Acts 2:4 – And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2:14 – But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words.
This chapter in Acts marks the clear supernatural nature of the church that Jesus came to start. There are two interesting words in the English translation of the Bible that come from the Greek word apophtheggomai that are used in these two verses. The first one is ‘utterance’ in Acts 2:4 which is describing the first time we see Christians speaking in other tongues. This is not natural speech but supernatural speech spoken in an unknown language. In verse 14 Peter is speaking in the known language called Aramaic and the word translated ‘said’ in that verse is apophtheggomai which is describing supernatural speech. Peter was given a supernatural ability to preach, some would call this prophesy, as he proclaimed the word of God in their known language. Here is how the Life in the Spirit Commentary describes this powerful prophetic moment.
“Upon receiving the baptism of the Spirit people are to prophesy. Tongues that accompany the experience of immersion in the Spirit have the character of prophetic speech, and Peter links the power of the Spirit with the universal outburst of prophecy. The same connection is made between the charismatic power of the Spirit and prophecy in Numbers 11:24–29, where the elders prophesy after the Spirit has been transferred from Moses to them. Moses then expresses the desire that all God’s people might prophesy. Joel 2 promises the fulfillment of Moses’ desire, and the events at Pentecost potentially fulfill that desire. The age of the prophethood of all believers dawns with the outpouring of the Spirit in prophetic power, thus creating a community of prophets in the last days.”
So the point of all this is this; we need more than three points and a poem. Humans are looking for authenticity which only comes by the power of the Spirit. There was no way for Peter to reach thousands of people that day without these two supernatural advantages – speaking in tongues which attracted the crowd and preaching under that prophetic anointing that convinced the people of the authenticity of the message. Jesus who had been crucified was alive and the Spirit was making this very clear to everyone who had ears to hear.
