Acts 2:36 is the climatic moment of Peter’s sermon at the initiation of kingdom building, the day of Pentecost after Jesus’ Ascension. He is releasing from an experience with Jesus personally, ministry leadership preparation with Jesus personally, kingdom authority through Jesus personally, that suddenly is empowered with kingdom anointing. That is, Peter has already been operating in authority to announce kingdom, cure disease, and cast out demons, but now Jesus is both Lord and Anointed One in Peter: authority and anointing.
“Let everyone in Israel [the audience of his message] know by experience with certainty that God made Jesus of Nazareth both Lord and Christ.” How? By making Him both Lord and Anointed One in your own heart and life.
Peter’s words pierced their hearts. Jesus’ words had not pierced their hearts as Peter’s words did upon this occasion. The crowds didn’t get the message. Kingdom was released and established in Jesus’ words all over place, but not in the hearts of the crowds or fully in the hearts of His own apostles. They were aware but not awake.
How do we know this? Because they responded with a request to know the proper response.
Immediately a person is confronted by awakening, that person will request information about the proper response, and God will send the revelation of the response.
