39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
As a result of Peter’s Pentecostal sermon, a great harvest of souls came to Christ. The church grew from 120 to 3,000.
39 For the promise is to you and to your children,
Jesus asked those in the upper room to wait for the coming promise (Acts 1:4). The coming of the Spirit was the essence of Peter’s sermon earlier in the chapter. God made the promise of the Spirit first to the nation Israel. This promise extended to those present at Peter’s address and future generations. The promise of the Spirit had to be made to the Jews first.
and to all who are afar off,
Those “afar off” were Jews from other countries that came to the Day of Pentecost.
as many as the Lord our God will call.”
After the promise went out to Israel, it would go out to the rest of the world; the promise included salvation to all who believe (Acts 2:21; Lu 24:49).
The Lord’s calling here is the ministry of the Holy Spirit convicting and drawing people to salvation in Christ.
PRINCIPLE:
Claiming God’s promises is to trust Him with our affairs.
APPLICATION:
God gave thousands of promises in the Bible. They are there for us to claim. God has grace specially designed for each of us. Do we believe that divine promises can make a difference in the quality of how we live day by day? It is not enough to understand God’s promises; we must apply them to our lives by faith.
