Scripture

Our verse for today comes from Acts 2:4, “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them to speak.”

Background

It was Pentecost, and these new followers of Jesus were gathered together as He had instructed them. Jesus had promised them that they were going to receive the Holy Spirit very soon, which would give them power to go and do the work which He saved them for. Suddenly, while they were all in the house, the Holy Spirit arrived, perhaps just as lovely and dramatically as when Jesus was taken back up to heaven on a cloud a week or two before. And now, with this Person of God within them, these followers began to speak in the languages and dialects of those that were all around them in Jerusalem. Families from all over were there for the Pentecost feast, and miraculously they were hearing strangers talk in their native tongue, just as the Spirit led them, just as the hearers needed them.

Application

When people gather today in places like school assemblies, sporting events, and the like, undoubtedly there will be people there who speak languages other than English. And while some of us may speak Spanish, or another language, and find it helpful to do so, I don’t expect the Holy Spirit to miraculously enable us to communicate in the various languages. But what the Spirit will do is use you to communicate in the heart language that will be needed by many of the participants. Some will come to these events bankrupt of any hope of getting much out of this life. Others have rarely experienced acceptance or generosity. Many fear the language and culture differences, and some may not have their own home to go back to when it’s over. But each of us can be led by the Spirit to communicate the love needed by those we meet. Each of us has a language that can get through the most broken and downtrodden the world can send us. Let your gift of the Spirit fill you to speak joy into the heart of someone, communicating in ways only God enables and truly understands.

Charge

As we seek Him today, ask God to prepare your heart to reach out to another heart. Ask Him to help you see a language barrier as an opportunity for His Spirit to speak through you in a miraculous way.

Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words