The Word This Week
Acts 2:1…
The apostles and disciples had been gathered together in one accord for ten days since Jesus’ ascension.
They had no real idea what would come next.
Jesus had commanded them to wait for the promise of the Father, which He had told them about.
Sometimes, (perhaps all the time,) waiting is the hardest part. Jesus had told them the Holy Spirit would come upon them, which Jesus called ‘the baptism with the Holy Spirit.’
For those who were already born again - as all of the approximately 120 gathered together were – this may have been a trying time. But Jesus told them to wait, and so they did.
What would happen next no one but Jesus could have possibly predicted. It was now the Day of Pentecost, and hundreds of thousands of Jews were gathered in Jerusalem for the days of the feast, described in Leviticus 23.
We well remember in John 7, when on the last day of the Feast when the priests poured the water from the Pool of Siloam on the ground, signifying God had always provided water during the days of the desert wanderings - and that those days were now completed - that Jesus stood up the midst of the quiet reverence of that moment as the thousands were gathered in thanksgiving to God, and declared in strong voice so everyone gathered could hear, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
Now, at this very next high day of the Feast of Pentecost, all those who had listened carefully would come to understand the meaning of what Jesus said that previous Pentecost.
The Holy Spirit, the ‘Living Water,’ was indeed poured out, and in a very powerful way so as to gather a crowd of worshiping Jews from the known world. There was suddenly the sound of a mighty rushing wind, and the appearance of tongues of fire rested upon each of the disciples gathered in the upper room.
And there was spontaneous praise lifted to the Father by each one of those born-again disciples in the native tongue of the crowd come to see what was going on.
Now all those who had waited patiently for this outpouring - without knowing exactly what they were waiting for - knew why Jesus had told them to wait - and what He had told them to wait for.
Out of their hearts poured forth torrents of living water, and The Church Age was begun.
Pastor Bill
The apostles and disciples had been gathered together in one accord for ten days since Jesus’ ascension.
They had no real idea what would come next.
Jesus had commanded them to wait for the promise of the Father, which He had told them about.
Sometimes, (perhaps all the time,) waiting is the hardest part. Jesus had told them the Holy Spirit would come upon them, which Jesus called ‘the baptism with the Holy Spirit.’
For those who were already born again - as all of the approximately 120 gathered together were – this may have been a trying time. But Jesus told them to wait, and so they did.
What would happen next no one but Jesus could have possibly predicted. It was now the Day of Pentecost, and hundreds of thousands of Jews were gathered in Jerusalem for the days of the feast, described in Leviticus 23.
We well remember in John 7, when on the last day of the Feast when the priests poured the water from the Pool of Siloam on the ground, signifying God had always provided water during the days of the desert wanderings - and that those days were now completed - that Jesus stood up the midst of the quiet reverence of that moment as the thousands were gathered in thanksgiving to God, and declared in strong voice so everyone gathered could hear, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
Now, at this very next high day of the Feast of Pentecost, all those who had listened carefully would come to understand the meaning of what Jesus said that previous Pentecost.
The Holy Spirit, the ‘Living Water,’ was indeed poured out, and in a very powerful way so as to gather a crowd of worshiping Jews from the known world. There was suddenly the sound of a mighty rushing wind, and the appearance of tongues of fire rested upon each of the disciples gathered in the upper room.
And there was spontaneous praise lifted to the Father by each one of those born-again disciples in the native tongue of the crowd come to see what was going on.
Now all those who had waited patiently for this outpouring - without knowing exactly what they were waiting for - knew why Jesus had told them to wait - and what He had told them to wait for.
Out of their hearts poured forth torrents of living water, and The Church Age was begun.
Pastor Bill