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Jul 23, 2024 06:00am

United in Spirit

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The piano music filled the air. Voices being lifted up in song and a man speaking. But I couldn’t understand anything they were saying. They were all speaking Arabic. I placed the headphones on my ears and suddenly, there it was. The message was being translated from Arabic to English and I could hear and understand it!

I can’t explain the overwhelming joy that filled my heart to think I could worship the Lord alongside my brothers and sisters of Jordan.

This is the closest thing I can share with you to what we will read about today. It’s so miraculous and astounding! It’s hard for me to picture exactly what it looked like!

We will be reading out of Acts 2. I encourage you to read the whole chapter since, for the sake of time, we will be sharing only a portion of it.

Acts 2:1-8
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.
3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.
6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.
7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?
8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?”

First of all, can I just say, how amazing is GOD?

Remember, we just studied about why the Jews were in Jerusalem. It was their feast of harvest or weeks, which is also known as Pentecost because that word literally means 50th day.

So, all of these men are in one place. Did we assume that they all spoke one language? They’ve traveled miles and miles away from their homeland, from their native languages and have come together in one place.

Just as He promised, Jesus sent the Holy Spirt to His believers, His disciples. And on this day, the very first time the Holy Spirit indwelled the believers, He came with a purpose.

When they (notice, it says all, not just some, but all of the believers) received the Holy Spirit, they began speaking “with other tongues”. Which means, “other languages”. But note – it says, “as the Spirit gave them utterance” or “as the Spirit enabled them.”

And what did the men who were gathered hear?

It wasn’t gibberish. It wasn’t some angelic language that no one could understand.

They heard the men preaching in their native language! They could understand it! Not just one of them, all of them! All of the languages!

And remember, it was with and for a purpose.

Look at verses 11-12

“we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”
12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”

The purpose was to point them all to who God is, what He has done and what His will is for their lives.

The purpose of all preaching – yesterday, today and every day to come.

How incredible and amazing is our God? How great His love is for His people that He would desire for us to know Him?

He gave these men the unique and special ability to speak to these Jews of other nations, all in their native tongues.

At Lifeword, we are getting to do something similar. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we think we have the “gift of tongues”. But we take the gospel message and translate it into other languages and use the internet and radio to broadcast it throughout the world. Right now, Lifeword has this life saving message in 160 languages and we are working to add more daily!

And it’s all being driven by the Holy Spirit for God’s purpose and glory!

Tomorrow, we will dive deeper into the Day of Pentecost and the purpose in Peter’s message that he brings through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Isn’t scripture exciting!?