“What does this mean?” (Acts 2:1-13)

 “What does this mean?”

 

 

 

[Acts 2:1-13]

 

 

Are people in the world truly astonished by us Christians?  If so, why are they astonished?  On a typical day, Japanese scientists dug 50 meters underground and discovered a small piece of copper.  After studying this piece for a long time, Japan announced that ancient Japanese people had a nationwide telecommunication network over 2,500 years ago.  Naturally, the Chinese government was agitated.  They urged their scientists to dig even deeper.  At 100 meters, Chinese scientists found a tiny piece of glass, and soon after, ancient Chinese were declared to have a nationwide optical communication network 3,500 years ago.  Korean scientists were furious at this report.  They dug down to 200 meters but found nothing.  Then, Korean scientists concluded that ancient Koreans had mobile phones 5,500 years ago (Internet).  The reason people in the world are astonished by us Christians is like this parable.  Just as the Korean scientists concluded that ancient Koreans had mobile phones 5,500 years ago without finding anything, people in the world do not discover the image of Jesus in our lives, yet we claim to be "little Christs."  It seems that the era of astonishing the world by our conduct has passed.  The world is no longer astonished by our wrongdoings.  How should we live in this world?  What aspects of our lives can bring positive astonishment to people in the world?

 

In Acts 2:12, the Scripture says, “And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’”  In the New Korean Standard Version, it is written as, "What does this mean?" I take this statement as the title.  I reflect on why devout Jews who were present at the time said to each other, "What does this mean?" in Acts 2:5.  Thinking about this, I contemplate three ways to astonish people in the world based on today's passage.

 

First, in order to astonish people in the world, we must make an effort to gather in one place.

 

Look at Acts 2:1 – “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.”  Why has it become increasingly difficult for all of us to gather at church?  There may be several reasons:

 

(1)    Busyness:

 

Just as it's said to be challenging for families to sit down together for a meal, parents find it hard to see their children when they're busy with their own tasks.  The same goes for the church.  Everyone is occupied with their own responsibilities, making it difficult to gather in one place.

 

(2)    With busyness, there is a lack of mental space.

 

With little mental space, we live a life of being pushed around here and there.

 

(3)    Being pushed around like this leads to a change in priorities.

 

Living in a fast-paced world, we end up chasing after various things in the busyness of life.  In the end, the priorities shift and change to what is deemed most important.

 

Ultimately, living a church-centered life has become increasingly challenging.  Personally, I find myself paying attention to Hebrews 10:25: "not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."  As the day of the Lord's return draws nearer, the habit of neglecting to meet together will likely become even more prevalent.  Therefore, whether in the church or at home, saints should make an even greater effort to gather together.

 

Looking at Acts 2:1, the Bible tells us that about 120 disciples were all together in one place on the day of Pentecost.  As we have already meditated, after the ascension of Jesus, about 120 disciples gathered together in Jerusalem.  What did they do when they gathered together?  They devoted themselves to prayer with one accord (1:14).  This "prayer" is one of the central themes in the Book of Acts.  The mention of prayer first appears in 1:14 and appears a total of 32 times, all the way to 28:8 (Yoo).  This teaches us that the prayers of the apostles and the early church in the 1st century reflect the prayer life and teachings of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of Luke (Yoo).  Seeing these 120 disciples gather together and pray, we need to think about how we should pray as our church strives to gather together.

 

(1)    We must pray with one accord (1:14).

 

God's grace increases even more in a united gathering.  True prayer cannot be achieved in a place filled with complaints and disputes (Park).  Look at James 4:2-3: " You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.  You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures."  We need to offer united prayers.  When offering united prayers, we should hold on to the words of Matthew 18:19 in faith: “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.”  Praying with unity for God's will to be done is the highest form of cooperation between us and God.

 

(2)    We must continually devote ourselves to prayer (Acts 1:14).

 

This means persevering and putting forth effort until the end (Park).  There are many things that hinder us from being dedicated to prayer.  One of them is busyness (Nowen).  In the midst of this busyness, there's a significant risk that the priority of prayer won't become ingrained in our lives.  While making an effort to gather together, we must devote ourselves entirely to prayer.  I pray for the revival of individuals, families, and the church.

 

When we gather together and pray with one accord, people in the world will be amazed.  The reason is that they will witness the power and results of our united prayer.

 

Second, to astonish people in the world, we must receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

 

Look at Acts 2:4 - " And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance."  After the ascension of Jesus, about 120 disciples gathered in the upper room (1:13) and devoted themselves to prayer at the feast of Pentecost, one of the three major Old Testament festivals (2:1).  Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like a rushing mighty wind that filled the whole house where the 120 disciples were sitting (v. 2).  Here, the "rushing mighty wind" from heaven refers to the Holy Spirit.  In the Old Testament, the word "ruach" means "wind," and this wind is a symbol of God showing His presence through the Holy Spirit (1 Sam. 22:16; Job 37:10; Ezek. 13:13) (Yoo).  The phrase "filled the whole house" in Acts 2:2, compared to the statement in verse 4 "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit," prompts us to consider why the author Luke expressed the fact that the 120 disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit as "filled the whole house."  In the Old Testament, the tabernacle and the temple were filled with the glory cloud, which represented the Holy Spirit's presence.  However, in the New Testament era, the author is implying that this new covenant people, whom the Holy Spirit indwells, have become the temple where the Holy Spirit dwells.  It's not a building like the tabernacle or temple, but rather God's people who have become the temple where the Holy Spirit resides.  In the end, these 120 disciples, by holding onto Jesus' promise in Acts 1:4 and 8 and waiting, experienced the fulfillment of the promise through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, receiving the fullness of the Holy Spirit.  We often come across prayer topics in our gatherings that seek the fullness of the Holy Spirit.  In light of this, I want to reconsider what this fullness of the Holy Spirit entails.  ‘Being filled with the Spirit means being filled with Christ.  It means being filled with the living Christ and His words (Jn. 7:37-39).  Being filled with the Spirit does not refer to a secret, mysterious experience, but to a life under the control of the Spirit’ (Internet).  So, how do we go about receiving this fullness of the Holy Spirit?  It's through prayer (Acts 2:4; 4:31; 6:3, 5; 9:17).  Pastor Andrew Murray said, ‘Without the filling of the Spirit, it is absolutely impossible for a Christian or a church to live and work as God desires.  Therefore, we must seek the filling of the Spirit with our whole heart’ (Murray).  As we look at the accounts in the Book of Acts where they received the fullness of the Holy Spirit through prayer, we need to seek the fullness of the Holy Spirit not only individually, but also together in unity through concerted prayer.  Furthermore, to receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit, we must meditate on God's Word day and night (Ps. 1:2).  Being filled with the Spirit means being filled with the Word.  In other words, being filled with the Spirit means being filled with God's Word to the extent that our whole personality is molded by it.  Therefore, we need to meditate on God's Word, be governed by it, and be led by it.  In doing so, we must also be cautious of things that hinder the fullness of the Spirit (Internet):

 

(1)    We must be cautious of ignorance regarding God's Word.

 

When a Christian lacks knowledge of the Word, the fullness of the Holy Spirit is hindered.  God's Word records truths about the relationship between Jesus Christ, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit.  This deficiency in knowledge of the Word neglects a Christian's communion and weakens the power received from it.

 

(2)    We must guard against pride and haughtiness of heart.

 

Pride leads to destruction, and a haughty spirit comes before a fall (Prov. 16:18).  God detests pride.  It is the sin of Satan (Isa. 14:12-14).  God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (1 Pet. 5:5).

 

(3)    We should be cautious of fearing others.

 

Modern-day Christians often fear standing out from non-Christians and instead seek to conform to the behavior and standards of non-Christian society.  As a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people belonging to God (2:9), we should not be ashamed of the Gospel.

 

(4)    We must be cautious of unconfessed sin.

 

Sin severs the lifeline of God's power (Ps. 66:18).  If any form of unconfessed physical, moral, intellectual, spiritual sin remains hidden in the heart of a Christian, the fullness of the Holy Spirit cannot exist.

 

(5)    We must be cautious of hearts tainted by worldly pleasures.

 

Being enamored with materialism and entangled in the customs of secular society hinders us.  Loving things of the world and its pleasures contradicts loving the Lord supremely, seeking the righteousness of God's kingdom (Mt. 6:24-33).

 

Pastor Charles Finney stated, ‘Just as it is a sin for sinners not to repent, so it is a sin for Christians not to be filled with the Spirit.  Since Christians possess more light, the sin of not being filled with the Spirit is even greater than the sin of unrepentant sinners’(Finney).  Knowing the gravity of the sin of not being filled with the Spirit, I and many others should be obedient to the Ephesians 5:18 command to be filled with the Spirit.  In doing so, when people of the world witness the fruits of the Spirit through us, they will be astonished.

 

Third and last, to astonish people of the world, we must speak of God's mighty deeds.

 

Look at Acts 2:11, " Cretans and Arabs--we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God."  On the day of Pentecost, as the 120 disciples prayed together, divided tongues as of fire appeared and rested on each one of them (v. 3).  This signifies that when they were filled with the Holy Spirit, they began to speak in various dialects.  These dialects were spoken in the languages of devout Jews who had gathered in Jerusalem from every nation under heaven (vv. 6, 8).  Interestingly, the mention of Jerusalem (v. 5), Judah (v. 9), and Rome (v. 10) in Acts 2:5, 9, and 10 respectively, when connected with Acts 1:8, indicates that the disciples, filled with the Holy Spirit, proclaimed the Gospel to the regions representing the entire known world of that time (Park).  This manner of disciples, each speaking in their own dialect while filled with the Holy Spirit, reminds us of the Tower of Babel incident in Genesis 11. Due to humanity's prideful sin, God dispersed the people by diversifying their languages.  In Acts 2:1-13, on the day of Pentecost, when the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, they were enabled to speak in dialects understood by people from regions representing the entire world (Park).  Ultimately, they were enabled to proclaim the mighty deeds of God (v. 11).  What does this term "mighty deeds of God" refer to?  While several commentaries remain somewhat reserved about this phrase, some suggest it refers to 'praising God' (Park, The Bible Exposition, The Bible Knowledge).  According to Bavinck, during the creation of heaven and earth, angels praised (Job 38:7), and when Christ was born, a multitude of heavenly hosts praised (Lk. 2:13-14).  Therefore, the Pentecost event, where miraculous dialects burst forth, is understood as an event of praise (Park).  Ultimately, the Pentecost event is a reversal of the Tower of Babel incident.  While at the Tower of Babel, people gathered together to praise themselves, the Pentecost event involved the 120 disciples praising God in dialects representing the nations of the world.

 

So how should we view speaking in tongues?  When I was studying at Westminster Theological Seminary, I learned that tongues ceased during the apostolic era.  Therefore, I believed that all tongues had ceased.  However, as I prepared today's sermon and read Dr. Yoon-Seon Park's commentary, I realized that there is a need for more nuanced distinctions.  That is, it is difficult to conclude that even the gift of tongues mentioned in 1 Corinthians 14 has ceased, although tongues during the apostolic era ceased.  What is certain, however, is that tongues are being misused in our present age.  In other words, there are false tongues.  In some churches, it is believed that if one does not speak in tongues, they have not received salvation.  Conversely, in many cases, the gift of tongues is boasted about, similar to the Corinthian saints.  Although the Bible does not state that mature believers must speak in tongues, there may be cases where individuals mistakenly think that speaking in tongues makes them more spiritually mature than other congregants.  In Acts 2:4 and 11, we can find one or two principles regarding tongues during the apostolic era:

 

(1)   The first principle is that tongues should be spoken "as the Spirit was giving them utterance."

 

Look at Acts 2:4 - "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.”  What does it mean to speak in tongues "as the Spirit was giving them utterance"?  It essentially means speaking in tongues in accordance with "the word of God."  This is because we cannot separate the Holy Spirit from the word of God.

 

(2)    The second principle is that speaking in tongues should be done for the purpose of praising God, that is, for the purpose of giving glory to God.

 

Look at 1 Corinthians 14:2 – “For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; ….”  Speaking in tongues directed towards God should edify the church (v. 26), and if there is no interpreter, the person should remain silent in the church and speak to himself and to God (v. 28).  In a message I shared about two weeks ago, there was Isaiah 43:21, “The people whom I formed for Myself Will declare My praise.”  We have been chosen by God to be His new covenant people in order to proclaim His praise.  Therefore, we should praise the great God.  Whether we praise in Korean, English, Spanish, or in the languages of various nations and peoples, we should give glory to God.  By offering our praise to God, we can amaze the people of the world.  The reason is that they too will witness the glory of God.

 

                Let us all become Christians who astonish the world!  As we gather together in prayer, filled with the Holy Spirit, let us praise the greatness of God, and in doing so, let us astound the world!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the hope that we may become Spirit-filled Christians who astonish the people of the world,

 

 

 

 

James Kim

(Praying together with one heart, holding fast to the promise of the Word, and seeking God)