Acts 2:1-13…“All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ But others sneered and said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’” vss. 12-13
For sheer dramatic effect there is probably no event more compelling than Luke’s account of the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Think of it! There had been a gathering of Jews from around the Diaspora for the annual festival of Shavuot or Feast of Weeks and suddenly Galileans, the followers of the recently crucified Jesus of Nazareth, began speaking in the native languages of all those who had come to worship. This wasn’t an event like the birth of Jesus in a hidden and obscure stable; this was like halftime at the Super Bowl, an explosion of excitement that was both amazing and perplexing. Something big was happening and no one knew what it was!
Of course some were dismissive and gave all the credit to the fruit of the vine and its intoxicating side effects. That’s far easier to understand than the outpouring of the Spirit that had taken place in the upper room. That’s still the way it is when we encounter people in whom the Holy Spirit is actively working. The transformation is visible and unexplainable. Lives are changed and brokenness healed. Some are quick to say that these are probably the effects of some new drug, but believers know that the restoration is the fruit of the Spirit’s presence.
Thought for the Day: What Holy Spirit changes have I experienced?
0 Comments