Acts 2:1-21
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;
18 even on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
20 the sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
Amy Birtell Assmann says
This is a sermon packed with many concepts to scriptural ‘chew’ on. For example, the non believers I am in contact with fail to see themselves as sinful, so why would they need a Savior. So how do we ‘communicate’ this fact? I pray the Holy Spirit will convict their hearts and see the darkness in their lives so they can fully embrace the Savior’s gift. I also try to communicate in a way where I share my shortcomings and the need for a Savior, my faith story. Thoughts?
Paul Marks says
I think you’ve identified one of the major issues we all face. If we don’t recognize our own sinfulness and are not convicted of it we will never truly see the need for the Savior. This is why the understanding of Law and Gospel is so important. The Gospel is foolishness to those who don’t see their need for it. The real question is how we allow ourselves to be used by God to communicate this to those who see no need for the Gospel. While God Communicates Clearly, we are often not so articulate. Which is why the best method is always the use of God’s own Word. He may place that Word in our mouths, or through our actions, but ultimately it is only by the work of the Holy Spirit through His Word that people are convicted of their sinfulness and ultimately their need for Christ.