One Amazing Day!

Acts 2:1 – 31

The city was crowded with people waiting to celebrate not unlike light up night in any major city across the United States. People from all over were jam-packed against one another. It was a tradition and celebration that everyone wanted to be part of, so people came from the world over. That was the scene on Pentecost in Jerusalem.

Jesus had left his disciples and asked them to wait, wait for what? They had heard of the Holy Spirit in the Kings and prophets of old but they were not prophets or kings were they? Jesus had talked to them about Him and there was a flow of the Spirit through them at times but Jesus was with them on earth. What was going to happen now?

Obedience always brings about great things. Much of our problem is the patience that goes along with obedience. It is easy to second-guess God when we are trying to be patience; did I miss God? Has God forgotten about me? Did I do something wrong and God is not going to answer now? All the questions anyone could have when it seems like God is delaying his answer. 500 had started out in the upper room and only 120 remained when the Holy Spirit did come. I would not have wanted to be one of the 380 that missed it. The Holy Spirit came and filled the 120; most likely the 11 disciples, the 70 others, the wives of those who were married and the special women listed throughout the Gospels.

The Holy Spirit gave them boldness. They immediately went out and preached. It wasn’t just Peter but the narrative states “they were speaking” and “everyone heard them”. Can you imagine 120 people all speaking in different languages and it not leading to confusion? That in itself is a miracle. We don’t know if all 120 spoke but we do know it was more than simply Peter. God wanted to reach as many of the Jews as possible and what better way than each hearing the Gospel in their own language spoken by those who could not have possibly learned it. Instantly the church became a mega-church of 3000 people. All of Jerusalem had to of heard about this miracle. Can you imagine the buzz through out the temple and the city?

Jesus had invested in the lives of his friends and now they in turn were given the power Jesus had through the Holy Spirit to change the world. Are you a world changer? Are you, like the disciples filled with the Spirit? Then you have the power to be “witnesses in Jerusalem Judea and the uttermost parts of the world. If you don’t feel like you have that power or don’t have it any more. I’ll be talking about it this Sunday at the Christian Center Church in Rostraver Township. See you there!