MEMORISE:
“And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” – Acts 2:4 (KJV)
BIBLE READING: Acts 2:1-18 (KJV)
1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
8 And how hear we every man in our tongue, wherein we were born?
9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?
13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.
14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
MESSAGE
When people are filled with alcohol, they become drunk. God, however, does not want this for His children; rather, He wants them to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). On the day of Pentecost, the disciples were so full of the Holy Spirit that those who saw them thought they were drunk. In truth, they were overflowing with heavenly wine called the Holy Spirit.
Drunk people don’t see things the way others do. A drunk can look at a refuse heap and see a majestic bed. Likewise, when someone is filled with the Holy Spirit, he or she can look at a crippled man and see him running about. When I moved to the campground that has now become Redemption City, my colleagues at the university thought I had gone crazy. They saw a jungle, but I saw a city. Now, everyone can see the city that I saw some decades ago.
Drunk people are not in control of their actions; they do whatever the alcohol influences them to do. If it influences them to sleep on a highway, they will gladly do so without thinking of the dangers involved. Likewise, when you’re drunk with the Holy Spirit, you’re no longer in control of your life.
You will go wherever He asks you to go and do whatever He asks you to do. You won’t argue with Him when He tells you to do something.
I believe the wine of the Holy Spirit hasn’t taken you over if you still struggle with obeying God’s instructions. Before Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit, he could do whatever he wanted; at one time, he even denied Jesus. However, when the Holy Spirit came upon him on the day of Pentecost, he started preaching the gospel and never stopped until God called him home.
One time, when some people threatened him not to speak about Jesus, he boldly responded, “We cannot but speak of the things we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). Despite the persecutions he faced, he refused to stop speaking about Jesus.
Drunkards are never satisfied with a previous day’s drunkenness, so they return to the bottle daily. When you are filled until you overflow with the Holy Spirit, you will keep returning for more. The more He fills you, the more you will want Him, and the more of Him you have, the more your life will overflow with His miraculous power. Beloved, ask God to fill you with His Spirit every day.
Ask God for a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit every day.
HYMN 8 – I Need Thee Every Hour
1 I need Thee ev’ry hour,
Most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine
Can peace afford.
Chorus:
I need Thee, O I need Thee,
Ev’ry hour I need Thee
O bless me now, my Saviour
I come to Thee!
2 I need Thee every hour
Stay Thou nearby
Temptations lose their power
When Thou art nigh.
3 I need Thee every hour,
In joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide
Or life is vain.
4 l need Thee every hour
Teach me Thy will,
And Thy rich promises
In me fulfill.
5 I need Thee every hour
Most Holy One;
Oh, make me thine indeed,
Thou blessed Son!
Action Point
PS: I know you might agree with some of the points raised in this article or disagree with some of the issues raised.
Please share your thoughts on the topic discussed. We would appreciate it if you could drop your comment. Thanks in anticipation.
