Acts 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added [unto them] about three thousand souls.
Shortly after the ascension of Christ, during the feast of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon the believers and they started preaching in tongues. As a result of this preaching, 3,000 people became Christians that day. Many times we hear this account being referred to as the standard for comparison when we are doing our own evangelism. Is this a proper comparison? Are we failing if our methods do not attain this degree of success? What happened here?
There were devout Jews that had come from all over the world in order to celebrate this Jewish feast. They were there in Jerusalem because they believed in the One True God of Israel. They were looking forward to the coming of the Messiah one day. So, when they heard the miraculous preaching, each hearing the message in their own native language, about Jesus being the awaited Messiah, is it any wonder that many of them believed? They were already believers. They were just adding something to their belief that they had been wanting to add, with longing hope.
So, do not be discouraged when your gospel preaching does not win 3,000 souls in one event. That does not mean you are doing something wrong, or that your ministry is ineffective. Your encouragement can come from the gospel message itself, and that God allows us to partner with Him in getting out the Good News.
Want to hear more?