When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God." And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others mocking said, "They are filled with new wine."
[Rev. Dwight Yoo]
Picture of inner city ministry - http://www.strochcc.org/
Sharing / Testimony of Ben McLeish and Kayti Chung
Background on the Pentecost
Pentecost literally means 50th. That day was the 50th day after the first day of Passover. In Jewish traditions, it was the day of firstfruits. This day was when Israelites started bringing in the harvest. It was one of the great pilgrimages in the Jewish tradition. Also 50 days after the liberation of the people from Egypt was when Moses came down from the mountain with the law.
So why Pentecost? God was probably portraying the harvest. Not the harvest of crops, nor grain, nor fruit. But rather the spiritual harvest, the salvation of souls.
The important point is the giving of the Spirit rather than just the giving of the law. "And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statues and be careful to obey my rules."- Ezekiel 36:27 So we are no longer just trying to follow rules, but the Spirit works within our hearts. God is changing us to become like Him.
Events
Verse 2 describes the sounds of violent wind. In Greek & Hebrew, ("Ruwah") the word for wind also refers to breath and spirit. So why did God choose to make this sound? For those in the ancient days, wind meant rain. Rain meant life.
Also there were tongues of fire. Jesus said his disciples would be bathed with the Holy Spirit and fire. God presents himself as fire. A burning bush. A pillar of fire. These were not normal flames. These were "tongue" flames. In these passages, the tongues are referring to earthly dialects. We know this because the pilgrims heard of God's works in their own languages.
Application(s)
The event of Pentecost only happened once. So what does it mean to us?
We need to remember that the same spirit is in work in our lives & hearts. The same Holy Spirit is still enabling spiritual gifts.
How is the Spirit working?
- The Spirit works to bring life.
- The Spirit assures us of His Presence, and we experience God by the Spirit.
- The Spirit forms Kingdom character in us, the character of King Jesus.
- The Spirit empowers us to share the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
We need to remember that the Spirit not only affects us internally. But being spirit-filled also means we share the Gospel. It is not only internal effects, but also has an external effect. It means testifying to God's work powerfully, effectively, and fruitfully.
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