Well, I Do Declare!

Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation                                        Acts 2:11

Well, I Do Declare!

by Robert T. Cooper

So I was being cute with the title to this blog post. But you have heard people say that, and perhaps have even said it yourself. It doesn’t me the speaker has said anything noteworthy or profound. It is just an exclamation.

On the other hand, The Declaration of Independence was a document in which the American colonies of Great Britain stated they were putting off colonial status and on their own initiative taking on the status of independent, sovereign states. What was said in that document was indeed noteworthy and in some ways profound.

It was Pentecost Sunday. The Holy Spirit had come upon 120 followers of Jesus who had spent the last 10 days in prayer. The last thing Jesus had said to them was that they would receive power to be His witnesses when the Holy Spirit came upon them. Sure enough, that is what happened that Pentecost morning.

Immediately, the 120 began speaking to each in attendance at the feast. One thing the Holy Spirit did was to enable the 120 to speak in the heart languages of those nationals and internationals who were present.

What did the 120 say when they engaged folks in conversation? Verse 11 says the 120 declared the wonders of God. That is, the 120 told of the noteworthy miracles God had done.

We aren’t given any particular details as to which wonders were declared on that particular day. One may surmise the Incarnation, the Resurrection, the Forgiveness of Sin, and more were included.

1)      If you were going to declare the wonders of God, which would you include?

2)      To whom might you declare the wonders of God in the next few days?

Amazement: Part 1

Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation                                          Acts 2:7

Amazement: Part 1

by Robert T. Cooper

Nothing much seems to amaze people any more. Even technological innovations are expected 3 or 4 times each year. We have raised the bar so many times and it is so high that average has become a failure.

Even the word “amazing” has been cheapened, along with “awesome” and a host of other words that used to be superlatives. There simply aren’t any true superlatives left.

So, what is called amazing today? Something having to do with mazes. A reality show, The Amazing Race. Even though the song “Amazing Grace” is still popular, folks no longer contemplate that grace and why it was called amazing all those years ago.

Still the crowd that came from at least 15 nations, and each one heard the 120 speaking in his own language, was amazed, but not by what you might think. They were amazed that those they heard speaking the languages were all Galileans.

You have to understand, Galileans were not the sophisticated city folks of Judea. They were good ol’ boys and girls from the country up north. Why, they may have been Jews but they lived on the far side of where the (pesky) Samaritans lived! Just about everyone in those days could speak Aramaic, Hebrew, Latin, and Koine Greek at a minimum. But the heart languages of people from all those 15 countries? A Judean might have learned one of those languages, but no one could imagine a circumstance in which a Galilean would.

Those foreign visitors on Pentecost didn’t know what we have perhaps learned: God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; He chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are. (I Corinthians 1:27 – 28) Amazing!

So don’t look down on those who seem foolish, weak, lowly, despised, or nothing. God is just likely to use those folks to accomplish His purposes.

Please comment on experiences in which God used the foolish, etc., to accomplish His purposes. Personal illustrations are welcome.

Magnetic Racket

Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation                                          Acts 2:6

Magnetic Racket

by Robert T. Cooper

There is just something about the sound of a crowd of people all talking simultaneously that is magnetic. If it is on wheels passing by, heads turn. If it is around the corner, one can hardly help going to see what all the hub-bub is about.

That is what happened on Pentecost. The Holy Spirit fell on the 120 in the prayer meeting. They all starting speaking in at least 15 foreign languages. Many could not converse with their immediate neighbors. Perhaps it was like a party game in which everyone started going around looking for others speaking the same language, forming groups on that basis.

But it was also like Babel in reverse. So one can imagine the variety of subjects for conversation. Most of all they wanted to excitedly express to one another the wonder of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and to discuss what might be next.

But then the crowds who were attracted by the racket started showing up. Have you ever been in a foreign country and suddenly across the way you heard someone speaking your native language? You could pick it out of all the clamor. And you were attracted to it. You just had to meet that person and find out how they happened to be in the same location as yourself.

Not that all these Jews didn’t know what they were all doing in Jerusalem for this feast. But there was obviously something unusual going on. The crowd wanted to ask about it, and the 120 were eager to tell them about it.

Perhaps where you are there aren’t any foreign speakers who need to hear the Gospel in their native languages. But there are all kinds of barriers to people hearing the Gospel, and the Holy Spirit uses us to cross those barriers, cultural and otherwise, so that people have a chance to place their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. People need the opportunity to hear and to accept the Gospel.

Are you ready to be used by the Holy Spirit this way?

Talk about experiences you may have had sharing the Gospel across barriers. We are interested in your stories.