Sunday, May 12, 2024

Spirit - Filled

 

ACTS 2:1-4 

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as The Spirit gave them utterance. 

    Just as He then was, so is The Spirit of God now. He goes where God goes, for He is God's Spirit. He is The Comforter, to comfort those who mourn. He is The Advocate, The Helper sent from God, to lead God's people where God would have us to go. 

    The Spirit is spirit. Though represented by "a mighty rushing wind", "cloven (flames) tongues of fire" here, and "the latter rain" in  Joel 2:23, still The Spirit of God is spirit. As Jesus told Nicodemus, "the wind goes where it will"; we cannot see it, but we can see the effects of where the wind is and where a mighty wind has gone through.  He is The Breath of God breathed into God's new creations: the born again believers.
    And just as The Spirit moved upon the one-hundred and twenty disciples, men and women, who had gathered in one accord ( one heart, one mind, one spirit), The Spirit is ready to move even now. Perhaps, even more so; for the days are short and getting shorter, as God promised in Mark 13:20. They were ready to receive the promise of The Advocate, The Comforter, though they had no idea what this Promise would look like when It arrived. But they trusted God. 
    You and I may not see an actual physical sign of the presence of The Holy Spirit, but we will see the result of His appearing: God will fill the recipient with a new language. Sometimes, a heavenly tongue; sometimes, a language unlearned. For the disciples who received an unlearned language were able to speak those dialects from the housetop to the crowds gathered below, who understood the gospel message in their own native tongue. (Acts 2:5-46). That's the power of God. 
    And when the crowds gathered heard the story of Jesus, many believed and were baptized. Let the crowds gather round to day and hear The Word of The Lord speak. For to day is your day of salvation.