JesusX30 Challenge—Scene 29: THE LAUNCH OF THE MOVEMENT
@TysonPutthoff | #JesusX30Challenge #JesusX30 #JX30Challenge
1. Key Texts
• Acts 1–2 — Ascension, waiting, Pentecost
• Joel 2 — Spirit poured out
• Exodus 19–20 — Sinai backdrop
• Genesis 11 — Babel reversed
2. Date & Place
• Spring 29 AD, Jerusalem.
• Fifty days after Passover; Feast of Shavuot/Pentecost.
• Jesus has ascended; disciples are waiting as instructed.
• About 120 followers gathered in prayer and unity.
3. Main Account
A. Ascension & Waiting (Acts 1)
• Jesus teaches 40 days about the Kingdom.
• Command: wait in Jerusalem for the Spirit.
• “You will receive power… you will be my witnesses (martyres).”
• Ascension = enthronement (Daniel 7 imagery).
• Angels redirect them: stop staring upward—prepare for mission.
B. Pentecost: Wind, Fire, Speech (Acts 2:1–13)
• Shavuot commemorates Sinai; now God’s fire descends again.
• Wind fills the house; divided tongues of fire rest on each person.
• Spirit empowers speech in real global languages.
• Babel reversed: unity without uniformity.
• Crowd bewildered; some dismiss it as drunkenness.
C. Peter’s Spirit-Empowered Sermon (Acts 2:14–36)
• Joel 2 fulfilled: Spirit on all flesh—sons, daughters, young, old, enslaved.
• No hierarchy in the new community.
• Peter proclaims Jesus’ death and resurrection as God’s vindication.
• Climactic declaration: “God has made this Jesus… Lord and Messiah.”
• Lord = Caesar’s title; Messiah = Israel’s true king.
D. Response & New Community (Acts 2:37–47)
• Crowd “cut to the heart.”
• Call to action: repent, be baptized, receive the Spirit.
• About 3,000 join the movement that day.
• A new kind of society emerges: shared meals, shared resources, generosity, worship, justice, and unity.
• Spirit forms not just belief but a new economy of love.
4. Main Point
• Pentecost is the ignition of the Jesus movement.
• The Kingdom advances through Spirit-filled people, not political power.
• This is the new Sinai—law written on hearts, not stone.
• The movement expands from 120 to thousands in hours.
• The Spirit creates a community shaped by Jesus’ values: courage, compassion, and shared life.
5. Exegetical Insight
• “Witnesses” (martyres) anticipates sacrificial faithfulness.
• Tongues of fire echo Sinai; divided fire = distributed presence.
• Peter’s “Lord and Messiah” fuses imperial and messianic claims.
• Pentecost undoes Babel: global languages unite rather than divide.
6. Reflection Questions
• Where am I waiting between promise and fulfillment?
• What would it look like for the Spirit to breathe new courage into me?
• How can I embody a Kingdom community marked by generosity and justice?
• Where is God inviting me to become a witness in word and action?
7. Action Step / Challenge
• Pray daily: “Spirit, breathe on me.”
• Practice one Pentecost action: reconciliation, generosity, courage, or testimony.
• Look for places where God is creating unity across difference.
Buy the books!
This 30-day challenge is based on my book trilogy entitled Jesus: The Strategic Life and Mission of the Messiah and His Movement (3 Volumes, Hekhal Publishing Co., 2025).
You can buy or borrow the trilogy at:
Hekhal Publishing Co. (look for free samples of each book as well)
Amazon (print or ebook)
Barnes & Noble (print or ebook)
Hoopla (borrow)
Many more booksellers worldwide!
