Acts 2: 1 - 4, '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.'We all know this scripture as the day the church started! Consider with me what was actually happening, and what led to this moment in church history. First of all, Jesus had appeared to 500 people before this took place, but only 120 people were in the upper room praying and doing what He told them to do before this moment. I always wanted to ask, 'What happened to the other 380 folks?' I wonder if the pressure of family time at the Pentecost celebration took priority over the prayer meeting in the upper room?
Secondly, many of the people in the upper room were motivated by fear because Jesus was gone! He couldn't be there to physically keep the Romans or the Pharisees from these new believers. However, in the midst of the pain of a great loss, confusion after the death of Christ, the wonder of seeing Him, but only for a brief time, and the challenge to pray - ushered them into a realm unfamiliar to the synagogue - laced folk. Revival, a dynamic of atmosphere, swept them off of their feet!
See, it's critical to be attentive to the voice of God, when He speaks, if you're not careful, your carnality can clog up your ears and prevent you from experiencing His power...the Word says a sound came from heaven...ask yourself, why were these 120, the only ones able to hear it? My belief is that they were looking for it!! The visitors and townspeople definitely heard them speak out in tongues, but the bible doesn't record them hearing anything before that; the people of God heard the wind though!
My friend, what do you hear? Can you get a hold of the rushing mighty wind, or are you left to hear the aftermath or results of what God spoke in times past? If you're spiritual ear is limited to that, you'd be like the people who gathered around afterward; they were perplexed that God's people knew their languages, some even perceived that the people of God were drunk! If you don't develop an ear for God, you'll miss Him by a million miles!
Look at the results of their attentiveness to the Spirit of God; over 4,000 people were saved in 2 days! There was an excitement and hope of glory that filled that upper room; it's more than just speaking in tongues, it's allowing God to consume ALL of you!! Imagine what God could do in your life, if ALL of you belonged to Him? How does it feel in your church? Do you go to church expecting something from God, or you simply can't wait 'til service is over? It all depends on the atmosphere created by God's spirit, or your spirit.
Quote: 'What kind of church, would this church be, if everyone in church, was just like me?'
- Pastor Melrose
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