592 - Power Comes with the Holy Spirit#
(JP Text Group - shalom organized)
Peace, dear family, welcome to your arrival. Today is Sunday, and we will look at God's words together.
The topic of sharing is: Power Comes with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:1-13:
1 When the day of Pentecost came, the disciples were all together in one place. 2 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 their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” 13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
Let us pray first.
Heavenly Father, thank you and praise you. Thank you for giving us the beginning of a new week. We come to receive the supply that comes from you. We know that we cannot do anything by ourselves, but by relying on the power of the Holy Spirit, we can do what pleases you and accomplish what we cannot do on our own. Lead us, so that we can follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit and live differently this week. Through today’s words, grant us strength and supply. In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen.
Why do many people not experience God's power after believing in the Lord? One possible reason is that they have never used the power of the Holy Spirit. Even more so, some say, “I don’t know how to use the power of the Holy Spirit; no one has taught me. Even though the Bible records it, I still don’t know how to use it.”
Through this passage, let us follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit. When we rely on the Holy Spirit to live, power comes along with it. When we rely on the Holy Spirit to live, beautiful testimonies will easily appear. Let us learn to rely on the Holy Spirit in our lives through the supply of today’s words.
Now, let’s look at the origin of Pentecost mentioned in this text. Pentecost, which means fifty days, is a celebration held to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus. Pentecost actually existed in the Old Testament, but it was called the Feast of Weeks at that time. The Israelites, starting from the sixteenth day of the month of Nisan, would offer a sheaf of newly ripened barley to the Lord as the first fruits. From that day, they would count seven weeks, a total of forty-nine days, and then they would observe the Feast of Weeks on the fiftieth day.
This passage is recorded in Leviticus 23:15-17:
15 “From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. 16 Count fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord. 17 From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of first fruits to the Lord.”
This is what is recorded in the Old Testament about the Feast of Weeks. They start counting from the day after the Sabbath. The Sabbath, according to today’s calendar, is Saturday, so the day after the Sabbath is Sunday, which is also the day of Jesus' resurrection.
The counting starts from the day of the wave offering. Why was there a wave offering in the Old Testament? It represented the first fruits of the harvest. After the barley was ripe, they would take the first fruits and wave them before God, symbolizing that God's provision had arrived. From that day, they would count seven weeks, which is forty-nine days. The day after the Sabbath of the forty-ninth day is exactly the fiftieth day, which is what we refer to as Sunday today.
On that day, they would present a new grain offering to the Lord, and then take two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of first fruits to the Lord. This was God's requirement for the Israelites during the Feast of Weeks.
Isn’t the new grain offering during the Feast of Weeks also a foreshadowing of our Lord Jesus Christ? Indeed, Jesus Christ became our grain offering, our food, and our supply. Therefore, when the New Testament mentions Pentecost again, we see God's abundant supply. We can understand that the Old Testament Pentecost was a harvest festival, a blessing from God for them on earth; while the New Testament Pentecost represents a spiritual blessing.
Acts 2:1-4:
1 When the day of Pentecost came, the disciples were all together in one place. 2 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.
The New Testament Pentecost saw the Holy Spirit descend, which was something that had not happened before. Although the Holy Spirit worked in the Old Testament, He descended upon individuals, often prophets, priests, or kings sent by God. When God used that person, the Holy Spirit would come upon him, and that person would be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and begin to proclaim God's words. Whether guiding the people, admonishing them, or warning them, that person would become different from then on.
For example, the Old Testament prophets like Isaiah and Elijah were led by the Holy Spirit. At that time, they behaved differently, speaking with authority and performing miracles. However, the work of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament was limited. Even if the Holy Spirit descended upon a person, once the Holy Spirit completed His work, He would leave, and that person would return to being an ordinary person. Therefore, in the Old Testament, the work of the Holy Spirit was temporary; He did not dwell in the hearts of believers as He does in the New Testament. Thus, Pentecost marked a significant turning point.
After Pentecost, the disciples gathered together, indicating that this time the Holy Spirit did not descend upon a single individual but upon a group of people. The Bible states that the house where the disciples were gathered was filled, and all these people were filled with the Holy Spirit. This is the New Testament Pentecost, where God gave the Holy Spirit to dwell in the hearts of believers and never leave them, granting them rich spiritual blessings. From then on, the disciples were led by the Holy Spirit and could do God's work through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost, not upon a single disciple, but upon all the disciples gathered. However, only those who attended the meeting that day were filled with the Holy Spirit. This highlights the importance of gathering.
Acts 1:3-5:
3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, He spent forty days with the disciples, teaching them about the kingdom of God and many truths. At this time, Jesus had already risen from the dead, and the disciples knew this, so they should remember that what Jesus was saying at that moment was very important.
Moreover, Jesus instructed them: do not leave Jerusalem, for in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Many people knew about this, and when Jesus was taken up into heaven, about five hundred people witnessed it and heard the words spoken by the angels to them. So how many people were doing as Jesus said by the time of Pentecost?
Acts 1:12-15:
12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. 15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) and said...
From this, we can see that Jesus spent forty days with the disciples discussing the matters of the kingdom of heaven, and they should have remembered what Jesus said very well. Before Jesus left, He instructed the disciples: do not leave Jerusalem, for in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. As for how to be baptized with the Holy Spirit, Jesus did not elaborate, only telling them not to leave Jerusalem. So what were they doing in Jerusalem? Clearly, they knew what they should do, which was to pray.
So dear family, when we are unsure about what to do next in life, do not rush to conclusions or try to figure it out on your own; instead, pray first, and the Holy Spirit will guide us in what we should do.
From the passage we just read, we can see that when Jesus was taken up into heaven, the mountain was the Mount of Olives. After He was taken up, what did the disciples do? They returned to Jerusalem, entered the city, and went up to the room where they were staying. We usually refer to this as the Upper Room.
There, we find that the apostles who followed Jesus were all there, doing what? They were constantly united in prayer. This time they got it right. Do you remember when we shared last time that when Peter saw that Jesus had died and didn’t know what to do, they should have been praying together to see how God would lead them? But Peter said, “I’m going fishing,” and the other disciples followed him to fish.
Later, they encountered the resurrected Jesus, who entrusted the future gospel ministry to Peter. At that time, Peter truly changed; he had learned that when faced with situations, he should not rush to conclusions or actions but should pray first. Moreover, after spending forty days with Jesus, discussing the matters of the kingdom of heaven, Peter finally understood Jesus' intentions.
He learned one thing: when the guidance for a situation is not clear, pray first, and pray constantly in unity. They prayed for the next step in receiving what Jesus had said, which was the baptism of the Holy Spirit. If we don’t know, let’s pray first; let’s all pray together for this matter. How long should we pray? No one knows, so everyone continues to pray until this matter comes to pass. Therefore, this requires persistent prayer.
At that time, how many people were gathered? About one hundred and twenty. We can calculate this: about five hundred people witnessed Jesus ascend, but now only about one hundred and twenty remained to pray. Where did the others go? We cannot say that there were only one hundred and twenty people from the beginning; perhaps those five hundred saw Jesus leave and followed the apostles to the Upper Room to pray. They prayed for one day, two days, three days, and when nothing happened, some left.
Now let’s calculate the time. From Jesus' ascension to Pentecost, how many days were there? Ten days. Jesus stayed with them for forty days, and Pentecost was just ten days later, yet these people could not hold on; two-thirds of them disappeared. So there is a reason why these people did not receive the power of the Holy Spirit at the beginning.
Have you ever thought that many people around us lose the power that comes from God because they are too anxious and busy, relying solely on themselves? They put in a lot of effort but see little return, and the reason lies here. In fact, listening to God’s words once or twice, or for a few days, is not difficult; what is difficult is to hold on to God’s words. For example, I have always strongly encouraged everyone to read the Bible in order and develop a daily habit of reading; at the same time, listen to sermons in order, one sermon a day, and the key is persistence.
Many people say, “I have listened to your sermons; why hasn’t my situation changed at all?” When asked, “How long have you listened? How long have you persisted?” it turns out they have only listened to two sermons over two or three years, which certainly won’t have much effect.
We may envy those one hundred and twenty people for being filled with the Holy Spirit. But let’s think about why the three hundred people who left had their reasons; they prayed for several days, and nothing happened, so they thought they needed to find a way out. They couldn’t keep going like this; what if they prayed for ten or eight years and the Holy Spirit didn’t work? This is a lack of faith in God.
Because at that time, Jesus said, “But in a few days, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Jesus’ meaning was simple: in a few days, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. However, these people could not even hold on for ten days; most of them left, leaving about one hundred and twenty to continue holding on to God’s words.
Many people around us continuously read the Bible, listen to sermons, and meditate, and their lives are filled with various beautiful testimonies. Others always envy them, saying, “If only I could experience such good things.” But they only envy. When they hear others’ testimonies, they say, “You are right; I should start reading the Bible and listening to sermons from today.” They have made up their minds, but most people only persist for a few days before giving up. The reason is that no one supervises them, and they cannot continue doing it without encouragement.
Dear family, treat God’s words as your food. Eating every day is something we must do; you should also treat God’s words as your spiritual food and continue to partake. Blessed are those who do so. Look at those one hundred and twenty people; they continued to pray and gather, persistently praying until God’s promise was fulfilled. We should be the same; if you develop the habit of reading the Bible, listening to sermons, and praying daily, God’s blessings will continuously come upon you.
Acts 2:1-4:
1 When the day of Pentecost came, the disciples were all together in one place. 2 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.
These people persisted in prayer and gathering for how long? Ten days, all the way to the day of Pentecost, and the disciples were still gathered together as before. Notice verse 2: “Suddenly,” which indicates their experience; the blessing came unexpectedly. We must believe that God’s words will surely be fulfilled, and the promises God gives us in the Bible will come to pass. Blessed are those who patiently wait.
So think about it: the one hundred and twenty disciples praying in the Upper Room did not know that the Holy Spirit would descend on this Pentecost; they were just gathering and praying as before when suddenly God’s blessing came. This is what we should hold on to. If you develop such a habit, at unexpected times, God’s blessing will suddenly come upon you.
If we maintain such faith, unwaveringly waiting and looking to God for blessings, you too will suddenly experience God’s blessings in your life; God’s blessings will surely come; you just don’t know when they will suddenly arrive.
The Bible says that tongues like flames appeared. Here, tongues symbolize the gifts of the Holy Spirit, ultimately allowing them to speak in tongues, in foreign languages. Flames symbolize God’s presence, filling people with God’s power.
Let me tell you about two major denominations in Christianity. One is the traditional conservative group, also known as the evangelical group. People in this group generally do not acknowledge that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are still present today. They focus on theoretical studies, such as memorizing the Bible and various doctrines. There is nothing wrong with this, but if they lose the power of the Holy Spirit, even if people memorize these things well, they still lack power.
This is like the early disciples who followed Jesus for three and a half years; they had mastered the theoretical part very well and even participated in some practical aspects, but it was still a small part. After Jesus left, they were at a loss and returned to their old traditional ways.
If today some people are like the traditional conservatives, reading the Bible daily, studying various doctrines, and undergoing various training but do not accept the power of the Holy Spirit, ultimately, when they encounter problems, they will not use the theories they have learned because they see it as just a set of theories. These theories cannot help people, so when they encounter problems in their lives, they will handle things similarly to the world.
Therefore, believers in this denomination are often lifeless, with few young people, focusing mostly on rules, saying things like, “What you said is not in accordance with the rules,” or “This is not in accordance with the rules in the church,” etc. They expend all their energy on these superficial matters because they lack the power of the Holy Spirit within, so they can only hold on to external things. Over time, they will feel that faith is just like this; although they long to experience God’s power, they rarely do so in their lives. The reason is that they do not acknowledge that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are still present.
Some may say, “But don’t they read the New Testament?” They do read, and some have even memorized it, but they acknowledge that these things did exist in the past but are no longer present. They believe that various gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as tongues and prophecies, no longer exist today. They hold this belief, so their understanding is very theoretical. When you engage with these people, they will argue with you over various doctrines, even insisting on proving who is right or wrong, but their lives are often in disarray.
The other denomination is the Pentecostal movement. The name Pentecostal comes from the day of Pentecost, which is when the Holy Spirit was poured out. On that day, the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and suddenly possessed abilities that ordinary people did not have. Thus, this denomination emerged, called the Pentecostal movement.
These people pursue various gifts of the Holy Spirit to an extreme. Why do we say they pursue it to an extreme? Because they completely abandon theory and truth, rejecting these. They believe that as long as they have the guidance of the Holy Spirit, they can fulfill God’s great commission even without reading the Bible; they think that even if they don’t read the Bible, the Holy Spirit will tell them the words of the Bible.
They understand it this way, so later on, because they lack a biblical foundation, they start to compare who has greater ability and who has more gifts, believing that whoever has more gifts has the most powerful life. Eventually, it becomes a competition of various gifts of the Holy Spirit, becoming increasingly extreme. Some even believe that if a person believes in the Lord but does not speak in tongues, they are not saved.
Because they do not focus on the foundation of the Word, their lives become extremely unstable. To what extent is it unstable? Today they feel good and believe they are saved; tomorrow they feel bad and think the Holy Spirit has left them. Therefore, these people often participate in various spiritual meetings, where they can feel the presence of the Holy Spirit and the warmth from God. But once they leave that environment and return home, they rely solely on feelings, which fluctuate. This is why those who participate in such denominations pay great attention to external feelings.
For example, today when a certain pastor is preaching, if I suddenly feel warmth all over my body, or if I feel my body shaking when the pastor prays for me, they will think, “The Holy Spirit is working in me.” If someone preaches and they feel nothing, they will think, “This person’s preaching is not from God.” They will seek out someone who can make them feel something. This is what we call an unstable life, and the reason is that they lack a biblical foundation.
The two major denominations mentioned above have some basis in the Bible, but they also have their flaws. A truly healthy church combines both. For example, like Jesus leading the disciples in the first three and a half years, He led them to understand the truth and practice it. Once they were very familiar with these things, the Holy Spirit descended upon them, and they used the gifts of the Holy Spirit based on the foundation of the Bible and truth, which would prevent pride.
Have you ever thought about why Jesus initially called twelve apostles but did not directly give them the power of the Holy Spirit? Wouldn’t they be able to do greater works if they received the gifts of the Holy Spirit? It seems that way in human reasoning, but in practice, it is not so.
If a person lacks a foundation of truth, once they possess the gifts of the Holy Spirit, they will completely lose sight of themselves and will not build up the church; instead, they will attack and flatter each other. We can see this clearly in the letters to the Corinthians; the Corinthian church was in such a situation. The believers lacked a foundation of truth but were very eager for the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, many of them received the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
But what did they use these gifts for? To compare with each other; they used these gifts to attack each other. For the church, brothers and sisters did not benefit at all; instead, various chaotic situations arose in the church, with many people becoming weak, sick, and even dying young. The gifts of the Holy Spirit they received did not bring any benefit to the church.
This is why Jesus did not give the gifts of the Holy Spirit to the disciples at the beginning. Because the gifts of the Holy Spirit bring various powers, this is something everyone must remember. When a person pursues the gifts of the Holy Spirit, they will pursue various powers, and God’s power will come down.
But if there is no foundation of truth, after a person exercises the power of the Holy Spirit once or twice, they will become arrogant, thinking that it is their own ability. This is very dangerous. If this continues for a long time, a person will lose sight of themselves and will doubt that they are just an ordinary person. This is why so many heresies arise.
Those heresies did not start as heresies; perhaps they began by using the power of the Holy Spirit, and eventually, they thought, “I am not an ordinary person; I can heal; I can prophesy; why should I listen to this person’s preaching and work under them? I want to establish my own sect.” Thus, heresies arise. It may have started from pride, but later they completely lost sight of themselves.
So dear family, the foundation of truth is very important. At this moment, the disciples were already quite solid in their foundation of truth; they had dug deep and built a solid foundation. Now, when they build their house on top of that, adding the power of the Holy Spirit, it is like a fish in water.
Returning to the text, at that time, many Jews were scattered around the world. Every year during Pentecost, a large number of Jews would return to celebrate the three major festivals: Passover, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. Moreover, it was early June, and the weather was very suitable for travel, so during Pentecost, the number of people coming was the highest. Many devout Jews from all over the world chose to return to celebrate at this time, resulting in a crowded Jerusalem. What happened? While the one hundred and twenty disciples were praying in the Upper Room, the Holy Spirit descended, producing a great sound.
Let’s look at verses 6-8:
6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?
What is a native language? It is the local dialect, the language of one’s hometown, which is not something that ordinary people can imitate. We know that after the Tower of Babel incident, various dialects emerged around the world. Just a few kilometers apart, the accents change; that is a native language. For example, the dialects from our Northeast and Hainan are completely different. If you are not familiar with the local language, it is just like listening to a foreign language.
Moreover, the people who came to Jerusalem were from all over the world, and they heard these one hundred and twenty people gathered together speaking in their hometown dialects. What were the disciples doing? They were praying, praying in tongues, and they did not know what they were saying.
But the gathered people heard them speaking and thought, “Hey, how come they are speaking our hometown language?” From this, we can see that the so-called tongues we do not understand do not mean they are meaningless sounds. Some are human languages, and some are angelic languages.
So dear family, when God granted tongues at Pentecost, His purpose was to preach the gospel to people from all nations at the same time. Those who do not know Jesus Christ are bewildered by this phenomenon occurring in believers, not understanding what it means. So they asked, “How come these people are communicating in our hometown language?” They were puzzled, amazed, and curious.
Their questioning reveals their contempt for Galileans. In their view, Galileans had a low level of education and could not possibly speak foreign languages, which highlights the power of the Holy Spirit. If these people were from Jerusalem, who interacted with people from all over the world daily, it would be normal for them to speak a few foreign languages. But now this group is Galileans, who are not well-educated; everyone knows this, yet they can speak their hometown language, which truly astonished those present.
11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues! 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
At that time, there were people from all over the world in Jerusalem, which meant they spoke different languages, and they knew various languages. We can see from the passage that they were mainly from countries surrounding Israel, and many came from far away, including places like Rome and Arabia. But these people could hear that the disciples were speaking their hometown language. The Holy Spirit gave them the gift of tongues for a purpose.
So dear family, if someone thinks they are superior because they can speak in tongues, that is completely incorrect. God grants the gifts of the Holy Spirit for the purpose of proclaiming the wonders of God, to build up others. Amen. Therefore, the Holy Spirit gives these gifts for a reason. We see that the disciples began to declare the wonders of God. Thus, tongues are not just meaningless sounds; they are declarations of God’s wonders.
If a person seeks God solely through religious rituals, they will not understand spiritual matters. What is the result? When they see this event, they will only be amazed and perplexed, wondering what it means. They cannot guess; only the Holy Spirit can reveal the truth and bring forth the power of truth.
John 16:13-15:
13 “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine; that is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”
This is Jesus’ teaching, explaining what the Holy Spirit will bring us after He comes—power. So dear family, if today some people only hold on to the words of the Bible to learn various doctrines and theological theories without the power of the Holy Spirit, they cannot accomplish anything. Even if they learn a set of theological knowledge, they still lack power.
Here it mentions that the Spirit of truth will come. The Holy Spirit comes for what purpose? He will guide you into all truth. So dear family, before you read the Bible, you can pray: “Holy Spirit, please help me understand what the Bible means and what I need to know.” After you pray this, read the Bible, and the Holy Spirit will guide you to understand. Otherwise, even if you memorize the Bible, you will not understand the power of the Holy Spirit or have the power of the Holy Spirit.
Look at the Pharisees and scribes in the Bible; they were indeed people who could memorize the Bible. However, they resisted Jesus and did not accept the truth. What was the reason? They lacked the Holy Spirit. Because they rejected Jesus, they did not have the Holy Spirit.
We who accept Jesus must also accept the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The Holy Spirit will help you understand all truth and will let you know what this passage means and how to apply it in your life. Otherwise, many people, even if they have memorized it, will find it ineffective if they just rigidly apply it.
The Holy Spirit comes to tell us how to use this truth and to inform us of what will happen in the future. But ultimately, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are meant to glorify Jesus. Remember, dear family, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are not for us to show off; they are to glorify Jesus. Jesus has power because of the Holy Spirit. We have power because of the Holy Spirit, and we must understand that the various gifts of the Holy Spirit are meant to build up the church and others. Amen.
I hope that all of you can learn to use the Holy Spirit and follow His guidance. You will see the power of the Holy Spirit manifest in your life, and it will easily solve significant problems. Take today’s disciples as an example; they did not need to learn any foreign languages; they just needed to pray in tongues, and God used their mouths to spread the gospel. Isn’t that simple? How long does it take to learn a language? But when the Holy Spirit uses us, everything is accomplished in an instant. Therefore, living by relying on the Holy Spirit is much simpler and more effective than relying on yourself.
Verse 13: Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
Why would some people say this? Because they have not experienced the power of the Holy Spirit. Those who do not know the Holy Spirit see a strong resemblance between those filled with the Holy Spirit and those who are drunk, so they cannot discern. Just from appearances, these disciples seemed to be drunk, and indeed they did. From a spiritual perspective, these two states are very similar. Let me give you a few examples; the rest you can reflect on yourself.
For instance, when a person is filled with wine, some people start singing and speaking the truth, right? Similarly, some people filled with the Holy Spirit begin to sing spiritual songs, proclaim God’s words, and speak the truth. Others do things they wanted to do in the past but were afraid to do; their courage increases. Likewise, those filled with the Holy Spirit also gain boldness.
In the past, when they were not filled with the Holy Spirit, they hid in the house praying, afraid that others would find them and capture them. But now, after being filled with the Holy Spirit, they came down from the Upper Room and began to face the people in Jerusalem, preaching to them. This is a significant change. The Holy Spirit gives them power and strength, allowing them to live differently.
If you often feel fear and worry about various things in your life, such as your future, your work, your family life, etc., after being filled with the Holy Spirit, you will no longer worry because the Holy Spirit will tell you how to live correctly. Amen. Of course, there are many similar examples; you can reflect on what characteristics drunk people have and then think about the similar characteristics of those filled with the Holy Spirit. However, those filled with the Holy Spirit ultimately bring benefits to others.
1 Corinthians 14:2-4:
2 For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. 3 But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging, and comfort. 4 Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church.
This passage does not say that speaking in tongues is bad; rather, we need to adjust according to different environments. It mentions that anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God.
Aren’t you praying? Prayer is a form of communication between us and God. So what is the benefit of praying in tongues? No one can understand it, and naturally, the devil cannot understand it either. Therefore, your communication with God will not be interrupted, and you can pray in tongues continuously. Although people do not understand, it does not mean it is meaningless.
However, they utter mysteries by the Spirit. So when you pray in tongues, God will reveal some mysteries to you; He will tell you how to act, which is the interpretation of tongues.
Here it mentions: But the one who prophesies. Everyone should know that the purpose of preaching is to help people understand. We cannot preach to God, right? God does not need to hear sermons. Who needs to hear the truth? People do. Therefore, when preaching to people, we cannot use tongues. If we preach in tongues, who can understand? If you just babble, others will have no idea what you are saying. How can you edify others? How can you comfort others? How can you encourage others? Therefore, I do not use tongues when I preach.
When I pray privately, I can use tongues; speaking in tongues edifies oneself. Because you are speaking to God, it edifies yourself. But when we preach, it is to help others understand and to edify the church. Amen. This is the effect brought about by the Holy Spirit. We see that the disciples, filled with the Holy Spirit, caused many people to be amazed and begin to believe in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:37-42:
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
From this, we can see that after Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit, he preached. Although he spoke the truth, these truths produced miraculous effects. The people heard this and were cut to the heart, asking Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
These people repented and believed in Jesus. After believing in Jesus, the Holy Spirit also descended upon them, renewing their minds and allowing them to understand the truth, resulting in them becoming evangelists. Thank the Lord. On that day, three thousand people received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which means they accepted Jesus Christ, and these people devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching. They received what Peter and the disciples said and broke bread and prayed together, which means they took communion and prayed together. What wonderful results came from this?
Acts 2:43-47:
43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts; they broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
From this passage, we can see that when the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit, their preaching was powerful, and their actions were powerful, performing many signs and wonders. If you also hope to be filled with God’s power in your life, first fill your heart with truth, and then use the power of the Holy Spirit. When you follow the Holy Spirit, power will come along, and you will easily experience various blessings from God in your life. Thank and praise the Lord.
Let us pray together.
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise you. Thank you for giving us today’s words, allowing us to see how the apostles, at the beginning of the church, used truth and the power of the Holy Spirit to produce many signs and wonders. The apostles followed the Holy Spirit, and power came along with it. Today, in our lives, I do not want to rely on myself; we want to live by relying on the power of the Holy Spirit. We believe that this week, we will also see signs and wonders in our lives, and God’s power will allow us to experience it in our lives and work. I do not want to rely on myself; I want to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit, and I look forward to beautiful things coming upon me. All glory be to our Father in heaven. In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen.