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But our thinking is also perhaps foreign to a repetition of
the Day of Pentecost in our lives.
Notice how Dr. Luke records the start of the conditions in Acts chapter
2 in verse 1 saying … “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all
with one accord in one place.” As
noted above the small community of believers was in one place. Notice that perhaps proximity brought about
unity of purpose. In order to get along
with a group of people you may find yourself becoming more patient, more
tolerant of those different from yourself.
It may not mean you agree with everyone else, but to keep peace, you may
find yourself being more quiet about your disagreements, and find yourself
looking for the common ground you can both enjoy. It takes humility to do that. It takes a different kind of strength of
character, not to compromise your values, but to consider the opinions and well
being of a group ahead of the need to convert everyone else in that group to
“your” way of thinking. When your home
and alone, you need zero humility to get along with yourself. And getting along in your family group may
also require less humility from you than doing it with a wider audience, whose
beliefs, or values, you have little insight into. In short, it is easier to be a good listener in
a group of people, than to try to carry the conversation from exclusively your
point of view.
Imagine too for a moment what effect isolation has on your
perceptions of who Jesus is. Being alone
leaves you experiencing Jesus from just your point-of-view. That perception can become very dominant as in
your solitude, you never hear about how Jesus interacts with others, and
perhaps what they have learned from that interaction. It takes humility to stop talking and start
listening to someone else describe their own interactions with Jesus. And you will likely find they are radically
different from your own. In fact, each
person you encounter is likely to have a different experience from yours, a
unique one based on the needs of that person doing the sharing. But there are also common threads there. And there is joy in the discovery that each
profile of Jesus you encounter may lead you to new wisdom, and deeper
understandings of the love of Jesus you never considered before.
Those perceptions do not exist in your point-of-view, they
only can be found in the testimony of others.
To become of “one accord” we each need that testimony of the others in
the group of believers. Without shared
experiences we just remain isolated individuals not ready for the outpouring we
seek. It is not only the victory stories
we need to hear from each other, it is some of the failures as well. Not to glorify the failures, but instead to
provide strength to each other by listening, praying for each other, and
sharing what we may have experienced with similar problems in our past. Coming to truly rely on each other for
encouragement is a hallmark of being of one accord as well. You will note, this has yet to be a
discussion about doctrine, or core beliefs – but Jesus is the common thread we
should all be able to get behind no matter what denomination we carry on our
sleeves.
Finally, one more small detail Luke points out to us in that
first verse. Luke notes when “the Day of
Pentecost was fully come” that description may well imply that before the
larger event, there was perhaps a series of smaller ones leading to the big
one. This is how I would read the word
“fully”. Just like our experiences with
Jesus that grow over time, perhaps too, our experiences with the Comforter may
also be of a growing nature. In our
aspirations of repeating the Day of Pentecost in our lives we might take this
idea of a growing exposure to heart and realize it may not be just like a huge
blast of water out of a firehose, but perhaps more likely starting as a trickle
of water that increases slowly in volume, pressure, and speed – allowing us
time to learn how to absorb it. Looking
for that “one and done” version of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit may not be
what Jesus and the Spirit have in mind for any of us. But instead they may be looking for us to
develop a yearning for the Holy Spirit that grows in our hearts every day until
His impact in our lives is clear and unmistakable.
Luke continues in verse 2 saying … “And suddenly there came a sound from
heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were
sitting. [verse 3] And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of
fire, and it sat upon each of them. [verse 4] And they were all filled with the
Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them
utterance.” Then it happens and
you will notice Luke is careful to point out that it happens to every single
person in that assembly. Not just the
disciples, or apostles, or just the men, but to every single person there. Everyone hears the sound of a mighty rushing
wind. And everyone sees the cloven
tongues of fire appear over the heads of everyone else. They were ALL filled with the Holy Ghost. And they began to speak in foreign languages,
that is to say, languages from regions they had likely never been to, let alone
learned in their simple lives. But here
is the big kicker. They ONLY said, what
the Spirit gave them utterance to say.
This was not a flea market of people just gabbing in small talk. This was an assembly of brand new evangelists
freshly minted by the Holy Spirit Himself.
The word of Jesus must be spread across the world, how better than to
preach to everyone so they could understand it.
And the lesson for us … are we ready to shut up, and then
say only what the Holy Spirit gives us utterance to say. Quit preaching, quit lecturing, quit talking,
and just be quiet until God wants to speak thru us. Perhaps what God needs is NOT for us to
condemn some sin sick soul with what we see is clearly against the precepts of
the Bible. Perhaps instead the message was
to be more like the writing in the sand that Jesus did when presented with
someone clearly caught in the act of sin.
Jesus did not excuse the sin, or make light of it. But He also did not discuss it or use it to
condemn her. Instead, He forgave her and
freed her from this in her life going forward.
You cannot do that for anyone else, but you can LOVE them and LIVE your
own life in such a way free from sin, that they might look at you and want to
know how you do it? In that simple
question comes the pointing to Jesus to relieve every pain and sin in their
lives. To start them on a course that
will see them free from the very thing you were ready to condemn them for only
moments ago. But instead, you shut up,
and let God say thru you what He wants to say.
And in so doing you become partner in His work of salvation for the
lost, including yourself.
And if everyone was filled with the Holy Spirit on that day,
then that means everyone will be a witness of His power, His glory and His
love. Not just the young, but the old as
well. Not just the men, but the women as
well. Each one an equal messenger, yet
each one used uniquely according to His good will. And if the Holy Spirit has decided who He
will use in the ministry of God, who are we to reject the vessel because we
just don’t like them, or think that role belongs to that kind of person? If your 5-year-old begins preaching to you
from the Holy Spirit, perhaps you should quiet yourself and listen to what God
has to say, and get past that part it is coming out of the mouth of your 5-year-old
child. And if the woman of ill repute
begins testifying from the Holy Spirit, perhaps you should get over how she is
dressed, and focus more on what she is saying.
Are you ready to ignore the word of God because it is coming from a
package you know to have had sin in her life?
Who among us has lived a sinless life outside of Jesus? It is not the package of the word that
counts, it is the truth of the word from God meant for you to hear.
The word must spread.
Not only to others but to us. Not
only as mission in the fields, but as mission in our hearts and minds, in order
to see us transformed by the singular power of Jesus Christ. What happened on the Day of Pentecost was not
just for the sake of the show. It was
not just the precursor to Barnum and Baily circus, it was done for a specific
reason with a specific outcome in mind.
This was not just gibberish, it was clear language heard clearly by the
recipients each in their own native tongues.
Luke continues in verse 5 saying … “And there were dwelling at Jerusalem
Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. [verse 6] Now when this
was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because
that every man heard them speak in his own language. [verse 7] And they were
all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these
which speak Galilaeans? [verse 8] And how hear we every man in our own tongue,
wherein we were born?” And here
is the miracle. Everyone heard the
gospel, the word of Jesus Christ, the story of Jesus, each man in his own
native language. Again, this was not
just some small talk you might hear at a party, this was a message from God
with intent. The miracle only brought
the power of the delivery home to the listeners.
Luke then takes the time list out at least 15 distinct
languages spoken on that day, probably more as some of the regions listed (like
Mesopotamia for example) had more than one language spoken across that region. Rest assured if the dialect was listed, there
were listeners there from that area, who needed to hear the word of God. Luke continues in verse 9 saying … “Parthians, and
Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and
Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, [verse 10] Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt,
and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and
proselytes, [verse 11] Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues
the wonderful works of God. [verse 12] And they were all amazed, and were
in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?” This audience was intended for the devout worshippers
who had come to Jerusalem from nearly every corner of the world at that
time. They would go home with this
message and this miracle fresh on their minds, and word would be carried
everywhere, all from just one single encounter.
Would God it were so in our minds and hearts. Would that we too would accept the word of
Jesus in our hearts so deeply we let Him completely change in us, whatever He
sees fit to change, holding nothing or no one back from His tender mercies.
But then as now, there are always those who see the miracle,
and have to find some other explanation for it.
Someone is healed, and they credit the medicine, the doctors, the
surgeries, and never once consider they prayers offered on their behalf. Someone gets the job they long for, and they
think their resume must have been more effective, and the interview must have
gone well, and they must have just done a real good job. Never once do they consider the prayers sent
up on their behalf. Many credit
“intentions” as if the world can be molded to the power of our will because we
will it so. Yet those same people living
the life of blessings do not acknowledge the prayers said for them by loving
parents and believers who refuse to leave them to the errors of their
thinking. In a contest between
intentions and the love of God, who do you believe wins? Yet some refuse to see what is right in front
of them.
Luke continues in verse 13 saying … “Others mocking said, These
men are full of new wine. [verse 14] But Peter, standing up with the
eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye
that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: [verse
15] For
these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the
day.” Up to now it has been the
sound of many witnesses speaking. But
now Peter takes the lead to debunk this non-sensible accusation. The believers are not drunk as it is only 9am. That is just common sense. And find me a drunk person who speaks better,
let alone in another language. Also find
me a drunk person who clearly articulates the word of God so as to draw people
to the story of Jesus with the power of Holy Spirit. These words had their intended effect, they
converted many. Not many drunks to take
that kind of credit either.
But there is more to say on this event …
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