Ready For The Reality of Pentecost
Imagine you have been with the group of disciples and followers of Jesus for 10 days since Jesus left. These people are in Jerusalem and the town is teeming with people from around the world. This is because this festival (Pentecost) is one of the 3 required festivals for people who can make the journey to Jerusalem. There is the atmosphere that something will happen because of Jesus' promise. However, no one at this point knows what.
We now know what happened and there are some important truths that this day surely reveals. The first thing we notice is that God's presence empowers the 120 gathered to speak in other (many different) tongues with power and clarity about the "mighty deeds of God (Acts 2:11). The many nations that are recorded in Acts 2 reveal that this sound of the many languages one time must have been bewildering to some.
Second, there is a "reversal of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9)." At Babel there was confusion of languages caused by God while here there is the communication of the Gospel to people in their different languages. God empowers these followers of Jesus the ability to speak directly to people of other nationalities in their language. This feature of God's Spirit is that all nations and people have a part in this kingdom.
Third, the festival of Pentecost celebrates the giving of the Law from Sinai as that which makes the children of Abraham into the nation of Israel. The Jewish people have an external guide to study and understand The correlation here I that it is the giving of The Holy Spirit that now creates the people of God. This giving of the Holy Spirit is now an internal guide for the people of God
Finally, there is also the coming of the Spirit to inhabit his people. This suggests to some the idea of God re-taking residence in His real Temple: people. No longer would the Temple in Jerusalem be thought of as to where God dwells but in people What a glorious truth that we are the Temple of God/The Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19) and God's true dwelling place.
I want to personally commit to the truth of communicating in the power of The Holy Spirit Gods message of His mighty works. I also want to live in the truth that I am The Temple of The Holy Spirit.
REFLECT; Let's all live with the reality that God wants all people to know of His mighty deeds. Additionally, let's live with a new awareness that we are the real Temple of The Holy Spirit/God!