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1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. 5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." 12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" 13 But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine." 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15 Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. 16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17 "In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 20 The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. 21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' (Acts 2:1-21 NRSV)
Dear Friend, a blessed Tuesday for you and yours. We celebrate you and your life and we are thankful you are a reader and listner of this ministry. Please pray that more will come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The need is as great now as it was before Jesus came to the earth. But the power of the gospel continues to bless those who seek Him, trust Him, and walk with Him. I ask for your prayers as this coming Sunday I will be preaching Pentecost Sunday at El Campo First Methodist Church in El Campo, Texas.
It sometimes happens that you come to an event for a specific reason, then a surprising better reason shows up and you're even more glad that you were there. Such was the case with the throngs of people from the known world. Jews from every nation near Jerusalem, who could afford the trip, were present for the celebration of Moses' sharing the Law with the people in the wilderness. It was also a celebration of the end of the grain harvest and all who came together for this celebration offered sacrifices to God. What they would soon discover, was the the ultimate sacrifice had already been made, by God, for their behalf, in the giving of the Lamb of God, who was Jesus, our Lord. So, in a gathering to give thanks to God, God instead gave them the gift.
There used to be in the City of Dallas, an exhibit that I loved to visit. The structure that housed it was called The Biblical Arts Center and within it was the world's largest painting of the Pentecost. You sat in theater seats in a darkened room and soon the narration began with the story found in this passage. As the Holy Spirit fell, spotlights would highlight the head of those being touched by the Spirit and the music would build; and the story was shared of how God acted on that day with this outpouring as prophecied in the Old Testament. The years went by and since we had seen it before we put off seeing it again until last September when Nellie and I were surprised to find a completely new building with totally new exhibits. We were saddend to learn the building and the painting caught fire and burned to the ground. The new exhibit featured another world's largest painting of the Resurrection, but without narration or music.
Back to our story. Gathered to thank God, God blesses them with this unexpected gift. The crowd was about to be wowed in so many different ways. The appearance of fire may have frightened some, if not all, and the fire was distributed to the Twelve. The flames were the visible representation of what has about to happen internally; they were to be filled with the Holy Spirit. A new, unexpected manifestation was that as they were filled with this gift, the Disciples began to speak in languages that were not their own. The amazed crowd responds with "How can this be? These are Galileans; meaning their reputation or rather their town's reputation preceded them. The Twelve spoke in languages represented there on that day. And as they spoke in these tongues they glorified God and His mighty deeds of power. Some in the crowd blamed wine, and new wine at that. But, here is Peter, the chief among the disciples who says that they are not drunk, but they are fulfilling the prophecy of the prophet Joel, who said, "In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy."
This event marked the inauguration of the new covenant era, where God’s Spirit would be poured out on all believers, regardless of age, gender, or social status. The Spirit empowered the disciples to boldly proclaim the gospel in languages they had not previously known, demonstrating the universality of God’s salvation.
Peter, filled with the Spirit, stood up and proclaimed the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy, declaring that in the last days, God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh. This outpouring would bring about signs and wonders, leading to salvation for all who call upon the name of the Lord.
Pentecost serves as a reminder of the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church. Just as the early disciples were empowered by the Spirit to bear witness to Christ, we too are called to be filled with the Spirit and to boldly proclaim the gospel in word and deed.
PRAYER: Gracious God, we thank You for the gift of Your Holy Spirit, who empowers and equips us for the work of ministry. Fill us afresh with Your Spirit, that we may boldly proclaim the gospel and bear witness to Your mighty deeds. May Your Spirit move in our midst, transforming lives and bringing about revival in Your church. Help us to be attentive to Your leading and obedient to Your will. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Use all the gifts God has shared with you to make known God's marvelous gifts.
I love you and I thank God for you!
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
