Category: Devotions

Acts 2:9

Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia …

What a great verse!

The Parthians were a people who endured the most in the near east. It covered all of modern Iran, Iraq and Armenia, parts of Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan.

The Medes were again from modern day Iran. Their most famous astrologer-priests were the Magus (or Magi) and everyone knows the story of the wise men from the east.

The Elamites is in today’s southwestern Iranian province of Khuzestan. They possessed their own language which has proved largely indecipherable.

The people from Mesopotamia is modern day Iraq, Syria and Kuwait. There was a high degree of written language produced.

Those from Judea were of lower social status.

The Cappadocians were from central Turkey. There are still numerous 100 metre deep rock-face churches to be seen.

Pontus, the god of the sea, which could indicate the people were idol worshippers.

Asians are mentioned in the Revelation. In chapter 1: 4 John,
To the seven churches in the province of Asia:
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne.

The so what?
God had brought together into His city people from nations who today have low Christian populations. They came and they witnessed the Spirit. He can do it again.

God had brought a mixture of people together. Those not educated and looked down upon and those whose written language was not very well known at all. The Spirit came on both. He can do it again.

Acts 2:8

Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language?
What a wonderful question!
Here are some more:
How is it that the Church is speaking so clearly to us?
How is it that the Church is connecting with us?
How is it that the Church are choosing to live amongst us?
How is it that the Church are recognising who we really are?
How is it that the Church are defending us?
How is it that the Church recognise our challenges?
How is it that the Church is making our lives better?
How is it that the Church are giving not wanting?
How is it that the Church looks desirable?
How is it that we want to belong to this Church?
How?
The Spirit.

Acts 2:7

Utterly amazed, they asked: “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans?

Because Jesus spent nearly all his time in Galilee, his followers were mainly Galileans. They were often seen as second class citizens. They spoke Aramaic and Greek. They did not speak the languages of the Jewish world. Yet that is what they were doing!

The Jews were utterly amazed that they were capable of doing something they could not naturally do.

It still happens today.
How come you are able to be so joyful in your circumstance?
Why do you give to others when you have so little?
How can you have such faith?
The answer is always the power of the Spirit.

Today keep in step with the Spirit and let your world be utterly amazed.

Acts 2:6

When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.

This verse shows us that through the ability of the Spirit the church began to praise God in unlearned languages that could be understood by man. It’s not the ‘tongues’ that many would use today which is not understandable but a heavenly prayer language.

Many have testified of having this Pentecost experience on hearing their own language from someone who has never learnt it but simply thought they were speaking in tongues. It does happen today and I am amazed when I hear of it.

The majority world spoke Greek due to the expansion of Alexander the Great’s kingdom. However they also had their own local language.
Their bewilderment was over the fact that they heard the praises to God not in Greek but their own language.
Today I think of my missionaries in Nigeria who are involved in the much needed work of Bible translation. The joy of anyone hearing the good news in their own understandable language is a brilliant experience to witness.

The Church needs:
1. To have an attractive sound that is heard.
2. To cause those outside the Church to be amazed.
3. To be able to communicate in a language that is understood.

Is this possible?
With the Holy Spirit it is.

Acts 2:5

Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.

It just so happened? No it was orchestrated by God that on the day of Pentecost when the estimated population of Jerusalem rose approximately 1 million people that He poured out His Spirit.
What an amazing thought that God would wait for a coming together of people from around the world so that He could move amongst them.

And as we see the thousands of refugees coming together into our nation surely we should sit up with expectation that God is going to do something!

3 signs of Holy Spirit activity.

Acts 2:4
All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

1. Your community will understand the value of being in a community.
There was no place for stars and heroes. ALL were filled.

2. Your community will begin to speak in a way it hadn’t before.
What goes in comes out.

3. Your community will experience God outside of their culture and language.
One culture and language never has a monopoly on God.

Acts 2:3

They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.

One of the symbols of Christianity is fire. If the Bible regards fire as the supreme need of the Church and the final gift of God. If the prophets of old associated fire with the Messiah. If our God is a consuming fire. If the gift of the Holy Spirit is a baptism by fire. If Christianity is a religion of fire. If we are saved by fire. If fire is so important then what exactly is it?
What happened on the day of Pentecost?
See beyond the phenomena, the noise, the violent wind, the tongues of fire, speaking in tongues, drunken-like behaviour. You will then see men and women whose lives were saturated with the Spirit of God. The passion of God possessed them with an intensity of a fire. They burned and they shone for Jesus. A holy passion for righteousness, a consuming enthusiasm for the salvation of the lost. They were sold out for Jesus.
You cannot make up this passion.
The fire of God is unique.
The world understands passion. The world is passionate about rugby right now! But it is not possible for you to create passion for God. You cannot through effort or desire or strategy bring about divine fire. It is a gift to receive.
The fire of God is not sent for a few emotional experiences. The fire of God brings power, acts 1:8. Power to surrender your whole life to God.

Acts 2:2

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

It was Sovereign – the visitation was from heaven.
The only thing that will satisfy a visitation from heaven.
Sometimes you get to the point in your life when earth and everything on earth will not and can not give to you what you need.

It was Sudden. No warning. It could not of been advertised. No time to make plans, to put it in the brochure. If you were not there at the service, you missed it. The suddenly came in the environment of expectancy.

It was Supernatural. A violent wind. Not a gentle breeze. Frightening. There was a sound. When God visits, you will hear Him powerfully upon the Church. The community will know.

Come!

Acts 2:1

I wasn’t planning to do a verse by verse thing. But I think I will just carry on if that’s okay with you?!

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.

The CHURCH is a going church not a sitting church.
Pentecost is the significant component of that.
Pentecost marked the beginning of the harvest of the nation of Israel. The people went into their fields to gather the fruit and various grains.
Pentecost was also called “the feast of weeks”, “the feast of harvest” and “the day of first fruits”.
The harvest had 3 parts according to the Old Testament:
The main harvest
The corners of the field
The gleanings – the left overs.
Jesus mentions a harvest in 3 parts which we have already seen in the last chapter: 1:8
Jerusalem (the main harvest)
Judea and Samaria (corners of the field)
The ends of the world – the Gentiles (the left overs).
At Pentecost believers received power to gather in their harvest beginning with Jerusalem, then Judea, Samaria and then to the ends of the world.
It marked the beginning of the mission for the church to gather in lost people.
It still does.
Let Pentecost be every day.

Acts 1:26

Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.

Can you imagine making one of the most important decisions and really trusting God to guide you by throwing the dice to see if the numbers come up?!

Isn’t it a good job we don’t follow this practice today. Mind you when I think of some decisions made sometimes I think a pair of dice might have been better used!

When I was growing up in our house was a promise box. A small wooden box of small scrolls with bible promises in them. Often when I was in need of a dream that my life would be great I would go to the box get the tweezers and pull out a promise. If I didn’t like it or didn’t understand it I would put it back and do the best of three routine.

So how do we get our heads around this that the apostles used dice to hear from God? Sounds a bit supernatural doesn’t it?

We do know they prayed and asked the Lord to show them.
We do know they talked together looking for the right candidate with the right experience.
We do know the dice were an Old Testament practice. The disciples resorted to this because this is all they knew at the time. They were days away from finding the supernatural voice of the Spirit speaking to them through the gifts.

I like the fact that they did turn to the Scriptural practice. In these days of the Spirit often people have become Word-less. There needs to be both. Let us make sure we don’t just have one or the other.