Wednesday Devo
Scripture:
Acts 2:5-8
5 At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. 6 When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.
7 They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, 8 and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages!
5 At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. 6 When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.
7 They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, 8 and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages!
Commentary:
2:5 The presence of the crowd indicates that the setting must be the temple grounds, the only place in Jerusalem that could accommodate more than 3,000 persons (v. 41). The fact that they were dwelling in Jerusalem suggests not only Jewish pilgrims but local residents as well.
2:6 hearing them speak. They spoke the “mighty works of God” (v. 11), the language of praise.
2:6 hearing them speak. They spoke the “mighty works of God” (v. 11), the language of praise.
Questions:
- Onlookers were amazed to see these uneducated men speaking fluently in other dialects. The disciples' mouths were set "on fire" as they spoke the wonders of God in languages they didn't understand, which allowed each person witnessing this event to understand the Gospel in their own language. When the Spirit of God moves, it is always to bring himself glory and to point people towards the Gospel. Do you allow the Holy Spirit to move in and through you to the point that people are pointed towards Jesus? What would it look like for this to be the case in your life?
- But this occurrence was more DESCRIPTIVE than it was PRESCRIPTIVE. In other words, this was an atypical event that doesn't happen the same way again. Just like in Jesus' ministry and the miracles he performed, God supernaturally works in different ways that seldom repeat. But we can tend to want to make a system of things. Like, if you have the Holy Spirit, then A, B, and C happens to you. This can create classes of Christians that think if you have only experienced A then you're below someone that has experienced B and C. Have you experienced this before, where someone thinks you're less of a Christian because you haven't experienced something or lack some particular spiritual gift?
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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