Set the Scene

• Jesus has entrusted his mission on earth to his disciples, calling them to be his witnesses (Acts 1:8).

• The Holy Spirit has come, the crowd has gathered, and Peter is explaining what God is doing through Jesus.

• Peter then begins the church’s first sermon, proclaiming Jesus’ ministry, crucifixion, resurrection, and identity as Lord and Messiah.

• If there were ever a pivotal moment for God’s plan to be revealed in the history of the church, this would be it.

Scripture: Acts 2:22–41

Opening Observation Questions

1. What stands out to you in this first reading?

2. What does Peter want the crowd to understand about Jesus?

3. How does the crowd respond when the message reaches their hearts?

Scripture: Romans 10:14–17

Key Teachings:

• Salvation begins with hearing. There is no faith without God’s Word. The gospel is not advice, tradition, or personal opinion; it is the message of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

• Faith is not self-generated. It comes through hearing, and hearing comes through the proclaimed message about Christ.

• This places the responsibility on every follower: people cannot respond to a message they have never heard. Someone has to go. Someone has to speak.

Reflection Questions:

1. Can someone truly be saved if they have never heard the gospel? What does this passage suggest?

2. Is there someone in your life right now who still needs to hear this message? What is stopping you from sharing it?

Scripture: Hebrews 11:6; John 8:30–32

Key Teachings:

• Faith is the non-negotiable starting point. It is impossible to please God without it. But biblical belief is far more than intellectual agreement.

• Jesus defined true belief as holding to his teachings, not merely hearing them, agreeing with them, or feeling moved by them.

• Genuine faith produces visible fruit. If belief never changes how a person lives, it has not yet become the kind of faith Scripture describes.

Reflection Questions:

1. Do you believe Jesus is who he claims to be? How does your daily life demonstrate that belief?

2. Would Jesus say you are holding to his teachings, or only aware of them?

3. Where is there a gap between what you say you believe and how you actually live?

Scripture: Luke 13:1–5; Acts 3:19–20, Romans 12:2

Key Teachings:

• Jesus made repentance universal. It is not reserved for the “worst” sinners. Without it, no one can be saved, regardless of how moral they appear.

• The Greek word metanoia describes a change of mind that produces a change of direction. It is a deep internal reorientation, not surface-level regret.

• Repentance is not punishment. It leads to spiritual renewal, refreshing, and restored relationship with God.

Reflection Questions:

1. Have you experienced genuine repentance, not only guilt but a real change in direction? What did that look like?

2. Think about a specific sin you identified in the previous study. What would changing your mind and direction about that sin look like in practice this week?

3. Is there anything you have been holding back from fully surrendering to God?

Scripture: Romans 6:1–14

Key Teachings:

• Paul describes baptism as participation in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. It is not an empty symbol; it is the point of being united with Christ.

• In baptism, we surrender the old life to the same pattern Jesus embraced going to the cross: death before resurrection, surrender before new life.

• Resurrection life cannot be separated from participation in Christ’s death and burial. Just as there is no resurrection without death in the gospel story (1 Corinthians 15:13–14) 

• Romans 6 does not allow us to avoid participating in Christ’s death through baptism while claiming the new life that follows. No Christian can claim to be raised to new life with Christ without first dying and being buried with him in baptism.

Reflection Questions:

1. Based on these passages, what does baptism accomplish, and how does that compare with what you previously understood?

2. Have you been baptized the way the Bible describes, by immersion, as a repentant response to the gospel for forgiveness?

Scripture: Acts 2:22–41

Read the passage again. This time, invite the learner to identify the elements rather than explaining them first. The goal is discovery: the pieces studied throughout Scripture are already working together in the first gospel response at Pentecost.

Walk Back Through the Scene

The gospel

Where is the gospel proclaimed?

Acts 2:22–36: Jesus’ ministry, crucifixion, resurrection, exaltation, and identity as Lord and Messiah.

Hearing

Where do they hear the message?

The crowd listens to Peter’s proclamation. Verse 37 begins, “When the people heard this.”

Belief

Where do you see the message reaching them?

Acts 2:37: they are cut to the heart and ask what to do. Verse 41 confirms that they accepted the message.

Repentance

Where does repentance appear?

Acts 2:38: Peter commands them to repent, turning toward Jesus as Lord.

Baptism

Where does baptism appear?

Acts 2:38 and 41: Peter commands baptism, and those who accept the message are baptized.

God’s gifts

What does God promise and do?

Acts 2:38–41: forgiveness, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and addition to the new community.

Reflection Questions

1. After studying these passages, what do you now see in Acts 2 that you did not notice in the first reading?

2. Are these disconnected religious steps, or one coherent response to the gospel? Explain what you see.

3. If you were standing among the crowd and asked, “What shall we do?” how would you now understand Peter’s answer?

Closing truth: God’s plan is not a checklist detached from Jesus. The gospel calls us to hear and trust the risen Lord, turn to him in repentance, and enter his death and resurrection through baptism. Acts 2 lets us watch that response unfold as one whole movement of faith.

Read and reflect on the following passages this week:

• Acts 8:9–13 — Simon the sorcerer’s response to the gospel

• Acts 8:26–40 — The Ethiopian eunuch’s conversion

• Acts 10:37–48 — Cornelius and the first Gentile believers

• Acts 16:22–34 — The Philippian jailer’s urgent response

• Acts 19:1–5 — Disciples baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus

• Acts 22:6–16 — Paul’s own conversion account

Closing Questions:

1. Do you have any questions about salvation or about your next step?

2. Would you like to study one of the Acts conversion accounts together in more detail?

3. When can we meet again to follow up?