The Week of Pentecost – Sunday

And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost. – Acts 2:4.

When the day of Pentecost, the fiftieth day after Easter, was fully come, ten days after the ascension of Jesus Christ, at nine o’clock in the morning (Acts 2:15), the disciples were all, one “hundred and twenty” (1:15b) of them, both men and “women,” assembled “with one accord”  (1:14) in “an upper room” (1:13a) of a house.  “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues, like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.  And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues [other languages], as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.  Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together [at this house], and were confounded, because that every man heard them [the disciples] speak in his own language.  And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another: ‘Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans?  And how hear we every man in our own tongue [in our own language] wherein we were born: Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians; we do hear them speak in our tongues [in our languages] the wonderful works of God.’  And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another: ‘What meaneth this?’  Others, mocking, said: ‘These men are full of new wine’” (2:2-13).

This outpouring of the Holy Ghost upon the disciples of Jesus had been prophesied in the Old Testament, and repeatedly promised by Jesus, both before His suffering and death, and after His resurrection.  And it was attended by great and miraculous signs and wonders, so that all might observe it.  The Holy Ghost wanted to equip the first witnesses of Jesus with power from on high unto their great calling of preaching the Gospel to all the world. And the Holy Ghost always wants to glorify Christ through the Word of the evangelists and apostles in “all” hearts (I Timothy 2:3-4), especially in the hearts of those whom He brings to faith in Christ.

The Holy Ghost is not manifesting Himself now as He did on the day of Pentecost, with gifts of immediate knowledge of languages and cloven tongues of fire, but He continues to give gifts unto His Church through His Word for its spiritual growth (Ephesians 4:1-16).  As the disciples proclaimed the wonderful works of God on that special Pentecost morning, may you also glorify God in your heart and in your songs of praise, O Christian, in gratitude for all His wonderful works which He has perfectly done and finished for your justification “through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24), for your reconciliation with Him through “Christ” (II Corinthians 5:19), “not imputing [your] trespasses unto [you], not imputing their trespasses [the world’s trespasses] unto them” (II Corinthians 5:19), all because “He [God] made Him [Christ] be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him [in Christ]” (II Corinthians 5:21)!

PRAYER – God, the Holy Ghost, I implore Thee, glorify Christ more and more also in my heart, that I may more firmly rely on Him and on His gracious Gospel over against sin, temptation, affliction, death, judgment, and eternal damnation, and finally obtain the full glory of eternal salvation by Thy grace, who lives and reigns with the Father and with the Son, true God, forever and ever.  Amen.

Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord;

be all Thy graces now outpoured;

on each believer’s mind and heart;

Thy fervent love to them impart;

Lord, by the brightness of Thy light;

Thou in the faith dost men unite;

of ev’ry land and ev’ry tongue;

this to Thy praise, O Lord, our God, be sung.

Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!

(Hymn 224, st. 1; TLH)