be “calling on the name of the Lord”). While we can be confident of these things, Luke does not mention either Peter’s encouragement to do them or the things so done.  Luke chooses only to mention two aspects of the salvation process at Pentecost, two “commands” from the apostle.

What two things does Peter tell his audience to do for the forgiveness of sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit?

 

Acts 2:41

“Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.” 

This verse describes the response of the three thousand people who were moved to become disciples of Christ by the preaching of Peter.  Luke tells us they accepted Peter’s message, which included the assertion that Jesus was “both Lord and Christ” and that they, the listeners, needed to repent.  We can be confident that their acceptance of Peter’s message was beyond mere belief or intellectual assent.  “Accepted” must have included a coming to faith in Jesus and resulted in the three thousand being added to the number of the disciples.  Nonetheless, the Holy Spirit leads Luke to mention only one specific of the process of their acceptance of the message and addition to the body.

What does Acts 2:41 record as the consequence of accepting the message of Peter for the three thousand that were added to the number of disciples on the day of Pentecost?

 

Acts 8:12, 13

 “But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon himself believed and was baptized.” 

Luke tells us is that Philip “preached the good news of the kingdom and the name of Jesus Christ” to the Samaritans and that they believed him.  We can make a number of assumptions about the details of his preaching.  Surely, his “sermon” included a call to repentance and an appeal for a response of faith.  Yet, the Holy Spirit moves Luke to mention only one act of the Samaritans beyond their believing.

What was done to the men and women who believed the preaching of Philip?

The Simon in this passage is a fellow known as “Simon the sorcerer” who will make some terrible choices a few verses later.  The story of Simon and the efficacy of his belief and baptism make for an interesting discussion, but are beyond this study.

 

Acts 8:36, 38

As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?”  And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.

This encounter along the Gaza road from Israel to Egypt may be the beginning of Christianity in Africa.  Once again, Philip is the evangelist.  Luke records only that Philip told the traveler the “good news about Jesus.”  Since the story begins with “Suffering Servant” passage in Isaiah (Isaiah 53:7, 8), we can assume Philip’s telling of the good news included Jesus’ fulfillment of prophecy and atoning sacrifice.  From the Ethiopian’s joyful response to Philip, we can infer that he believed, repented, confessed, called on the name of the Lord, prayed and found a saving faith in Jesus.  However, the Holy Spirit inspires Luke to record only one question from the man and just one action.

What does the Ethiopian want to know and what happens next?

 

Acts 9:18

“Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again.  He got up and was baptized…”

Acts 22:16

“And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.” 

The story of Saul coming to faith in Jesus is interesting because it takes place over the course of a number of days.  Saul is on his way from Jerusalem to Damascus, Syria with letters from the High Priest giving him authority to find any members of the church of Christ in any of the synagogues of Damascus and to bring them, bound, back to Jerusalem for punishment and imprisonment.  As he approaches the city, Jesus personally interrupts his journey, introduces himself and instructs Saul, now blinded by the encounter, to go to the city and await further direction.  Your Bible likely has a heading for this passage that says something like “The Conversion of Saul” and it is difficult to imagine that Saul is not converted by this “Damascus Road experience.”  The person and purpose of Christ is made blindingly clear to Saul.  He cannot but believe. His sinful acts in opposition to Christ and his church are obvious when Jesus asks, “Why do you persecute me?”  And Saul’s subsequent actions are in obedience to the instruction of Jesus.  But Saul’s conversion is not yet complete.  Three days later a disciple named Ananias is sent by God to visit Saul, to lay hands on him that his sight might be restored and that he would receive the filling of the Holy Spirit.  When he again can see, Saul is baptized immediately, even before he eats though he has been without food or water for three days.  As he recounts it later, Saul quotes Ananias, “…what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.”  Apparently, neither Ananias nor Saul was willing to announce the forgiveness of Saul’s sins until they had been “washed away” in the waters of baptism.  And “calling on his name” is most likely a reference to Joel 2:32, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved,” quoted by Peter on the Day of Pentecost.

Both of these verses are about the same event, which took place three days after Saul (later to be called Paul) met Jesus on the road to Damascus.  After his dramatic and life changing encounter with Jesus on the road, what does Saul still have to do, according to these verses?

 

 Acts 10:47, 48

“‘Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water?  They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.’  So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days. ”

This is where the first non-Jews become Christians. God has practically dragged Peter to the house of Cornelius to present the good news of Jesus to them and has poured out his Spirit on them in a manner identical to the outpouring of the Spirit on Peter and the other disciples on Pentecost.  Peter may be reluctant to accept gentiles into the family of believers, but God is making it abundantly clear that he has called them.

What does Peter insist should happen to these spirit-filled, gentile believers?

 

Acts 16:14, 15

“One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God.  The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.  When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home.  ‘If you consider me a believer in the Lord,’ she said, ‘come and stay at my house.’  And she persuaded us.” 

When Paul preaches the message of salvation to Lydia and her household, the Lord opens her heart to respond.  Luke chooses to record only one aspect of her response.

What does Lydia do when the Lord opens her heart to respond to the message?

 

Acts 16:33

“At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized.”

Paul and Silas, jailed in Philippi for healing a demon possessed girl, are praying and singing in the middle of the night.  An earthquake breaks their chains and opens the door of their cell, as well as all the rest of the jail.  The jailer arrives and jumps to the logical conclusion that all his prisoners have escaped.  Rather than face the consequences from his superiors, he moves to kill himself, but Paul intervenes and explains that everyone is still there.

What happens to the jailor and his family in the middle of the night?

 

Acts 18:25, 26

“Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures.  He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John.  He began to speak boldly in the synagogue.  When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. ”

Much of what Apollos knows and teaches is accurate, but his knowledge of the “way of God” is inadequate.  What would you guess Priscilla and Aquila explained to Apollos?

 

Acts 19:3, 4, 5

“So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”  “John’s baptism,” they replied.  Paul said, ‘John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.’  On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. ”

  What did these Ephesians do a second time?

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