ACTS of the Apostles

Wednesday April 20

Read Acts 2:1-13

Focus Verses: Acts 2:1-4

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

In our reading today, we are presented with several amazing happenings. First of all, as someone who has a hard time putting dates on a calendar and remembering to show up for them, I am personally awed by God who is the orchestrater of time, meaning ALL of time. In Acts chapter 2, we are told that it is the "day of Pentecost," which was a ceremonial feast of thanksgiving concerning the Israelites' harvest, put into place by God through Moses over a thousand years prior to this particular day in Acts. Many Jews had gathered to celebrate, so of course, God had chosen this specific harvest-celebration-day for the Holy Spirit to come bountifully into the hearts of his people. God misses nothing in his sovereign timeline!

Secondly, in the sound of a mighty wind and the sight of fiery flames, we witness the power of the Holy Spirit enter into all those who were worshipping in the temple. Jesus' promised Spirit: the Comforter, the Helper, the Encourager, the Teacher, the Counselor, was now abiding in the hearts of all the believers who were present. Immediately and amazingly, they were able to speak in languages that could be understood by the surrounding on-lookers (15 different dialects are mentioned!). By God's purposeful design, the Good News could now be spread far and wide.

This perfect planning God in Acts 2 is the same God that we worship and praise today! And this strong fiery Spirit is the same Spirit that fills us right now! We too, house his divine power and hold his living word for the purpose of sharing the Good News of Jesus with others. God has a timeline and we are a part of it! God has a motive and we are called to it! Let's ask the Lord to invade us and involve us now, today, so we too can participate in his amazing storyline.

We have much to learn from these first Spirit-filled followers of Christ and I'm excited to do so with each of you.

Dear Lord,

Revive us today! Remind us of the gift of your abiding Spirit so that we can do great things for the glory of your name. Make our hearts attentive to what you have for us in your word as we study these first apostles. Set ablaze your holy flame in and through this divinely selected family of Soul Sisters. In Jesus' name, Amen.