Pentecost at Your House

Luke described an event in chapter 2 of his book The Acts of the Apostles in which all of the believers at a prayer gathering were filled with the Spirit of Yahweh. They all then started speaking loudly about the magnificent acts of Yahweh.

The Holy Spirit then either made them able to speak in many different languages, or made many people who spoke in many different languages able to hear what the filled were speaking in Galilean as if it were being spoken in the language of each of the hearers. Or, both.

During a prayer meeting Luke described in chapter 4, some of the same people were filled again. In chapter 19, Paul met some “disciples” in Ephesus. They had apparently not been informed about the sacrifice Jesus had made on the cross after their baptisms by John. Presumably they were in Palestine for some feast and had returned to Ephesus before the Passover during which Jesus was killed.

They heard from Paul that there was more, they accepted it, and were baptized in water in the name Jesus and then Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit “came on them,” and they began to prophesy and speak in languages they did not understand.

Theologians hope to refine this wonderfully sweet sap to a well controlled, neat white crystalline sugar and lead us to believe that there is nothing mysterious about the varieties of encounter styles (being filled, being baptized in, being baptized with, having the Spirit “come upon them, etc) and the varieties of responses to the encounters (speaking in tongues, prophesying, response not mentioned, etc). I would like for you to think about the fact that no two marriages are just alike. No two relationships between mother and daughter or son are alike. Nor fathers and children…

I would also like to suggest that no matter what you have experienced of the Spirit of Jesus so far, that there is much more! Some of the much more you will not be trusted with unless you give some evidence that you understand that it is treasure beyond value that you will treat properly: surrendering completely to its influence, not neglecting the revelation it brings about Who He is or who you are, etc.

Ask for more.