February 22nd & 26th
Acts: Pt. 1 Spark
Acts 1:15-26
Paul says to not be uninformed about:
1. Israel and the place the Jews have in history + prophecy. (Romans 11:25)
2. The Return of Jesus and End Time events (1 Thes. 4:13, 16-17)
3. The Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor. 12:1)
Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.
—Ephesians 4:2-4 (NIV)
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? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” 13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
—Acts 2:1-13 (NIV)
WHY PENTECOST?
1 IT IS IN LINE WITH THE JEWISH FEASTS
2 IT IS THE DAY THE LAW WAS GIVEN
The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died.
—Exodus 32:28 (NIV)
3 IT IS GOING TO BE THE DAY WHEN THE SPIRIT COMES
The AUDIBLE Wonder
v. 2 says, “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind …”
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
—Genesis 3:8 (ESV)
The OPTICAL Wonder
v. 3 says, “They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.”
The VERBAL Wonder
v. 4 says, “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”
What are “tongues”?
Tongues is a known language, except to the person speaking, that God gives a believer for the reason of prayer and praise to God.
And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
—Mark 16:17(NIV)
What about tongues today?
Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.
—1 Corinthians 13:8-10 (ESV)
The grand reason why the miraculous gifts were so soon withdrawn, was not only that faith and holiness were well-nigh lost; but that dry, formal, orthodox men began even then to ridicule whatever gifts they had not themselves, and to decry them all as evil madness. —John Wesley
What would God be doing by giving a gift of a language to people who cannot understand it themselves?
14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. 15 What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.
—1 Corinthians 14:14,15 (ESV)
For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit.
—1 Corinthians 14:2 (ESV)
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
—Romans 8:26,27 (NIV)
Do all believers have the ability to receive the promised gift of tongues?
All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
—Acts 2:4 (NIV)
Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.
—Acts 2:33 (NIV)
The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.
—Acts 2:39 (NIV)
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
—Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)
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Next Steps:
1. Today, I accept Jesus in my life for the first time.
2. I don’t want to be critical about the Holy Spirit but I desire to be curious.
3. I desire to seed the work of Jesus in the hearts of children by serving one and attending one.
4. I will invite others to the “Jesus is” series and to Easter.