Tuesday Devo
Scripture:
Acts 2:1-4
On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. 2 Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. 3 Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. 4 And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. 2 Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. 3 Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. 4 And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
Commentary:
2:1 Pentecost was the second of the annual harvest festivals, coming 50 days after Passover. All most likely included the entire 120 assembled in the upper room (1:15).
2:2 Jesus had compared the Holy Spirit’s work to the wind (John 3:8), but here the Holy Spirit is coming in greatly increased power, and it was appropriate that this event be accompanied by a sound that was not like a gentle breeze but like a mighty rushing wind. The house where they were sitting probably was the upper room (Acts 1:13), which must have been located close to the temple grounds.
2:3 The divided tongues as of fire were not literal flames (for Luke says “as of”) but looked enough like fire that this was the best description that could be given. “Fire” in the OT often indicates the presence of God, especially in his burning holiness and purity, consuming everything that is impure (see Ex. 3:2; 13:21; 19:18; 40:38; Isa. 4:5; Ezek. 1:4). These tongues may therefore portray both the purity and the power of the speech of these disciples as they proclaimed “the mighty works of God” (Acts 2:11), as well as the holy presence of God.
2:4 filled with the Holy Spirit. This is a fulfillment of what Jesus promised (see notes on 1:5; 1:8). It does not mean that the Holy Spirit was completely inactive prior to this time (for the Spirit of God was active in the world from Gen. 1:2 onward), but now the Spirit was coming to people in a new, more powerful way, signifying the beginning of the new covenant age (the time from Christ’s death until he returns at some time in the future). to speak in other tongues. The word translated “tongues” (Gk. glōssa, plural) can also be translated “languages,” and that is the sense that it has in this verse. In this case the other languages were understood by various people present in Jerusalem, but in 1 Corinthians 14 Paul expects that no one present in the church at Corinth will understand the languages being spoken “in tongues” (see 1 Cor. 14:2). Acts and 1 Corinthians are probably not speaking of different types of gifts but different kinds of audiences: people who understood the languages were present in Jerusalem but were not expected to be present in Corinth (see notes on 1 Cor. 12:10; 12:29–30; 14:2). This is clearly a miracle of speaking, not of hearing, for the disciples began “to speak in other tongues.” As the Spirit gave them utterance indicates that the Holy Spirit was directing the syllables they spoke. Speaking in tongues in this way also seems to be the phenomenon experienced by those at Cornelius’s house (Acts 10:45–46) and the disciples of John at Ephesus (19:6).
2:2 Jesus had compared the Holy Spirit’s work to the wind (John 3:8), but here the Holy Spirit is coming in greatly increased power, and it was appropriate that this event be accompanied by a sound that was not like a gentle breeze but like a mighty rushing wind. The house where they were sitting probably was the upper room (Acts 1:13), which must have been located close to the temple grounds.
2:3 The divided tongues as of fire were not literal flames (for Luke says “as of”) but looked enough like fire that this was the best description that could be given. “Fire” in the OT often indicates the presence of God, especially in his burning holiness and purity, consuming everything that is impure (see Ex. 3:2; 13:21; 19:18; 40:38; Isa. 4:5; Ezek. 1:4). These tongues may therefore portray both the purity and the power of the speech of these disciples as they proclaimed “the mighty works of God” (Acts 2:11), as well as the holy presence of God.
2:4 filled with the Holy Spirit. This is a fulfillment of what Jesus promised (see notes on 1:5; 1:8). It does not mean that the Holy Spirit was completely inactive prior to this time (for the Spirit of God was active in the world from Gen. 1:2 onward), but now the Spirit was coming to people in a new, more powerful way, signifying the beginning of the new covenant age (the time from Christ’s death until he returns at some time in the future). to speak in other tongues. The word translated “tongues” (Gk. glōssa, plural) can also be translated “languages,” and that is the sense that it has in this verse. In this case the other languages were understood by various people present in Jerusalem, but in 1 Corinthians 14 Paul expects that no one present in the church at Corinth will understand the languages being spoken “in tongues” (see 1 Cor. 14:2). Acts and 1 Corinthians are probably not speaking of different types of gifts but different kinds of audiences: people who understood the languages were present in Jerusalem but were not expected to be present in Corinth (see notes on 1 Cor. 12:10; 12:29–30; 14:2). This is clearly a miracle of speaking, not of hearing, for the disciples began “to speak in other tongues.” As the Spirit gave them utterance indicates that the Holy Spirit was directing the syllables they spoke. Speaking in tongues in this way also seems to be the phenomenon experienced by those at Cornelius’s house (Acts 10:45–46) and the disciples of John at Ephesus (19:6).
Questions:
- Not only did Jesus' followers HEAR the sound of a mighty wind in the upper room, but they SAW tongues of fire come to rest on each person there. Just like the burning bush in Exodus, fire is representative of God's divine presence. And they also experienced something they hadn't before...the manifest presence of God Almighty. They were baptized by the Spirit. The presence of God, his shekina glory, had come and consumed them and was now infilling them. Can you imagine how that must have felt? How it sounded? Have you ever had an overwhelming experience with the presence of God that was so profound it's hard to put into words?
- As believers, the Holy Spirit is always with us, living inside us. But we should also seek that continual infilling of the Spirit, when God chooses to pour into you. It should be part of our daily prayer life to ask him to fill us up again so that we might walk in power and boldness as we live for Jesus. When was the last time you asked God to fill you with his Spirit?
FAST 2024 Prayer Topics:
- That God would fill us anew with his Holy Spirit.
- That he would give us the discipline to fast this week.
- That our fast would result in a closer relationship with the Lord and many answers to prayer.
For a full list of prayer topics to pray through during the fast, see the FAST 2024 tab on the app!
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
7. How can I trust that the Bible is still God’s Word today? I trust the Bible is still God’s Word today because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He was God and said His words would never pass away. Through the Holy Spirit, God inspired the writing of the Scripture, determined the canon of Scripture and protected the copying of Scripture so that we might know Him and worship Him to this day.
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)
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