This week we will look at the first “sermon” which resulted in the beginnings of the church. Recorded in Acts 2 after Peter shared the truth of the Gospel. Peter spoke boldly about exactly what happened the day Jesus was crucified. He spoke directly to the point of who Jesus was and how He wound up on the cross. He said, “Jesus, the Son of God, whom you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men”. It is recorded in the text the people who heard were “pierced to the heart” with the truth Peter shared. That day 3,000 people joined the group of believers. WOW, 3,000 asked, “Brothers what shall we do”? This is a great testimony of the resurrection of Christ since those Peter was speaking to would have seen or heard of the crucifixion and would have also seen or heard of Jesus’ appearances after being certified as dead and buried in the tomb.

So, what was so impactful about the words of Peter? What caused 3,000 people to search for a way to be cleared of what they knew they had done? How did this seemingly impossible task of coordinating any type of movement with 3,000 people from different homelands in the known world ever become what we know as the church today?

The church is needed as much today as it was in Acts 2. What makes a church impactful today in our communities? We know it isn’t our programs or our building. The original 3,000 had none of these. Furthermore, what does it mean to be “part of the church”? I hope you will join us as we look at answering these questions through the lens of the day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2.