Acts 2:1-13

Acts 2:1-13

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.”

Timing is everything.  Waiting is hard.  These two truths are important to remember throughout our lives.  We tend to want things to happen expediently and have a hard time being patient.  However, we also desire for things to work efficiently so there are times when waiting is necessary.  God knows the best time for everything to happen.  The coming of Messiah and the coming of the Spirit and world changing events that were determined by God according to His sovereign purposes

THE COMING OF THE SPIRIT: There could be no mistake about the coming of the Spirit.  The disciples had been told to wait for His coming before beginning the mission to which the had been commissioned.  When He came it was clear He had arrived by three signs.  The first was the sound of a rushing wind.  The second was small fires that appeared over their heads.  The third was their speaking in tongues that they had never studied.  There is clearly a change in the ministry of the Holy Spirit on this day.  Jesus had said that He had to leave so the Spirit could come.  This indicates that the Spirit had not come until this moment.  That is not so say that the Spirit was inactive prior to this day.  Certainly, we see Him filling prophets and empowering people for ministry in the Old Testament.  However, this indwelling ministry in the lives of all believers was made possible by the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus.  His coming is not always marked by these signs; but this first arrival is important and cannot be questioned.  His arrival would radically change the lives and ministries of these men and all who would believe as a result of their ministry. 

THE CONGREGATION OF NATIONS: The mission of taking the message of Christ to the nations started with God bringing the nations to the disciples.  During the festival of Pentecost people from many different nations had come to be a part of the celebration.  Jews had spread throughout the world but would come back to Jerusalem for Pentecost.  There would also be Proselytes, Gentiles converted to Judaism, that would come for the festival.  News of the crucifixion of Jesus as well as reports of His resurrection would have spread by this time.  This may also have contributed to a larger than usual gathering of people in Jerusalem for this occasion.  God was preparing the way for the Gospel to spread throughout the world by gathering the nations for what whey would hear at this time.  God’s plan and timing is always perfect for His mission.  We tend to want things to happen quickly or, want to put things for which we feel unprepared off for later.  God always knows the right place and time in history to bring about the events of His choosing.  This should assure us as we await the second coming of Christ.  His plan and mission will be accomplished through us as He moves in our hearts and the circumstances of life to accomplish His mission.

THE CONFUSION OF THE CROWD: The crowd became confused by what they were hearing because each person was hearing the message of the disciples in his own language.  People from all different places, both Jews and proselytes were hearing the disciples speak in the native language of all the different places.  They were hearing the disciples speak of the wonders of God and were amazed by the gift the Spirit had poured out upon these men.  There are several things that are clear in this account.  First, the gift of tongues that the disciples received was an ability to speak languages that they had not studied.  They were not speaking some sort of gibberish.  The people were hearing them speak in their own language and did not need an interpreter to understand their speech.  Second, their message was about God and His works.  They were not promoting themselves but speaking of the glory of God.  Third, God understands the importance of people being able to hear the Gospel in their own language.  The translation of Scripture and the need for missionaries to learn foreign languages is vital to the advance of the Gospel.  The Holy Spirit’s coming resulted in the followers of Jesus being equipped to communicate the Gospel to the nations.  This should tell us a great deal about what the Spirit of God is working to do in our lives today.

APPLICATION: Know that the Holy Spirit has been given to us by God and we are utterly dependent upon Him for our life in Christ.  He is equipping us and empowering us to accomplish His mission in the world.  God is passionate about the nations and is actively and supernaturally working to bring them to Himself.  He is calling us to be engaged at communicating the Gospel to every nation in the language of that nation.