PENTECOST
Acts 2:1-13
On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.
They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!” They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other.
But others in the crowd ridiculed them, saying, “They’re just drunk, that’s all!”
They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!” They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other.
But others in the crowd ridiculed them, saying, “They’re just drunk, that’s all!”
REFLECTION
Our series and devotion ends with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. This was a fulfillment of Jesus' promise to the apostles: "Your will be baptized with the Holy Spirit within a few days" (Acts 1:5). The Spirit filled everyone sitting in the house so that 120 were all spiritually baptized. After Peter stood up and preached to the crowd 3,000 more were baptized and added to the church that day. After these events we find one of the earliest descriptions of the life and community of the church: "All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to the fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper), and to prayer" (Acts 2:42).
Two-thousand years later the church functions the same today: baptized in the Spirit, we live and serve in Biblical community together and share our hope with the world. God's plan over the centuries has been to fill and equip ordinary people, by the power of the Spirit, to do extraordinary things for his kingdom.
RESPONSE
1. How does the Holy Spirit still empower the church (God's people) today?
2. What does it mean to be "filled with the Holy Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18)?
Comments