June 05th, 2019

Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Acts 2:1-4: 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 fillet 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 That I Have Your Attention:
Shortly after the departure of Jesus back to heaven on the Day of Ascension, the promised Holy Spirit arrived. And there was no mistaking His arrival. The sound of the mighty wind and the sight of the tongues of fire. The Holy Spirit made Himself known.

It was like "Now that I have your attention..." And this is consistent with God. When He wants to make Himself known, He leaves no doubt. Whether it's the flood, the chariot of fire that scooped up Elijah, or the birth of God in baby Jesus, God makes Himself know in a dramatic way.

The Power to Tell:
Jesus told His apostles that this was going to happen. Just before Jesus went back to heaven, He told His apostles, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

After the sound and the tongues, the power of the Holy Spirit came to the apostles.

Some might say that the apostles began to talk about Jesus on their own because they summoned the courage to do so on their own.

Let's explore this a moment. Could you, who have been sitting in this house with a locked door for fear of the Jews who hated Jesus and you, suddenly with passion and power proclaim Jesus to a hostile crowd? It would be very unlikely, even impossible for you to do so. People do not overcome their fear it that radical of a way without a giant push.

And that push was the power of the Holy Spirit. It was as if the apostles were new men. And they were. 

They Were New Men:
They were no longer timid. They did not act upon fear or worry about what someone might think of them. Even some in the crowd thought that this "display" was a result of too much alcohol. 

Their confidence to speak of Jesus did not come from a bottle. It came from God. They were living new lives! They were inspired by the power of the Holy Spirit to speak of what they knew of Jesus. The Holy Spirit made them different. They no longer were timid, shy, and fearful of themselves and others. God the Holy Spirit gave to them the power to set all that aside and trust Him.

We are New People:
The same Holy Spirit changes us and inspires us to be bold and strong in our disciple life. When we come to grips with that reality, when we trust the Holy Spirit and His guidance, we then let go of the fear, timidity, and reservations. When we trust the Holy Spirit and the truth He speaks of Jesus, it is the power of God that leads to move forward with confidence and boldness in what and in whom we believe.

It's like this, when we begin to more fully realize what God has done for us in Jesus, we will more fully worship, pray, and serve Him.

Any thoughts? Please share.

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