Thursday 1 June 2017

A Special Day

A special Day
Jesus said to his disciples,
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8.
What Jesus spoke about here actually occurred fifty days after Easter Sunday according to tradition. Within Christian circles it is called Pentecost Sunday or Whitsunday. It is the time when Christians celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit,
The book of Acts tells us,
“When the day of Pentecost came, they (the followers of Jesus) 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. 
Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.  
When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.  
Utterly amazed, they asked: “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language?  
Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome  (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”  
Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” Acts 2:1-12.
Interestingly enough this occurred on the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. The time when the Jews celebrate God giving them The Law (the Torah) and when they celebrate the wheat harvest. It was a time when Jews from all over the world made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
If you think about it this was the ideal time to launch the church. To present the salvation message to the people. And God did this in miraculous fashion scripture telling us,
“All of them (the followers of Jesus) were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 
Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.  
When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.”
An incredible event that caused people to ask,
“Brothers, what shall we do?” 
Allowing the Apostle Peter to reply, 
“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.  
The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” Acts 2:38-39.
And the promise dear reader is for you.
Jesus speaking of himself said,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16,17.
The apostle John tells us,
“If we confess our sins, he (Jesus) is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” 1John 1:9-10
The apostle John also writes of Jesus,
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” John 1:12,13.
Thus the choice dear reader is yours. Will you believe in Jesus?
  Please think about it.

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