A Mighty Movement

by Rocky Fleming

Day 5: His Response

Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.  And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.  And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?”  Acts 2:5-8 (ESV)

So which one of these characters in the drama above that we read about do you think was most astonished?   Was it the disciples speaking, or the people who heard them in their own language?  I think both were in shock, and both played a part.  How so?  Well to begin with, I would be bewildered that I could say intelligible words that I had never heard or spoken before.  Not only would I see and hear a miracle happening around me, it would be happening in me as it came out of my mouth.  Wouldn’t you be shocked?  Now I understand and appreciate the observation that it was Galileans speaking these words, and it did not make sense that they would be doing it.  

Being a Southerner, I’ve heard a lot of stereotyping about ignorance and such from other regions who seem to think they have cornered the market with intelligence and education.  I’m sure the people who heard the Galileans were thinking the same.  It would be like, “Who is this with this bilingual expertise?  It cannot be Galileans, for after all, they are ignorant country people who could never do something like this?”  They would have been right.  They could not have done it as Galileans or any other region, and there was no confusion about it being a miracle.

Don’t you love it when God uses the most unlikely people to do a great work?  Don’t you love it when He chooses to use the under-educated, underprivileged, and most improbable people to express Himself so that no one would ever confuse Who is great, Who does miracles, and Who is at work?  I think this might be a reason that our country sees less miracles and works by the Holy Spirit than in other places, for we are a proud, self-sufficient people.  There is much greatness in the people of this country and history would say that we were one of the greatest nations ever raised up.  But this greatness has often made us lesser in our faith, and with less faith we are seeing less of a great work of God.  God will use all men and women, great and small, to do a great work if He can do a great work in our life first.  When we get to the point of humility and dependence on His greatness rather than our own, then we may see what He was wanting removed before He will make Himself known in a bigger way.

In the outpouring that came from the Upper Room, we see the two necessary dynamics in communication, talking and listening.  We see that the disciples were given the gift of speaking in foreign languages.  We also see the people were given the ability to hear the disciples.  It is one thing to just throw out a lot of babble.  It is another thing for it to be heard, and embraced.  This is when a message comes through the ears, to the brain and into the heart.  The magnificent event that the Holy Spirit created at Pentecost allowed the most unlikely Galilean named Peter to come to the front to give the Gospel message, and that day over 3,000 souls came to know Christ as their Savior.  They heard it all the way to their hearts.

I pray that the devotional messages that I’ve written this week will be heard all the way to your heart, and that you will do anything necessary to allow the Spirit to have more of you, so that you can have more of Him.  Then a Pentecost in your life might happen.