In The Word
Read: Acts 2:1-13
The Day of Pentecost
2 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.2 And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.
5 Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 They were amazed and astonished, saying, “Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.” 12 And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”13 But others were mocking and saying, “They are full of sweet wine.”
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
The Pentecost Revival of AD 30 is said to be the first great awakening, an outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit. Without any provocation, God chose this day, a day Jews celebrated the harvest of wheat and the Law given to Moses at Sinai, to fill His disciples with His Holy Spirit. King Jesus was sending out His servants to accomplish a divine mission that could not be done without divine help. He had told His disciples to wait for this great power before embarking on the great mission to evangelize the world. The filling of the Holy Spirit is a gift from God. It is different from the salvation experience. At salvation the Holy Spirit comes into us to give us the fruit of the Spirit to change our lives but the infilling of the Holy Spirit is when He comes into us to give the power to effectively minister to others.
When the Holy Spirit infills us for our King’s mission there is power that runs through us to operate in the many gifts of God outlined in Romans 12:6-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:2-10. The list of gifts include service, administration, teaching, exhortation, giving, leadership, mercy, wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, the gifts of healing, the working of miracles, prophecy, the discerning of spirits, diverse kind of tongues, or the interpretation of tongues. God determines who gets what. These gifts are given to empower the church. So if you have not experienced this filling of the Holy Spirit ask your heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus to give you His power to do His work. Together as a body with the gifts and power of God we can complete the divine mission of God.