Acts 2:1-4; 14-21 (NIV)
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
Most of us don’t feel like heroes. Being a hero requires great courage. It requires knowing what to do in a split second. It requires running toward danger and not away from it. It requires caring more about others than yourself. Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. One doesn’t need superhuman strength to be considered a hero
Who are the heroes in your life? Would you consider that person a superhero? What did that hero do that made you say, “My hero!” Have you ever been a hero to someone?
What do you think a hero might look like? Something like this?
The disciples were heroes. They were the first followers of Jesus and they had superpowers. But they were ordinary people—fishermen—tax collectors—different people with different ideas. They followed Jesus because they thought he was special and saw His power. They saw God’s spirit in His spirit.
They said they would stand by Him no matter what. But that vow was tested when Jesus was arrested. They scattered—not so heroic.
Then on the third day after His death, He was resurrected and they didn’t know what to do when they saw Him. Some doubted—again not so heroic.
Nevertheless, Jesus blessed them and gave them instructions. So, they went out and did what Jesus instructed, but nothing happened. They found themselves waiting and felt abandoned by Him. As do we when we feel God has abandoned us. But we must wait on the Lord.
On the day of Pentecost—everything changed. The name Pentecost comes from the Greek word pentekoste which means fiftieth. The holiday is celebrated on the seventh Sunday after Easter—fifty days after Easter. The date depends on the date of Easter. Therefore, the date of Pentecost is not the same. This year the date is June 9th. Pentecost commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles as well as other followers of Jesus Christ while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks. Acts 2:1-31 describes this important event.
There were 120 of them together when a wind fell upon them. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in tongues. People made fun of them and thought they were drunk but Peter tells us that it was only 9:00 a.m. What could 120 people do who were filled with the Holy Spirit? How did it affect us today?
The Spirit moved in their lives and gave them a spiritual unity and although they were speaking in different languages, they still understood each other. We should be saying, “Come Holy Spirit Come” to unite us. There’s a sense of power when we realize our purpose. We become heroes.
Photo by Xavi Cabrera on Unsplash
Look at Peter’s declaration and then denial three times. But on the day of Pentecost, he sang a different tune (Acts 1:14-21). This signifies ordinary people who are willing to live their faith. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to go forth with God’s power.
When the Spirit moved, the disciples, empowered by God, moved with expectations. God’s Spirit was active and moving.
God is working in this world today to bring unity and peace. We may not see it. We may not even believe it. But He’s working. And that’s a fact. Ordinary as we are—we pray, “Come Holy Spirit Come.” It challenges us to go forward.
Meet my hero. Miss Onice Fields. My high school Senior English Lit teacher.
Who’s your hero?
And that’s what I learned in Church……see ya next time!
