Acts 2:1-13 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is Acts 2:1-13. As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
Acts 2:1-11 (NIV)
1 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 them speaking in his own language.
7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans?
8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own 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!”
On verses 1-11: Pentecost, also known as the Feast of Weeks, was one of the three big festivals in the Jewish calendar (the other two being the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Tabernacles – see Leviticus 23). Happening on the 50th day after the Passover Feast (Pentecost in ancient Greek means “Fiftieth”), Pentecost was a time to thank God for the harvest. It is fitting that God chose Pentecost to be the day when He would fill His church with the Holy Spirit.
The significance of this passage must not be lost on us. The fact is that we wouldn’t be here reading the Bible and worshiping the Lord today if it weren’t for this incredibly significant moment. For not only did the Holy Spirit fill His church just as Jesus had promised, but people from different nations outside of Israel – “every nation under heaven” (v5) – began to witness the work of God’s Spirit leading them to Jesus.
Before this moment, when Jesus was ministering publicly on earth, certain people from different nations got to experience His power on an individual basis: the Roman centurion in Matthew 8, the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15, the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4, to name a few. Also, the crowd surrounding Jesus’ disciples in Acts 2 were all or mostly Jewish. In other words, by this time Jesus’ message had not yet reached the Gentile (non-Jewish) nations of the world in a major way. Still, Acts 2 represents a watershed moment when the Holy Spirit fills the church just as Jesus had promised and when the gospel of Jesus Christ is about to reach thousands of people from different nations. We the church would not be here today with this moment in Acts 2.
This passage puts the spotlight on two of the biggest themes in the book of Acts: (1) God’s heart to reach every person on the planet from every nation; and (2) the importance and power of the Holy Spirit as well as God’s desire that every one of His children be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:12-13 (NIV)
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.”
On verses 12-13: When we see God do things in and through His people the church that we are not familiar with, or more generally when we see things that we are not used to, we have two choices. Either we can seek to understand and ask with a humble heart, “What does this mean?” or we can dismiss it and say, “They’re out of their minds.” May we be quick to listen and learn, slow to speak and judge.
Father, thank You for Your heart to reach every person on the planet from every nation. I realize today that without this moment in Acts 2, I would not be here today worshiping You. Thank You for the day that, pursuant to Your Son Jesus’ request, You sent us Your Holy Spirit and filled Your church with power. We need Your Holy Spirit once again today. Please come and fill us today. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
Copyright © 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.
