On the first Pentecost after Jesus ascended back to His Father, God poured out His Holy Spirit upon the remaining eleven apostles, and they began to prophesy. Peter – filled with the Holy Spirit – preached a short sermon which so convicted those who heard it that 3,000 of them confessed Jesus as Lord and Savior. This amazing event was the birth of the new Church of Jesus through which He continues His work of proclaiming the Gospel of salvation in Him throughout the world. These new believers joined together in fellowship – praising God, praying together, devoting themselves to following Jesus, proclaiming His Word to whomever they could, sharing their food and possessions with one another, and partaking in the two ordinances of baptism and communion which Jesus had commanded for His Church. Consequently, God added to their numbers day-by-day. Since that day, this newborn fellowship of Gospel believers has provided the model for how we today are to “do church” and continue to make disciples in the world as we anxiously await our Lord’s return.
