I am very excited about the new Bible study LWML has to offer, “Peter from Fisherman to Fisher of Men” by Donna Pyle. I have invited Donna Pyle to share a snippet of the Bible study with you here:

After Jesus’ Resurrection, imagine the flurry of new activity in the synagogue as men congregated to carefully scan the scrolls. The news on the street? The Messiah had been among them, was put to death, and had actually risen from the dead.

You can almost hear their questions as he re-read the scrolls:
When did God say the Messiah would actually show up?

Will God save even the uncircumcised Gentiles outside of the Law?

Are we still required to offer traditional sacrifices and offerings to God?

What does all of this mean for our gatherings and worship?

If we missed it, is it too late for us?

The teachings of Jesus caused holy turmoil in the synagogues. His disciples were preaching about salvation only through Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. They rightfully turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6).
Even though Peter denied Jesus at the most crucial time in history and tried to return to what was familiar, Jesus redeemed Peter and placed a life-changing mantle of leadership on Peter’s shoulders: “Feed my sheep” (John 21).

No longer scared and running, we see a very different Peter in the book of Acts. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter has been transformed from fearful denier to brave proclaimer.
The vital importance of Peter’s Pentecost sermon cannot be emphasized enough. God, through the Holy Spirit, set the stage and made all the preparations for this first sermon with a Gospel dispensation.
God had gathered precisely those who He wanted to receive the message that day. He grabbed their attention by enabling the disciples to tell of His mighty acts in their own languages.
The Spirit had been released.

Peter stood up.

Immediately, Peter reassured those gathered that those who were speaking in tongues were not drunk — it was only 9:00 a.m. Peter quoted from the prophet Joel to remind those devout Jews that God foretold the day of Pentecost. Those learned men would have immediately recognized the text that Peter recited and connected their present situation.

Peter did not mince words. Are we surprised? He gets straight to the heart of the matter and reminds these men that they themselves were the ones who crucified and killed the Messiah (Acts 2:23).
Peter reminds them that the heart of the matter is Jesus, because we only come to know God as He is through Christ.

Remember, Peter was not preaching about an incident that happened years or even decades before. Pentecost occurred only seven weeks after Jesus was crucified, so it is very likely that some of the people in Peter’s audience had actually been present.

The young carpenter who claimed to be God’s Son would certainly have been the talk of the town. These men would have known exactly who Peter was talking about. Perhaps they had even heard Jesus preach.

Peter was not just being intentionally mean by reminding the people that they had crucified and killed Jesus. God was using Peter to convict the people of their sin. Because when God convicts us of our sin, we realize just how much we need a Savior.

Peter continued his first Gospel sermon to let them know that all was not lost – that they are not lost. He quoted David from Psalm 16:8-11, that God made known to me the path of life.

And just like those men on Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit convicts us of our desperate state, God invites us to confess our sins and be cleansed by the blood of Jesus through the waters of Baptism. And three thousand were baptized on that very day.

Can you imagine three thousand baptisms at your church on one day? What a glorious, beautiful day!

When Pentecost concluded, all of those newly-baptized, devout Jews traveled back to their home towns with the saving message of Christ on their lips.

Is it any wonder that God’s message has survived the millennia?

What is the significance of Pentecost for us today? We who have been baptized are beneficiaries of God’s goodness, grace, and mercy.

We are to be His witnesses and tell people what we have seen, heard, and touched.

Just like Peter did.

Donna Pyle posing with her new Bible study!

To learn how you can order this Bible study visit here http://www.lwml.org/bible-studies