Piece By Piece

“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. They were amazed and astonished, saying, “Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.” And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others were mocking and saying, “They are full of sweet wine.” But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day; but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says, ‘That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, And your young men shall see visions, And your old men shall dream dreams; Even on My bondslaves, both men and women, I will in those days pour forth of My Spirit And they shall prophesy. And I will grant wonders in the sky above And signs on the earth below, Blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood, Before the great and glorious day of the Lord shall come. And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power. For David says of Him, ‘I saw the Lord always in my presence; For He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue exulted; Moreover my flesh also will live in hope; Because You will not abandon my soul to Hades, Nor allow Your Holy One to undergo decay. You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of gladness with Your presence, Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. And so, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne, he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay. This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” ’ Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”  Acts 2:1-47 NASB

As Jesus’ time on earth was nearing an end, He taught His followers that when He ascended God would send Holy Spirit. In the same way that Jesus became the body of God in tangible form, Holy Spirit revealed Himself as the mind of God living inside of us. 

Don’t overlook the supernatural element of this special day. Heaven literally came down. We cannot manufacture Pentecost. The disciples needed God’s power to do an impossible task. The same is true today. 

Reread Acts 2: Holy Spirit “filled” the room and “filled” the disciples. Jesus’ church cannot do its job if we are filled with ourselves; we must be empty and surrendered so God can work through us. 

Peter stood and spoke with great confidence about Jesus. He used the Scriptures to prove that Jesus is the Messiah. Peter taught : “God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified” (v. 36). The message Peter shared produced eternal results because of Holy Spirit’s power.

The people who heard Peter’s sermon were from many regions of the ancient world. Because God loves people from all nations, He timed the moment of Pentecost so that these foreign visitors would be in Jerusalem. 

Apostle Peter quoted the prophet Joel to say that Holy Spirit will empower men and women, old and young, Jew and Gentile, and male and female slaves (v. 17-18).   Peter  urged the people to “repent” (v. 38) and “be saved from this perverse generation” (v. 40). 

Holy Spirit leads us to the truth because He is the very mind of God, available to us at all times because He lives within us when we choose to believe and follow Jesus Christ. Amazing grace! He’s the voice that fills your head with God’s thoughts. Intimate. Close. Personal.

John 16:7-11 NET But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I am going away. For if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you, but if I go, I will send Him to you. And when He comes, He will prove the world wrong concerning sin and righteousness and judgment – concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; concerning righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see Me no longer; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

Can you even begin to imagine that before the foundations of the world, God knew you. He knew me. Before we were even conceived, God knew our names. He knitted you together in your mother’s womb. Not only that, but at some point during that process He inscribed the message of Jesus Christ on our hearts so that when we received that message, it clicked, and our longing hearts received it like a faint, but now retrieved memory. 

It is the same with Holy Spirit. He is everywhere. He’s here with us at Gospel Garage and He’s there at your side now watching this.  The very air around us is filled with the invisible, soft, stillness of God’s voice and we were built to hear it, and then relay His thoughts to people through our own words and actions.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18 NET Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, which is from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 

Sometimes, Holy Spirit sounds like thoughts, or He drops in a mental picture into our minds. Other times, He gives us a dream that just feels different. 

Acts 2:33 NET So then, exalted to the right hand of God, and having received the promise of Holy Spirit from God the Father, He has poured out what you both see and hear.

Often times He speaks by illuminating parts in the Bible—reminding us of a verse we’ve read and helping us understand it in a new way.

John 14:15-17 NET If you love Me, you will obey My commandments. Then I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it does not see Him or know Him. But you know Him, because He resides with you and will be in you.

So when Jesus, our Saviour, our freedom, promised He would never leave us alone, Holy Spirit was the fulfillment of that promise. When you become a Christ follower, Holy Spirit moves in. We become His house. When He speaks, His voice comes from inside us.

When you’re driving through life and the journey leads to you to a dark place where you feel alone and abandoned, know that you’re never really alone. God loves us, each and every piece of our tattered self and He calls us sons and daughters. Even when nothing else seems to work, Holy Spirit is right there with you. With only a thought, He can speak life, hope, strength, joy, and encouragement to you and over you. Even better, if we pray, and learn to listen intently, He helps us avoid residing in some of those dark places. The gift of Pentecost. 

Romans 8:14-16 NET For all who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God.

As we grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we learn how to recognize the guidance of Holy Spirit. Jesus told His disciples that Holy Spirit does not speak of Himself, but that which He hears from the Father. The direction of Holy Spirit is always in agreement with God’s Word. Any thought or word that comes to us must be in alignment with what God has said, or it is not the Spirit’s leading.

Acts 1:8 NET But you will receive power when Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth.

John 7:37-39 NASB Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ ” By this He spoke of Holy Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Jesus wasn’t saying that they would be trading their relationship with Him in exchange for a relationship with Holy Spirit. Rather, Holy Spirit would come alongside them and help them understand everything Jesus Christ had been teaching. Plus, Holy Spirit would teach them new things as they learned to hear His voice. 

Holy Spirit does everything to bring honor to Jesus Christ. He relays messages straight from Jesus into the hearts and minds of all His followers. But, here’s the best news of all: That promise wasn’t just for the disciples who were sitting around that night. It is also offered to each of us, generation after generation!

Before Jesus gave us access to Holy Spirit, Jesus was the single source of information, in one place at a time. He spread His message one crowd at a time. But, when Holy Spirit made His home in the heart of every believer, Jesus’ message was engraved into our hearts.

God might start by having Holy Spirit whisper parts of His plan to several people. They might not even know each other or attend the same church, or be in the same social circle but they’re each listening to Holy Spirit and doing what He says. 

Piece by piece, He lays out a plan of action to accomplish the mandates of God.  In the Lord’s timing, in His will, the pieces come together and God’s plan happens.

In fact, open the Bible, and read the entire book of Acts, again if you already have. It is is full of bewildering and awe inspiring stories about how Holy Spirit put the right people together at the right time to make something special happen. Honestly, with Holy Spirit living inside each of us, the possibilities are as limitless as God Himself. Our only job is to submit to Jesus, listen to that quiet voice of the Lord in our head and do our best to obey.

2 Timothy 1:13-14 NET Hold to the standard of sound words that you heard from me and do so with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Protect that good thing entrusted to you, through the Holy Spirit who lives within us.