Religion and Theology

The Book of Acts is said to have been written by St. Luke.  It is written like a novel, and it serves as a transition from the life of Jesus Christ which led to the establishment of the Catholic Church.
In the previous chapter, Jesus appeared to the apostles and told them not to leave Jerusalem for they will be receiving their power from the Holy Spirit soon.  Chapter 2 starts on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit finally descends on the Twelve Apostles.  There was a sound which was similar to a strong gust of wind which filled the room and then there were tongues of fire which rested on each of the twelve.  They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and as such, they were able to speak in tongues or in a language that only the gifted could understand among themselves. 

A crowd gathered when they heard the strong wind so they were able to witness what took place.  What astounded them was that they were of different nationalities but each of them was hearing the disciples speaking of praises to God in their respective language.  It was strange but amazing at the same time, and most were bewildered by this phenomenon.  Just to rationalize what was happening, some even claimed that the disciples just had too much to drink.

Peter thus stood up and addressed the crowd.  He explained to them that they were not drunk since it was way too early in the morning being only 9am.  Peter then related that what took place was as predicted by the prophet Joel.  There were other events which were included in Joels prophecy, the final verses of which referred to the 2nd coming of the Lord where only those who called on Him will be saved.  In a way, Peter told this to the crowd so that they may come to believe that everything in the prophecy will soon come true.

Peter then explained to the crowd that Jesus was sent by God to the earth to save man from sin.  Although God had sufficient foreknowledge about what Jesus had to endure in his earthly life, everything took place and Jesus was nailed to the cross.  Man was responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, but still he was raised by his father to life on the third day, and as God had intended it to happen.  Peter emphasized that as Jesus was raised from the dead, he now sits at the right hand of His Father. 
 
Since the Lords will and the prediction of the prophet Joel will definitely come to pass, the crowd asked what they had to do to be saved.  Peter replied that they had to repent and be baptized, and ask for forgiveness in the name of Jesus Christ.  Peter gave them a lot of warnings and he begged them to leave their old ways and to save their souls from being further corrupted.  The warnings of Peter were well taken and there were about three thousand who were added to their followers on that day.

This denoted the early beginnings of the Catholic Church.  Their followers continued to multiply and all of them adhered to the teachings of handed to them by the disciples.  They persisted in breaking bread and saying prayers together.  Having imbibed the power from the Holy Spirit, the apostles performed many wonders and miraculous acts which encouraged more followers to believe.  One common trait among the believers was their readiness to sell their possessions and their willingness to share to anyone in need.  Everyday, the new believers carried on with their meetings at the temple courts.  They also went on with the practice of breaking bread in their homes, eating together, praising God and enjoying the favor of the people.  The followers of the Apostles increased and thus, more lives were saved.