January 18
(Acts 2:2-8 NIV) "Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. {3} They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. {4} All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. {5} Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. {6} When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. {7} Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? {8} Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language?” And all those there that day said, “We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!"
When the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, God sounded like wind and looked like fire -- there was no “small, still voice” that day. The city was filled with pilgrims from every nation, and the Spirit enabled the apostles to speak of His wonders in their languages. The power of God also enabled people from every nation to hear of His wonders in their language. Those who spoke were important, but the big story in these verses is those who heard. God’s gift to the apostles was significant, but it had a purpose: to share His wondrous gospel with people who had not yet heard. The gift was not a “perk” -- it was a tool, a means to an end. The Message takes priority over the messengers and the gift that was given to them. How is your “Jesus language”? Can people understand you? Are you communicating God’s truth in a language people can comprehend? Ask for God’s help. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day
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