THEY SPEAK WITH OTHER TONGUES
(CONTINUED)
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:1-4 NKJV
The Day of Pentecost was one of three major Jewish feasts, also known as the Feast of Weeks, it was celebrated fifty days after Passover. Today, Christian churches remember Pentecost in the Church Calender fifty days after Easter.
The Day of Pentecost recorded in the second chapter of Acts which saw the outpouring of the Holy Spirit - or Baptism with the Holy Spirit on the 120 of Jesus' disciples and followers, was the day the New Testament church began. It was on this day when Peter boldly stood and proclaimed to the crowds assembled in Jerusalem from all parts of the then Roman Empire, at the conclusion of his powerful Gospel message: "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." Acts 2:38,39 NKJV
The Bible also records in this chapter that around three thousand people who heard Peter's words, responded to his message and were baptized.
Verse 42 says: They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Sounds like church to me!
The 120 in the Upper Room had been waiting in anticipation for the Lord to move in a new way in their midst in response to the words of Jesus after His resurrection from the dead as recorded in Luke 24:49 "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."
THIS WAS IT! Or,as the Apostle Peter himself said in his message on this day: "THIS IS THAT which was spoken by the prophet Joel...." In the first part of this blog, I quoted the verses from Joel 2:28,29 spoken by Peter.
The gift of speaking with other tongues was not to be just a one-off manifestation in the life of the Church. In the Book of Acts, there are three more recorded accounts of people being baptized in the Holy Spirit. These accounts are recorded in Acts 8:14 onwards, when after Phillip had preached the Word of God at Samaria, Peter and John went there and prayed for the new believers to receive the Holy Spirit; Acts 10:44-48, after Peter had preached salvation through Christ to the Gentile centurion, Cornelius and his household; and Acts 19:1-7, when the apostle Paul prayed for believers in Ephesus to be baptised in the Holy Spirit. In the last two of these accounts, the baptism of the Holy Spirit was clearly stated to be evidenced by the gift of speaking with tongues, that is, with a language the speakers had not learned.
Were these accounts of speaking with tongues similar to that recorded in Acts 2 where the hearers from various countries heard the speakers in their own languages (known languages) "the wonderful works of God?"
Maybe - maybe not! In Acts 10:44-46, it is recorded that, when the members of Cornelius' household believed the Word of God through the mouth of Peter, that the Holy Spirit fell upon them, and those Jews who had accompanied Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on Gentiles also. Then it says in verse 46: For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. This is my personal thought, for what it is worth, but I wonder if the speaking in tongues in this instance was like that on the Day of Pentecost- in a known language, as the Jews heard the new believers speak in tongues and magnify God.
As to the last account in the Book of Acts in Chapter 19, when the twelve or so men who were baptized in the Holy Spirit after the laying on of hands by Paul the Apostle at Ephesus, I wonder if their experience of speaking with tongues was not in a known language, because the account says in verse six that the Holy Spirit came upon them,. and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.
To be continued.............................
The Day of Pentecost was one of three major Jewish feasts, also known as the Feast of Weeks, it was celebrated fifty days after Passover. Today, Christian churches remember Pentecost in the Church Calender fifty days after Easter.
The Day of Pentecost recorded in the second chapter of Acts which saw the outpouring of the Holy Spirit - or Baptism with the Holy Spirit on the 120 of Jesus' disciples and followers, was the day the New Testament church began. It was on this day when Peter boldly stood and proclaimed to the crowds assembled in Jerusalem from all parts of the then Roman Empire, at the conclusion of his powerful Gospel message: "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." Acts 2:38,39 NKJV
The Bible also records in this chapter that around three thousand people who heard Peter's words, responded to his message and were baptized.
Verse 42 says: They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Sounds like church to me!
The 120 in the Upper Room had been waiting in anticipation for the Lord to move in a new way in their midst in response to the words of Jesus after His resurrection from the dead as recorded in Luke 24:49 "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."
THIS WAS IT! Or,as the Apostle Peter himself said in his message on this day: "THIS IS THAT which was spoken by the prophet Joel...." In the first part of this blog, I quoted the verses from Joel 2:28,29 spoken by Peter.
The gift of speaking with other tongues was not to be just a one-off manifestation in the life of the Church. In the Book of Acts, there are three more recorded accounts of people being baptized in the Holy Spirit. These accounts are recorded in Acts 8:14 onwards, when after Phillip had preached the Word of God at Samaria, Peter and John went there and prayed for the new believers to receive the Holy Spirit; Acts 10:44-48, after Peter had preached salvation through Christ to the Gentile centurion, Cornelius and his household; and Acts 19:1-7, when the apostle Paul prayed for believers in Ephesus to be baptised in the Holy Spirit. In the last two of these accounts, the baptism of the Holy Spirit was clearly stated to be evidenced by the gift of speaking with tongues, that is, with a language the speakers had not learned.
Were these accounts of speaking with tongues similar to that recorded in Acts 2 where the hearers from various countries heard the speakers in their own languages (known languages) "the wonderful works of God?"
Maybe - maybe not! In Acts 10:44-46, it is recorded that, when the members of Cornelius' household believed the Word of God through the mouth of Peter, that the Holy Spirit fell upon them, and those Jews who had accompanied Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on Gentiles also. Then it says in verse 46: For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. This is my personal thought, for what it is worth, but I wonder if the speaking in tongues in this instance was like that on the Day of Pentecost- in a known language, as the Jews heard the new believers speak in tongues and magnify God.
As to the last account in the Book of Acts in Chapter 19, when the twelve or so men who were baptized in the Holy Spirit after the laying on of hands by Paul the Apostle at Ephesus, I wonder if their experience of speaking with tongues was not in a known language, because the account says in verse six that the Holy Spirit came upon them,. and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.
To be continued.............................
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