Declaring The Mighty Works Of God Series

Who testified of the mighty works of God at Pentecost? Peter sure did when he preached the Pentecost sermon, but who else did? It was also the eleven disciples because the eleven stood up with Peter when he preached.

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: (Acts 2:14)

Is there another answer for who testified at Pentecost? Yes, there were 120 in the upper room when the sound like a violent wind filled the house and “all of them” were filled with the Holy Spirit.

Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. (Acts1:13-14)

It was Peter, it was “the Eleven” and it was the 120 in the upper room who declared the wonders of God to the 3,000 who were saved and baptized that day. I really did not think about the role of the 120 at Pentecost until recently.

—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” (Acts 2:11)

I was preparing to preach at Pentecost just before my 64th birthday. I had a dream that something significant was going to happen at the service. When I woke up, I looked at Acts 2:11 and realized that the 120 were declaring the works of God at Pentecost.

This was a significant realization for me. I have sermons on Peter preaching at Pentecost, but not until this dream had I thought about the role of the 120 speaking the wonders of God in the languages of the diaspora peoples who came to Jerusalem at Pentecost.

When I saw this I looked up the word used for declaring. It is the word lal-eh'-o Strongs # 2980 which is: utter words:--preach, say, speak. The 120 were all preaching at Pentecost. It may be a different more person to person kind of speaking than what Peter did when he addressed the whole crowd, but nonetheless they were all declaring, “lal-eh'-o” the mighty works of God at Pentecost.

That means the brothers of Jesus declared the mighty works of God on the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit came upon them, and they declared the mighty works of God. That means Mary the mother of Jesus declared the mighty works of God. That means the women in the upper room received the Holy Spirit and declared the mighty works of God that Pentecost day. That means presumably Mary Magdalene was in the upper room and she too declared the mighty works of God at Pentecost. Why not? All believers in Christ should declare the mighty works of God to all who need to hear the good news of great joy, the gospel of Jesus Christ.

When I was thinking of preparing a sermon on Pentecost, I went to sleep thinking about how I would relate this Pentecost sermon that every believer must share their faith. The answer came to me in conjunction with my dream. Part of what the Prophet Joel prophesied about would happen when the Holy Spirit would come at Pentecost is that old men would dream dreams. I felt I was experiencing that. I had just become old when I had that dream, if you consider old age beginning when you turn 64.

It wasn’t just Peter’s preaching that day but the declaration of the 120 on the mighty works of God. The geographic area covered by those who heard the mighty works of God declared and returned to their place saved and baptized was expansive. Paul declared that he did the pioneer work from Jerusalem to Illyricum in his three missionary journeys taking a total of about twenty years. The geographic area covered on the day of Pentecost was four times as much as the journeys of Paul.

Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” (Acts 2:8-10)

Jesus said that when the Holy Spirit comes on them, they would receive power to be witnesses to the ends of the earth. There were 15 languages hearing the 120 speak the mighty deeds and Peter called them to repent and be baptized, and after their baptism they returned back to their homes to the ends of the earth.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)