13 But others in the crowd ridiculed them, saying, “They’re just drunk, that’s all!” 14 Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. 15 These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that. Acts 2:13-15 (NLT)
Pentecost: An annual event that drew Jews from many places to celebrate in Jerusalem. Pente means 50 as it was 50 days after the Feast of Firstfruits.
Among the people gathered in Jerusalem were the Eleven Disciples, Followers of Jesus, and other religious leaders and unbelieving Jews.
120 Followers including the Disciples were gathered in a room when something miraculous happened. A violent wind filled the place. As a result, the people saw what appeared to be tongues of fire resting on each one. All 120 were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages. This caused quite the gathering of onlookers. Among the crowd were unbelieving Jews and religious leaders. The accusations went wild that these 120 people were drunk at 9:00 in the morning.
This incident was the beginning of the Church when God kept His promise and sent the Holy Spirit to His people. The 120 people gathered in the room that day were filled with the Holy Spirit.
Peter’s words recorded above in Acts 2 begin the spread of the gospel and the growth of the Church.
God sends the Holy Spirit to believers still today. Every believer will be filled with Spirit upon their salvation. The Holy Spirit is our Helper and Advocate. He helps us in our weaknesses, reveals the deep things of God to us, and is always with us living inside of us. The Holy Spirit helps our faith grow and our lives change to be more like Christ. Certainly, we cannot live our Christian life without the Holy Spirit.
What about you? Have you had an experience with Jesus? Have you come to the end of yourself at the foot of the cross? When have you believed in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who died and was raised again to pay the price of your sin? On that day, you received the Holy Spirit. If you haven’t asked Jesus into your heart, you can do that now with a simple prayer.
Let’s Pray:
Dear God, I have lived life my own way. I have made mistakes and I need freedom from my past failures. I believe Jesus can save me from sin. I want to live my life in new ways and I can only do that with the help of the Holy Spirit. Please Jesus, come into my heart and lead me. Amen.