Acts 2:1-12
Have you ever felt that nudge to say something to someone about Jesus? Have you felt that same nudge telling you to stop doing something that you shouldn’t be doing? How about the unusual peace you’ve had during a hard time? The strange sense of comfort you’ve experienced when all seemed lost? That’s the Holy Spirit within you! In Acts 2:1-12, we read about the arrival of the Holy Spirit, often called Pentecost. At this time, the Holy Spirit came down from heaven and resided in believers. Prior, the Holy Spirit would come and go, often with the leaders God used and the prophets as they shared prophecy. God would communicate to them through the Spirit and enable them to do what was needed. Now something incredible happened! This same power that was in the heroes of the faith was now for all who believed! On that day, the apostles started to speak in tongues. In other words, they were suddenly able to speak in other languages, and the Jews of different nations were able to understand. This was a way for the apostles to communicate God's message to those who otherwise would not be able to understand. It says in verse 12, they were amazed and perplexed and asked, “what does this mean”? I can imagine the apostles themselves did not fully understand either!
In this moment, we see a prophecy from the Old Testament come true! The Holy Spirit was predicted to come one day, and here we see it happening! “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws,” (Ezekiel 36:26-27). This verse is one of many foreshadowing the coming of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26). Although tongues have ceased, the Holy Spirit is for much more today. It’s our helper, teaching us and guiding us. When we don’t know what to say to someone about our faith, the Spirit helps us (Luke 12:12). This same Spirit helps us when we aren’t sure what to pray (Romans 8:26). The Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity! How miraculous that we share something that our creator has! What an awesome God we have, that He did not leave us to figure it all out. He gave us both the Bible and the Holy Spirit to instruct, convict, comfort, and encourage us. I’m so relieved to live in a time where I have direct access to God in prayer, the completed word of God in my hands, and the power of the Holy Spirit to guide me. Let's remember this was something many went without for hundreds of years! We are so fortunate to have these in our “toolbox” as we await our coming savior. "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).
Have you ever felt that nudge to say something to someone about Jesus? Have you felt that same nudge telling you to stop doing something that you shouldn’t be doing? How about the unusual peace you’ve had during a hard time? The strange sense of comfort you’ve experienced when all seemed lost? That’s the Holy Spirit within you! In Acts 2:1-12, we read about the arrival of the Holy Spirit, often called Pentecost. At this time, the Holy Spirit came down from heaven and resided in believers. Prior, the Holy Spirit would come and go, often with the leaders God used and the prophets as they shared prophecy. God would communicate to them through the Spirit and enable them to do what was needed. Now something incredible happened! This same power that was in the heroes of the faith was now for all who believed! On that day, the apostles started to speak in tongues. In other words, they were suddenly able to speak in other languages, and the Jews of different nations were able to understand. This was a way for the apostles to communicate God's message to those who otherwise would not be able to understand. It says in verse 12, they were amazed and perplexed and asked, “what does this mean”? I can imagine the apostles themselves did not fully understand either!
In this moment, we see a prophecy from the Old Testament come true! The Holy Spirit was predicted to come one day, and here we see it happening! “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws,” (Ezekiel 36:26-27). This verse is one of many foreshadowing the coming of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26). Although tongues have ceased, the Holy Spirit is for much more today. It’s our helper, teaching us and guiding us. When we don’t know what to say to someone about our faith, the Spirit helps us (Luke 12:12). This same Spirit helps us when we aren’t sure what to pray (Romans 8:26). The Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity! How miraculous that we share something that our creator has! What an awesome God we have, that He did not leave us to figure it all out. He gave us both the Bible and the Holy Spirit to instruct, convict, comfort, and encourage us. I’m so relieved to live in a time where I have direct access to God in prayer, the completed word of God in my hands, and the power of the Holy Spirit to guide me. Let's remember this was something many went without for hundreds of years! We are so fortunate to have these in our “toolbox” as we await our coming savior. "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).
Posted in Devotional