Suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
The Holy Spirit came upon them suddenly - not predictably or expectedly or customarily but 'suddenly'.
Welcome to the world of Acts and the 'sudden' Spirit of God, sovereign and free, never subordinate to timing or technique. He creates His own agenda, determines his own calendar, and keeps His own hours.
Fire and wind now. House shaking later. Visiting the Samaritans after water baptism. Falling on the Gentiles before water baptism.
And here, roaring like a tornado through Jerusalem. The 'Sound' filled the whole house' and spilled into the streets. The whistling, rushing,blowing sound of a wind.
They began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
..........we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.
So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, 'Whatever could this mean?'(vv.4-12)
Envision such a phenomenon. Imagine a cosmopolitan center such as New York City. Fifth Avenue is packed with business people, laborers, and travellers from all over the world.
Early one morning as the mobs throb their way to work, the sound of wind shakes the boulevard. The roar is so stout and robust that people stop dead in their tracks as if expecting to see a train blaze down the avenue.
Silence falls on the city only to be interrupted by the voices of a group gathered in Central Park. One hundred and twenty people speak, each one standing beneath a different flame, each one proclaiming God's goodness in a different language. Witnesses hear their native tongues. Jose from Spain hears about God's mercy in Spanish, Mayo from Japan hears a message in Japanese.....They hear different languages but one message: the wonders of God.
Whatever could this mean ? (v.12) ...rushing wind and falling fire....
At least this much....God loves the nations.....He longs to proclaim His greatness in all 6909 languages that exist in the world today.
He loves all people groups and equips us to be His voice.
He commissions common Galileans, Nebraskans, Canadians, and Koreans to speak the languages of the peoples of the world.
He teaches us the vocabulary of the distant lands, the dialect of the discouraged neighbor, the vernacular of the lonely heart, and the idiom of the young student.
God outfits his followers to cross cultures and touch hearts. Pentecost makes this promise: if you are in Christ, God's Spirit will speak through you.
Let God unshell you. And when He does, 'make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given , and then sink yourself into that.(Gal.6:4 msg.)
Don't miss the opportunity to discover your language.
I am reading the above book. I joined booksneeze.com and you get to review a book which they send you for free and you just write a review of it on your blog. Pretty cool...
So, this one chapter has impacted me most so far,especially the invitation to 'discover your language'....which for me has clearly been a burden for the elderly.
I love that God speaks every language, and likes to awaken our ear to hear the many and varied ways He chooses to speak .
And I really appreciate Max Lucado and the language the Lord has chosen to speak His heart to me through. Very nice.
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