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?

A Burning Dove

Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation                                          Acts 2:3

A Burning Dove

by Robert T. Cooper

So there was this wind sound that filled the whole house. Now, there were 120 adult men there, not counting the women and under 13’s. So don’t go thinking house. Not even the wealthiest residents of Jerusalem had a personal abode like that. Think meeting hall. But the point of the sound filling the entire structure is to indicate that no person present failed to hear the sound.

So when we get to verse 3, we find that all saw this phenomenon. It seemed to be flickers of flame like one would see burning on the wick of a candle. So we have this additional metaphor going: a sound and a flame.

So everyone hears the sound and everyone sees the flickers which divide in such a way that there is a separate flicker that comes to rest on each one present. The traditional way of visualizing this is to imagine flames like each person was a candle with a wick coming out of the top of each person’s head.

Interestingly, we are not told how long this phenomenon lasted. Surely the image was gone by the time anyone outside the room heard what happened next. (We’ll get to that another time.)

Now, compare this with the descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus at the Savior’s baptism. In that case, the Spirit descended in a form that gave one an impression of something similar to a dove. The text does not say that an actual bird flew down and sat on Jesus. It says that the Spirit descended like a dove.

If this is the exact same Holy Spirit, why was the image like a dove in one case and like tongues of fire in the other case? One possible answer is that the Holy Spirit was marking Jesus to be Isaiah’s prophecies Prince of Peace, while He was marking the 120+ as being on fire for God.

Remember that Jesus said the Apostles (and others present at that time) would have power when the Holy Spirit came on them. So when the Holy Spirit came to rest on each one, it was in order to fuel the witness of each believer as the Gospel began to be carried to the uttermost part of the world.

Today the Holy Spirit comes to indwell each person who places his or her faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He is the source of our peace that passes understanding. He is the source of our power to witness to our community and beyond. He is like a burning dove. Let’s make sure we don’t quench the Spirit.

What are some other metaphors for the Holy Spirit? Also, please share with us some times the Holy Spirit gave you peace or empowered your witness.

How Quickly Does God Work?

Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation                                          Acts 2:2

How Quickly Does God Work?

by Robert T. Cooper

There is a saying that God can accomplish more in a short time than we can accomplish in months and years. Plus we know that unless the Lord builds the house, the laborers labor in vain.

We all have heard of musical sensations who suddenly burst on the scene. What no one ever talks about is the years and years those “sensations” labored at their craft, developing and honing their skills, learning their crafts, paying their dues. It happens all the time.

In the spiritual realm, we have all been sensitive to the times we prayed and prayed, and God didn’t seem to hear or to answer for years or even decades. Some didn’t see the answers in their lifetimes, though the answers eventually came. It reminds me of the verse that begins, “When the time had fully come, God….”

Jesus talked about it being like yeast slowly growing until the entire lump of dough is leavened. He talked about it being like a seed that slowly grows into a huge plant or bush.

Jesus had taught about the coming of the Holy Spirit during his 3½ year ministry. During the 10 days following the Ascension, at least 120 believers had participated in a 24/7 prayer meeting, waiting on the coming of the Spirit.

But then on the Day of Pentecost, “Suddenly” the answer to the promise and the prayer came. God moved and acted in mere moments.

Wind of the Spirit

Jenifer Jones

I have known of people who prayed and prayed for a godly spouse, only to finally give up the search. They decided they must be amongst those who never get married, and they began seeking to be content in their single status. Only then did the Lord bring into their lives the one He had all along intended to be the answer to their prayers. Was it sudden, or was it a long-term process?

Of course, God lives outside of time. For Him to work into one moment of time is no different to Him than to work into any other moment of time. But from our perspective there is both process and suddenness.

Please share in the comments section about times God’s work seemed to be a long-term process and times His work seemed to be a sudden happening.