Why did Peter and the apostles continue doing what Jesus and the twelve did?
They continued because they were empowered as witnesses and an extension of Christ’s earthly ministry. Peter and the eleven kept performing signs and wonders among the same people—Israel—still meeting in the Temple, seeking to convince the nation that Jesus was the promised Messiah and would fulfill His promises if they believed.
Les explains that after the Holy Spirit came, they were to receive miracle-working power and be witnesses. They were to be an extension of Christ’s earthly ministry. Everything Jesus and the twelve had performed in those three years, Peter and the eleven were to continue, because they were dealing with the same people, the nation of Israel. They were trying to convince Israel that Jesus was who He said He was, and He was still going to fulfill His promises if they would simply believe. So they continued with signs and wonders, all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch, which was in the Temple. They had not stopped taking sacrifices or Judaistic ritual; the only thing added was that they had believed Jesus was whom He said He was. Les also notes that archeologists are finding evidence of thousands of first- and second-century Jews who practiced Judaism but embraced Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah.