40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” 41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day of about three thousand souls were added to them.
2:40
And with many other words he testified and exhorted them [Jews on Day of Pentecost], saying,
Peter continued to preach to the Jews on the Day of Pentecost. Luke summarized what the apostle had to say; Peter had said much more than Luke recorded in Acts.
“Be saved from this perverse [crooked] generation.”
“Be saved” shows that salvation is an act of God. We could translate “be saved” as “let yourself be saved” (passive voice).
The word “perverse” means bent or crooked. The “perverse generation” here is some of the Jews who rejected the Messiah while He was on earth. They were distorted in their view of the Messiah when they crucified their Messiah/Savior. These words indicated their spiritual need.
2:41
Then those who gladly received his word were baptized;
Many Jews and Jewish proselytes came to Christ and identified with Christ immediately by baptism. The sequence is they first believed and then were baptized. They did not receive baptism then believe.
and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
The addition of 3,000 souls in one day to the church significantly launched the church to a new dimension.
PRINCIPLE:
The gospel will transform lives if people believe it.
APPLICATION:
The effect of one sermon in Acts 2 was that 3,000 became Christians and were added to the church. They had come under deep conviction about crucifying their Messiah. Their conviction was the result of the ministry of the Holy Spirit and not the oratory of Peter’s sermon (Jn 16:8-11). The people in context went from “Crucify Him” to embracing Him as their Messiah Savior; a radical change occurred. This transformation was what it means to “repent”—to have a radical change of mind.
