The Church is Born

As the 120 followers of Christ were gathered together on the Jewish Feast Day of Pentecost, the promised ministry of the Holy Spirit of God came in a dramatic fashion. The disciples heard something, saw something, and said something. Luke tells us that they heard a "great noise." This great sound signaled the descent of the Spirit of God from Heaven in a mighty way. It was loud enough that those in the surrounding area heard it and came to investigate. Accompanying this sound was a visible manifestation of the Spirit as "tongues as of fire" that rested on the disciples' heads. This symbolized God's power through the proclamation of His Word in the lives of believers. It is at this point that the believers were "filled with the Spirit." The filling of the Spirit means to be permeated, or controlled by the Spirit in such as way that God is able to use someone for His glory. Lastly, the followers were given the supernatural ability to speak actual languages that the native speakers could understand. The purpose of this gifting was to validate or authenticate the message of the gospel in the ministry of the Apostles. Jews from all of these nations heard the disciples “speaking of the mighty deeds of God” (2:11). The whole point of Acts 2 is not about tongues - it’s all about the gift of the Holy Spirit to empower the church to be His witness to all the nations. Remember, the goal of the gospel is the glory of God. Is the focus of your life on God's glory? Is your passion that the people around you would see Christ in you?

Press On! Pastor Brian Richard