Wednesday: “Whom You Crucified”
Daily Lesson for Wednesday 8th of November 2023
Acts 2:1-47 records the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. As the followers of Jesus were praying, tongues of fire rested upon their heads. They recognized that the promised power of the Holy Spirit had been given.
Read Acts 2:1-47:1–41. What happened to the disciples as a result of receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost?
The disciples began to speak in other languages “as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1-47:4). What’s crucial here is that God empowered each person for the benefit of unbelievers. The blessing wasn’t meant merely for their own good. It wasn’t a blessing to make them fit for heaven or a blessing to make it easier to do business in a foreign language. The blessing was given for fulfilling God’s mission to the lost. Today God calls on each of His followers to use their personal gifts for the good of His mission to unbelievers. We have been given gifts: What greater call to mission than to use what we have been given to reach others?
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit resulted in many of the people repenting of their rejection of the Messiah, for surely some of them were in Jerusalem when He died. Think of the power here: Peter accused some of them of having crucified the Christ. Obviously, they realized what they had done and, being convicted, cried out: “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:1-47:37).
And yet, even they could receive forgiveness. Said Peter to them: “ ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’ ” (Acts 2:1-47:38, NKJV).
Working together, in harmony with the Holy Spirit and each other, these followers of Jesus preached repentance and the forgiveness of sins—even for those who could have been directly involved in crucifying Jesus! That’s the power of the gospel. If that message doesn’t motivate us to mission, what will? We are called to spread the gospel to the world, a sinful, fallen, corrupt world with sinful, fallen, and corrupt people. Our job is not to judge; our job is to witness to the saving power of Jesus.
Why should the idea that even some of those who were complicit in Christ’s death were offered salvation (1) encourage us for our own souls and (2) encourage us to witness to others, no matter how bad they may seem to be?
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We often hear about the "outpouring of the Holy Spirit" and the "latter rain" when we talk about our twenty-first-century mission. I think we look back with some envy at the first century Day of Pentecost upper room experience of the disciples. Rushing winds and flames of fire settling on people's heads and then the ability to speak in other languages sound pretty convincing. And sometimes we get a little carried away with "the show" that we forget about what really happened.
Take the time to read this account:
And, two thousand years later, There is a group of Seventh-day Adventists who are filled with the Holy Spirit and they begin speaking in languages that atheists, agnostics and people with secular minds can understand.
And they said, "How can this be? These Seventh-day Adventists are a conservative bunch of Bible-bashers, yet we can understand what they are saying to us. They have made this religion stuff relevant to us and we need to repent! Jesus is still alive!"
And we thought that if we knew a bit more Greek and Hebrew we would be better missionaries!
Many who claim to speak perfect Hebrew and Greek are preaching unbiblical and erroneous truths such as rapture of the just before the great tribulation. Also rebuilding of God‘s Third temple in Jerusalem…etc.
In Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.“
Actually Jesus thanks the Father for actively participating in keeping the truth from those who are thought to be smart according to the world's standards, or at least according to themselves. Instead, the Father reveals the hidden truth to "little children."
Jesus identifies two things. First, those who are thought to be wise and understanding in this world tend to overestimate the value of their own understanding. Since Jesus was not what many self-labelled wise men expected from the Messiah, they decided Jesus cannot be the Messiah.
The second thing is God hides what should be obvious from those who are arrogant. In a sense, He helps them to not understand what they choose not to understand.
To which group do we belong today?
Yes Amina, yes !!!
Praise be to King Jesus for your words !
Sometimes, we have to heed His words in Matthew 15:14 KJV.
May He strengthen you further 🙏
Have a question bothering me please.
Many professing Christians believe if you are really a born again i.e. child of God, you have to speak in the HOLY Ghost (different tongues) as it was on Pentecost. I do wonder why the gift of speaking in tongues is not common in the Adventist church? and it seems we rather not take it serious?
A key feature of the Pentecost experience was the communication of the Gospel in a language that was understandable to the listeners. The big lesson for Christians today is that the stuff we try to talk about and call "Gospel" is incomprehensible to our listeners. Perhaps we need to learn to say a lot less to communicate a lot more.
Scripture says speaking in tongues will cease in the first century.
The gift of tongues was mainly given in the first century to announce the good news of salvation into Gods kingdom of sonship, to other nations with different languages.
The apostle Paul address this subject in his letters and says it would cease. To the point, If nobody can understand a message in a different tongue, it's unproductive to the assembly but benefits the person themselves in their spirit.
Shalom 🙏
Larry, what you write is total news to me.
Would you mind sharing where in the NT it is said that tongues would cease in the first century?
I know of instances where something like the "gift of tongues," but perhaps the "gift of hearing," has been miraculously supplied, with listeners from different backgrounds hearing the gospel in their own language - just like at Pentecost.
1 Corinthians 1:13
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
9For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
10but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.
11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.
12For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Ah, Larry, I don't see where Paul says this will happen in the first century. Besides, this includes prophecy as well.
What do you see as the meaning of "When completeness comes"?
Sarah – would you consider that speaking “in the HOLY Ghost” is a ‘misinterpretation or mis-stating’ of what happened at Pentecost? To help sort this out, I want to use Acts 2:1-47. It shares the background of why so many Jews had come to Jerusalem. They came to: “celebrate Shavuot, a.k.a. the ‘Feast of Weeks’, around late May or early June”.
I consider that our heavenly Father used this occasion to speak to them about His ‘Good News” in their own language. After all, the 'Good News' introduces the beginning of a new era based ib a new Covenant - 'salvation through righteousness by/through faith', and the end of the old one which was based on the Law - the Torah.
“On Shavuot, all Jews were commended to travel to Jerusalem to commemorate that feast. The Hebrew word Shavuot means “weeks” or “sevens”, and hints to the fact that this festival happens exactly seven weeks after Passover (a.k.a. Pesach) and Passover is the day that God freed the Israelites from slavery and oppression and brought them out of the land of Egypt.
The feast of ‘Shavuot’ commemorates the anniversary of the day when God gave the Torah to the Hebrews at Mount Sinai. It is also called the ‘Fest of Ingathering’, as it marks the wheat harvest in Israel.” (quoted from Conforming to Jesus Ministry)
Would you consider that ‘speaking in tongues and hearing the Good News in their own language was not a coincidence, but rather orchestrated by Heaven for the purpose that “devout men, from every nation under heaven, should receive the Holy Spirit as they heard the Gospel Message spoken in their own language?
These devout men having come from afar to celebrate Shavuot – the giving of the Torah to His people at the onset of settling and forming their nation Israel – where selected and given the opportunity to hear the ‘Good News’ about the New Way: the Way of justification by Faith in the Word of God – the Covenant based on the Law had come to its end.
In my opinion this event of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and speaking in different languages was purposefully orchestrated to facilitate the ready dissemination of the Word of God – the Gospel Message - to as many regions people would returned to after that momentous event. Acts 2:41 – ”Those who embraced his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to the believers that day.” The new, world-wide Ekklesia was beginning to form.
Hi Sarah,
As far as I can tell the necessity to "speak in the HOLY GHOST" is a man-made requirement - like so many others. (The Pharisees had a lot of those.) It is not found in the Bible.
As Adventists, we take speaking in tongues very seriously: Mostly, people make the effort to learn new languages with the help of the Holy Spirit so they can communicate with other cultures. In exceptional circumstances, it seems that the Holy Spirit supplies the "gift of hearing in tongues," as people hear preachers speak in their language, even though the preacher is not aware of it. It happens every now and then, when it is necessary for God to communicate the message to seeking hearts.
At Pentecost, God saw to it that the people from the many different language groups heard the message of the Gospel in their own language so they could carry it back to their own countries.
Like other gifts of the Spirit, the gift of languages (called "tongues" in the Bible) may be miraculously received, or it may be more gradually developed, according to need. It's a bit like the varying stories of conversion. Some have a dramatic experience, like Paul, and they are apparently converted in an instant (though the Spirit was working behind the scenes for some time). We do not say that conversion experiences must all be dramatic to be genuine. Some are gradual. In the same way, the gift of languages need not be dramatic/miraculous in order to be genuine. In most cases, the Spirit enables people to learn new languages in order to communicate the Gospel.
Gifts of the Spirit are ALWAYS given to communicate the gospel, never for show and never for personal enjoyment.
Is anyone benefited when a roomful of people all speak different languages? Would a non-believer not consider the speakers a bit crazy? (See 1 Cor. 14:f23) Certainly the gospel is not communicated that way.
Some current non-Adventist circles use glossolalia. Glossolalia is the phenomenon of (apparently) speaking in a unknown language, especially in religious worship. Use of an unknown language may bring self-glory, but it is distracting and not edifying, so it does not serve the purpose of God in granting spiritual gifts.
But Maurice, There were no, Seventh Day Adventists, in 1844. There were only a group of Sunday Keeping Adventists claiming to have a "Special Message," from a Sunday Keeping Evangelist named, William Miller, who claimed that the end of the 2300 Day Prophecy of Daniel ended then and Jesus was coming then but it all turned out to be a "Huge Mistake," to say the least. And for the most part William Miller, and most of that group, never became "Seventh Day Adventists," either.
Not really sure what your point is here, Pete. Or how is relates to what I am saying. Perhaps you would like to expand.
OK, Maurice, I guess that what I am trying to say here is that The group of "Adventists," in 1844 were not only not keeping the Fourth Commandment Sabbath but also they were as "Way off," theologically on the "Second Coming of Jesus," as Jesus' own followers were about Jesus' overthrowing the Roman Power in their day.
I was not referencing historical Adventists in my original post, but essentially drawing a parallel between the resultant communicationi effect of the Holy Spirit on the Early Church and who we should be communicating with today. But seeing you have brought up the William Miller movement that led up to the events of 1844 it is worth thinking about them. They were effective communicators and even though they were wrong in substance they did lead to a greater understanding of the Gospel. It is quite possible that we too can be wrong in substance and yet advance the cause of the Gospel. We like to think we are right, but do we live the Gospel right? Just something to think about.
God's offering of salvation is given to everyone. God's salvation comes through an encounter with Jesus. Have you met with Him today? Take some time and talk to Him about anything that bothers you. Develop this relationship, and witnessing will follow.
The gift of other languages to the Jewish apostles, at Pentecost, is proof the gospel message was not just for the Jewish nation but also for the gentiles.
The first fruits of the harvest, of carnal Israel was already in progress Matthew 10:6.
Now it was clear to the apostles that a harvest of first fruits was also desired by the *Jewish God* to the gentiles.
Matthew 10:
5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.
6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.
Revelation 14:1-5 shows the Jewish nation had first right of refusal to the new kingdom and covenant. However, we see the gentile nations were grafted into this wonderful promise to carnal Israel.
Shalom 🙏
God's Grace gave us repentance and the Holy Spirit to guide us on the path of righteousness for our Lord and Savior’s sake. Our heavenly Father gave us His Son to free us from sin and guilt, and to open to us our new life of faith and compassion for others; what a wonderful, marvelous, life-changing event our coming to Jesus Christ really is!
“We are called to spread the gospel to the world, a sinful, fallen, corrupt world with sinful, fallen and corrupt people” – still lost in the spiritual darkness of this world! Are we willing and ready to share God’s marvelous Grace poured out on us with all who we come in contact with?
And this is what we can share with those who are enabled to hear:
John 6:40-50 – v.44-45 ”No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from Him comes to Me - ….” “