The Day of Pentecost

If Spirit filled Christians would simply study and pray over the Word concerning any topic, the Holy Spirit will begin to make things clear. It is amazing to see what some people do with the Scripture concerning the Day of Pentecost or concerning most everything in the Bible. For example, there has been a ridiculous teaching going around that the real miracle or gift was that people were hearing things in their own language; it had to do with hearing and not speaking. It is intelligent people who teach and fall for this stuff. Acts 2:4 reads that they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues (not hear with other ears) as the Spirit gave them utterance (not hearing). Acts 2:11 reads, "... we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God." It does not read, "Our ears translate or interpret what these Galileans are saying into our own specific language."

The nine gifts found in 1 Corinthians 12 also gives insight; one of the nine gifts is the gift of different kinds of tongues. There is not a gift of different kinds of ears. There is much more about the Day of Pentecost, but if we can just get this part straight how wonderful it would be.

While on the subject of tongues, it is also amazing that many people do not know the difference in the gift of tongues, which all baptized in the Spirit Christians may not move in, and praying in tongues, which all Christians who have been baptized in the Spirit have the wonderful opportunity to move in at will.

There is a problem with hearing in the Church! There is a problem with seeing in the Church! The god of this world has hindered the hearing and seeing of many professing Christians. One of the main problems involves lack of diligent study of the Word, and another involves listening to carnal, immature, and false teachers and not knowing it because they have not studied enough to have their senses trained to know the difference in the real and the false.

The mockers were the ones who said, "They are full of new wine." Peter basically said they are not drunk as you mockers say; it is just 9 a.m. I am sure that the newly baptized in the Spirit disciples were joyful, but besides the joy, all the mockers witnessed was hearing the sound of people speaking in tongues the wonderful works of God. I am also sure that they were moving in or toward worship of God in spirit and in truth. In other words, they were worshipping God with joy and not dishonoring God by stumbling all over each other, falling on the ground, and foolishly acting like drunk people as the deceived ones say. The emphasis was on God and not on self! After the worship in spirit and in truth, they quieted down and heard a wonderful sermon that was only truth. The result was that about three thousand souls gladly received the truth and repented, were born again, were Spirit filled, were baptized in water, and were added to the newly birthed Church (Acts 2:38-41).

7-16-08