“People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know.”
Acts 2:22 (NLT)
Peter begins his Pentecost sermon by quoting Joel, and the drumbeat is clear: God is not for a select few. As verse 21 says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Even servants, men and women, showing social status doesn’t limit God. The Spirit was poured out wider than they expected.
Then Peter pivots and says, “People of Israel, listen.” God publicly endorsed Jesus by miracles, wonders, and signs, and the people already knew it. This wasn’t a private claim. It was public evidence that God was moving in front of them.
But the hinge phrase in Acts 2:22 is through him. God did these things through Jesus. So Jesus didn’t minister on his own power. He followed the Father, empowered by the Holy Spirit. And that becomes the pattern for us. Jesus is not only Savior. Jesus is also the forerunner, showing what a life looks like when God works through a surrendered human by Holy Spirit.
That is why Peter is different now. Six weeks ago he denied Jesus, and now he stands in front of thousands with boldness and compassion for Jesus’s murderers. That kind of compassion isn’t natural. Only the Holy Spirit can do that in a person. Today, ask Holy Spirit to empower your ministry in the same way and enable you to love others like Jesus.