2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 “‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
I am interested in power, the power that we use to energize devices like cellphones, cars, computers, and many other items. I imagine that my interest in energy is why I wanted to be an engineer growing up and would tinker with electrical things. I respect anyone who works in those fields dealing with powerful elements.
Two hundred years before the birth of Christ, coal mining started in China. Then, about 800 years later, the first windmill was constructed in Iran. Human beings have always needed power, and for centuries, they have pulled it from both the ground and the air.
Around 1700, the Maori people began to use geothermal power for cooking and heating. In 1868, the first modern solar power plant was built in Algiers. We think of geothermal and solar as new technologies, but they're not. Today's technology works on the same old principles, just with new ways to use it. The Bible tells us that there is nothing new under the sun.
We join the disciples in the text seven weeks after the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus or 50 days. "Pentecost" is shorthand for the festival celebrated on the fiftieth day after Passover, one of the three pilgrim festivals (see Exodos 23:16; 34:22; Deuteronomy 16:10). Followers of Jesus were gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate a Jewish holiday called Pentecost or "The Festival of Weeks." It was a harvest festival and a time to give thanks for the gift of the law to Moses on Mount Sinai. The people of God were thankful for this law, which gave them inspiration and structure for their lives. The law was, in many ways, their historic power plant.
The Feast of Weeks is a festival, so the town is full of travelers and immigrants. The disciples walked and talked with Jesus were there, and they continued to worship privately. The disciples are still to themselves, not connecting with the outsiders. The church people are still being private, the church people need power, and that power is about to come to them.
The apostles needed power. And they got it unexpectedly. In that private worship, the Holy Spirit came on them all and gave them power.
The Holy Spirit entered a house full of Jesus' followers, and it created a new kind of power. It filled the apostles with new life, enabling them to communicate with a diverse group of people, speak boldly to a large crowd and fulfill the prophecy of Joel. The Spirit generated a more energetic and vibrant community of faith, connected in new ways with the surrounding community.
The outpouring of the Spirit is anticipated by John the Baptist (Luke 3:16) and Jesus (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4, 8). Peter told the crowd that God's Spirit was going to change their lives for the better: "Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy," he said, "and your young men shall see visions" (v. 17).
Embrace the power of the Holy Spirt
The disciples didn't run from the Holy Spirit, nor did they run from what the Holy Spirit could do. The disciples embraced the work of the Holy Spirit to further the church. New things can be scary. Too much too soon can be a lot to deal with when you are repeatedly used to the same thing. The Disciples didn't say this is not what we are used to, so let's quit. The Disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and started acting like it. Peter could have said, I denied Jesus three times, so I am not qualified to do this work, but it was the opposite. Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit, which allowed him to speak to all the people and respond to those who just thought the disciples were drunk.
Birth and broaden the church
Acts chapter 2 is considered the birth of the church, the church's birthday if you will, but it is also the broadening of the church. Notice that the text says they all spoke in different languages, and everyone was able to understand. The disciples did not require the outsiders to learn their language; the Holy Spirit made way for the disciples to speak the outsiders' languages. At Annual Conference, our denominational gathering, I heard confirmation from leadership about something that had been in Spirit for a few months. Based on the state of our churches and society at large, they said that every church would have to start operating like they are a brand-new church. No matter how old the church is, no matter how long the members have been there, if you want your church to survive, you will have to treat it like it is a brand-new church starting from scratch. That means doing new things and dealing with new people.
Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and quoted Joel 2:24, an inclusive prophecy from the ninth-century B.C. prophet Joel. Joel's prophecy describes the true nature of the new age that has now dawned with the Holy Spirit's arrival. The Joel text goes beyond the boundaries of nationality and geography to declare that there no longer will be any spiritual distinctions between men and women, old and young, servants and free, or a special spiritually gifted priesthood and the ordinary laity. There is no exclusion in Joel's prophecy, and all can receive the Holy Spirit, not just a select few.
"It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty, and there is strength."
— Maya Angelou, poet, singer, memoirist, and civil rights activist
God created a Powerhouse on Pentecost, which gave the apostles a clean and sustainable energy source. Unlike coal, oil, or natural gas, the Spirit does not contribute to climate change. Unlike the wind of the air, it is constantly blowing. Unlike geothermal, it does not require drilling. And unlike solar, it is available even on cloudy days. All we have to do is ask for it.
Such spiritual power is needed today if we are going to be part of a church that brings life, joy, and hope to the world. Men and women have been drawn to "the Way" (Acts 9:2) since the church's earliest days. They have tapped into a source of power that comes from beyond themselves: A power that is not found primarily in programs, policies, or institutions but in the Holy Spirit of God. This Pentecost power is an energy source that can keep people burning with love for God and those around them while radiating warmth and light to a cold, dark world.
We can be part of the Christian Way by turning our church into a powerhouse. When we do this, we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit, an energy source that gives us both the courage and the ability to connect with people around us in life-giving ways.
Call on the name of Jesus.
Those who call on the name of Jesus will be saved.
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