Jesus Is Risen and Reigning — Acts 2:1–47 | Video Devotion with Dave Miers
Sep 22, 2026 26037
Pentecost. What comes to your mind when you hear that word? A festival in the church calendar? Debates about spiritual gifts?
Acts 2 takes us to the heart of what happened: Jesus is risen and reigning. He has kept his promise and poured out his Holy Spirit. Let’s walk through this remarkable chapter with five questions. You might want to pause this video now and read all of Acts 2 for yourself first.
[Watch this week’s video devotion with Dave Miers]
Our questions:
- What did God do?
- What did the world hear?
- What does this mean?
- What must we do?
- What did the church become?
[Watch this week’s video devotion with Dave Miers]
1/ What did God do?
Before ascending to heaven, Jesus told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem. He promised that the Holy Spirit would empower them to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth.
On the day of Pentecost, they were together when a sound like a mighty rushing wind filled the house. Tongues as of fire rested on each of them.
Acts 2:4
[4] And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. (ESV)
Jesus had done exactly what he promised. All were filled. The disciples were empowered, and the mission Jesus had given them has lift-off.
2/ What did the world hear?
Jerusalem was filled with Jews from across the surrounding nations, including visitors celebrating the festival. Look what they hear,
Acts 2:6–8
[6] And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. [7] And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? [8] And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? (ESV)
These Galilean disciples were certainly not fluent in many languages. Yet a miracle of hearing takes place here.
In verse 11 it says, “we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God”
God was showing that his good news was for the whole world. As the mission unfolded through Acts, consistent with our key verse for the book in Acts 1:8, the message would go out from Jerusalem, through Judea and Samaria, and then begin its journey to the end of the earth.
Some were amazed and wanted to understand. Others mocked. Peter stood up to explain.
3/ What does this mean?
From verse 14 onward, we have Peter’s sermon at Pentecost.
His big idea? Jesus is risen and reigning.
Peter pointed to the prophet Joel. God had promised to pour out his Spirit on young and old, male and female. That promised time had arrived. The last days, the time between Jesus’ first coming and his return, had begun.
But to understand Pentecost, they needed to understand Jesus.
Look at what Peter proclaims:
Acts 2:22–24
[22] “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—[23] this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. [24] God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. (ESV)
It’s a confronting word; his hearers were part of putting Jesus to death! And yet this was all part of God’s definite plan to bring about his saving purposes, even through human wickedness.
Peter then explains that David’s words in Psalm 16 pointed beyond David’s own grave to the resurrection of the Christ. The apostles had seen Jesus alive.
Acts 2:33
[33] Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. (ESV)
Jesus is risen and reigning. He has taken his throne as Lord and Christ, and the outpouring of the Spirit is the public evidence of his reign.
4/ What must we do?
That’s actually the question that many people ask in the text.
Look at their question and Peter’s response,
Acts 2:37–38
[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 baptised 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. (ESV)
They are cut to the heart. They understand that the one they rejected is the reigning Lord and Christ of the universe.
Peter calls them to repent and be baptised. Repentance means turning around. We turn from sin and the things we trust in to Jesus. Baptism publicly identifies us with him.
Turning to Christ brings two wonderful gifts: forgiveness and the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is not a later upgrade for elite Christians. Everyone who belongs to Jesus receives his Spirit.
About three thousand people received the message and were baptised that day.
5/ What did the church become?
You can read all about this new community of Jesus followers in the final paragraph of chapter 2.
Check out the first verse,
Acts 2:42
[42] And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (ESV)
Those new believers became part of a devoted community. They learned from the apostles, shared their lives and possessions, broke bread and prayed together. The Lord continued adding people who were being saved.
John Stott describes this as a learning, loving, worshipping and witnessing church. We should not expect every detail of their circumstances to be reproduced today, but this is a picture to long for: people centred on Jesus, filled with his Spirit and committed to his mission.
The Good News is…
The risen, reigning Jesus still welcomes people who call upon his name. You can come to him today for forgiveness and new life. You do not need to wait until you have cleaned yourself up. Turn to him and trust him. And as those who belong to Jesus, let’s give ourselves to his people and his mission, depending on the Spirit he has already given us.
Further reading: Acts 2:1-47
Reflection
How will you respond to the risen Jesus’ invitation to trust him and share in the life and mission of his people?
Rev. Dave Miers
President, Good News Unlimited