WAYPOINTS
MONDAY, 1/27
MONDAY, 1/27
Read Acts 2:1.
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.”
Acts 2 opens with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the faith community. The Spirit was given
during a festival called Pentecost. This festival was celebrated by Jews for two reasons: one,
agricultural; the other, historical. The agricultural significance was that it marked the completion of the grain harvest. Historically, Pentecost also served as a time to commemorate the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai. For these two reasons, faithful Jews gathered from Jerusalem and beyond to worship God. I imagine they had no idea what God had in store for them that day.
during a festival called Pentecost. This festival was celebrated by Jews for two reasons: one,
agricultural; the other, historical. The agricultural significance was that it marked the completion of the grain harvest. Historically, Pentecost also served as a time to commemorate the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai. For these two reasons, faithful Jews gathered from Jerusalem and beyond to worship God. I imagine they had no idea what God had in store for them that day.
The agricultural and historical significance of Pentecost symbolizes the role the Holy Spirit will play in the life of Jesus’ body, the church. When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the people, it was indeed a day of great harvest. We’re told 3,000 people came to believe in and follow Christ that day. During Pentecost, the community gathered the first fruits of their harvests, and so it is as the Spirit is poured out. These 3,000 believers were the first fruits of God’s new movement in the world.
Pentecost was also a time to remember the day that God gave His people the Law at Mount Sinai. This is also symbolic of the Spirit’s work; however, the Spirit doesn’t give us the Law in the form of a text. Hebrews 10:16 points back to God’s covenant promise to write His Law on His people’s hearts and to put it in their minds. God’s Law is no longer an external set of rules; rather, it is now an internal set of values that we share with God. The Law’s being written on our hearts means that our heart and God’s heart have become one. This is a work that can only be accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit enables us to both draw into a deeper life with God as well as empower us to join the harvest as we seek to be witnesses for Christ. I wonder which of these roles you need to pray for more today. Maybe you need to ask the Spirit to make your heart one with God. Maybe you need to ask for courage to join the harvest. Don’t be afraid to ask the Spirit to accomplish these things in you. This is why the Spirit was given to us.
Praying Together:
“Holy Spirit, draw us deeper into our life with God. Help us to walk with You in such a way that we experience Your presence and power at work in us. Lead us to live into the call of Christ to be His witnesses. Take us where we are in that and teach us so that we might be faithful. Amen.”
WAYPOINTS
TUESDAY, 1/28
Read Acts 2:2.
2 “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.”
Moments before the Holy Spirit burst onto the scene, Luke sets the stage with the community of
Jesus’ followers gathering together. They had listened to His instructions to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the Spirit. They chose not to wait idly but gathered to worship. God moves most powerfully when believers unite in one heart, mind, and purpose.
Jesus’ followers gathering together. They had listened to His instructions to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the Spirit. They chose not to wait idly but gathered to worship. God moves most powerfully when believers unite in one heart, mind, and purpose.
When finally coming to this gathered group of Jesus’ followers, the Spirit makes quite an entrance. Luke describes the sound as that “like the blowing of a violent wind.” If you have ever been outside when a storm front hits, then you have a sense of what that must have been like.
The entrance of the Holy Spirit reflects the role of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit comes in power to bring power to the church. Jesus spoke to this in Acts 1:8 when He said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witness in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
So, Jesus had earlier given the church purpose. They were to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth. What they had lacked was power. The Spirit would now give them that power. They would be given authority to overcome obstacles to the mission, like fear, opposition, and insufficiencies. All they had to do was trust the Spirit to work in and through them.
I wonder if you trust the Spirit to move in power through you. We cannot succeed in fulfilling Jesus’ purpose apart from His strength.
Praying Together:
“Lord, we need Your power to do Your work. You didn’t call us that we might serve out of our own strength and wisdom. You offered Your power and wisdom to us. We ask You to make every provision we need to do Your will. May the Spirit empower us as we live out Your commands. Amen.”
WAYPOINTS
WEDNESDAY, 1/29
Read Acts 2:3.
3” They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.”
All right–here is the part about Pentecost that tends to unnerve Methodists a bit. Mainline
denominations are often skeptical of the more fantastic aspects of the Spirit. We’ve seen some churches take displays of the Spirit well beyond our comfort zone. The tongues of fire in the passage fit in that category. Before you skip the rest of the day’s devotional, let’s look at what this could mean.
denominations are often skeptical of the more fantastic aspects of the Spirit. We’ve seen some churches take displays of the Spirit well beyond our comfort zone. The tongues of fire in the passage fit in that category. Before you skip the rest of the day’s devotional, let’s look at what this could mean.
In Acts, the coming of the Spirit is accompanied by both audible and visible manifestations, just like when God descended on Mt. Sinai to meet Moses in the book of Exodus. How else was the
community of faith to understand the significance of what was happening? God uses their senses to point to the significance of the moment. The community saw, heard, and felt the weight of heaven touching Earth. I’m not sure we need to walk around with tongues of fire on our heads today because we know the Spirit has been given to us.
community of faith to understand the significance of what was happening? God uses their senses to point to the significance of the moment. The community saw, heard, and felt the weight of heaven touching Earth. I’m not sure we need to walk around with tongues of fire on our heads today because we know the Spirit has been given to us.
It is also worth noting that the fire wasn’t necessarily fire but appeared to the people like fire. It was the only image they could generate to describe it. The image of fire is significant of God’s work in us. Fire always points to purification. Through the Spirit, we are born anew. The Spirit takes our old selves and refines us by the fire so that we emerge as new creations in Christ Jesus. In other words, the Spirit makes us holy. This is the inward work of holiness.
Holiness also has external implications. To be made holy also means to be set apart. Here at
Pentecost, the community was set apart for the work of being Jesus’ witnesses to the world. The verse even says that the tongues of fire “separated and came to rest on each of them.” The tongues of fire symbolized their calling. It’s worth noting that it rested on them both as a community and as individuals. In other words, the church has been set apart for Jesus’ mission–and so have you. You too have a role to play in Jesus’ mission.
Pentecost, the community was set apart for the work of being Jesus’ witnesses to the world. The verse even says that the tongues of fire “separated and came to rest on each of them.” The tongues of fire symbolized their calling. It’s worth noting that it rested on them both as a community and as individuals. In other words, the church has been set apart for Jesus’ mission–and so have you. You too have a role to play in Jesus’ mission.
Praying Together:
“Jesus, thank You for calling us into a purpose that is much greater than ourselves. So often we have dreamed too small, hoping for comfort and personal contentment. You have so much more in mind for us. We want Your will and Your mission. We want to dream Your dreams that we might do what You invite us to do. Amen.”
WAYPOINTS
THURSDAY, 1/30
Read Acts 2:4.
4 “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”
With the tongues of fire resting on Jesus’ followers, they begin to “speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Again, I ask that you shake the image of a Pentecostal service out of your mind. The word for “tongues”, both here and in verse 11, means “languages”. They are speaking in known languages. The miracle is that those who speak had not previously known these languages. Let’s examine what this means for our church today.
This verse introduces the power of the Spirit. We see this power as the Spirit enables the church to speak in languages that were foreign to them. It’s worth noting that this is different from the
churches that speak tongues as a heavenly language between them in God. Here in Acts, the church speaks in languages other than their own. Why is this important? I’m glad you asked.
churches that speak tongues as a heavenly language between them in God. Here in Acts, the church speaks in languages other than their own. Why is this important? I’m glad you asked.
Think about the significance of this in light of the church’s new purpose. They were to be witnesses to the ends of the earth. What is the chief obstacle in taking a message across the world? Language! You can’t share the story if you can’t speak the language. The church must have the ability to communicate effectively if they are to live into their mission. The Spirit gives them this power.
What I think Luke wants us to see here is that the Spirit empowers us to conquer the obstacles that get in the way of our mission. For many of us, we face obstacles that prevent us from being witnesses for Christ. The Spirit is our help. I wonder what obstructions tend to get in your way. Maybe you need to pray for the Spirit’s power to overcome them.
Praying Together:
“Father, every time You promise to work in us, there is some kind of obstacle in the way–and You are the One who moves those obstacles. You have the power to overcome the things that would otherwise limit us. We trust that You can do that in us and that You will. Amen.”
WAYPOINTS
FRIDAY, 1/31
Read Acts 2:5-6.
5” Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.”
You want to know what’s amazing about the timing of the Spirit’s being poured out on the church? It’s that it took place during a major Jewish festival. “God-fearing Jews” from every nation gathered in Jerusalem at the same time.
A God-fearing Jew was most often a Gentile who practiced Jewish traditions. They turned to Judaism and faith in God, yet did not fully convert. So this is the audience that encounters the effects of the Spirit upon the church. They were all there to celebrate Pentecost. This, of course, was intentional on God’s part, but it’s amazing nonetheless.
There were three festivals that Jews who were able to travel, both physically and financially, were obligated to attend. They would leave their responsibilities and travel to Jerusalem to observe the religious celebration. Pentecost was one of those festivals. That is why so many Jews from “every nation under heaven” were there.
The event of the outpouring of the Spirit was a kickoff party for the church and an instant boost to their mission. Here, at this one time, over 3,000 people would turn to follow Christ. These people would represent many different peoples from many different places. Just imagine each of them going back to their communities to tell the story of what they experienced. This was a massive moment for the Kingdom.
So, what does that mean for us today? We know that God still moves and wants to move in His people. He wants to reach the world, reconciling people to Himself. Only God has the power to perform a great movement where lives are changed. Part of our job is to be ready for God to move. It is to be prayerful for a moving of God. It is to be faithful with what the Lord is asking us to do now. It is to be expectant of God to do great things.
If we do this, we will see God move. It might be during an earth-shaking event like Pentecost or in individual stories. Regardless, we want to be a resource through which God accomplishes what He wants to do.
Praying Together:
“Lord, we invite You to move in us. We pray that we are trustworthy as a church to experience an outpouring of Your presence and power. We know You want to change lives today. Empower us to be ready to receive and assist You in what You want to do. Amen.”
WAYPOINTS
SATURDAY, 2/1
SATURDAY, 2/1
Read Acts 2:7-8.
7 “ Utterly amazed, they asked: ‘Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?’”
I appreciate how Luke tries to convey the crowd’s response to the Spirit’s being poured out on the believers. He uses words and phrases like “bewildered” and “utterly amazed”. I think we get a sense of what he means. I’m sure you’ve experienced something that was both stunning and confusing, amazing and shocking, all at the same time.
The question they ask reveals the nature of their confusion. “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?” they wonder. They hear their own languages, which stretch far beyond Galilee, coming from Galileans.
In the ancient world, it wasn’t common for people to travel much at all. The average Jewish person in the first century never traveled more 5-10 miles from their home unless they were going to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple. The idea then that they would somehow be able to speak the languages of places that they had never been to or possibly even heard of would be amazing indeed.
Now, the question you might be asking at this point is this: what does this mean for us? Are we going to be able to pick up German in an instant if our new neighbors have just arrived from Berlin? I don’t think that needs to be our takeaway.
My answer is that we all need the Spirit to help us communicate the Good News of Jesus. Every person is different. We hear and receive things differently. To love our neighbors means we seek to understand them so that we can communicate the Good News of Jesus to them in ways they can hear it. Our hope is that by hearing it in “their own language,” so to speak, the love of Christ might become real to them.
I wonder who in your life needs to hear the Good News of Jesus. Whom might you begin praying for? Whom can you begin to get to know so that you might understand them and share with them in a way they can hear?
Praying Together:
“Holy Spirit, we pray for Your moving in the hearts and lives of those who come to mind that need You. We pray that You minister to them, that You reveal the Lord to them, and that You meet whatever their need might be. We offer ourselves as vessels willing to represent the Lord in any way that You call us. Amen.”
WAYPOINTS
SUNDAY, 2/2
SUNDAY, 2/2
Read Acts 2:9-12.
9” Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
This multicultural, multilingual, international group of Jews hearing the Holy Spirit in a way they all can understand symbolized a new unity in the Spirit that transcended racial, national and linguistic barriers. This is a reversal of the curse of Babel.
At Babel in Genesis 11, the people gathered to build a tower big enough to ascend into heaven that they might “make a name” for themselves. They literally wanted to elevate themselves to the Lord.
As punishment, God deliberately confused their languages, thus breaking up the rebellious crowd into separate nations. But now, all nations have once again assembled together. But this time, the language barrier was overcome by the Holy Spirit as a sign that the nations would now be gathered together in Christ. Without a language barrier, there would be no limitations on how far they could reach others in the name of Christ. His mission can now be perfectly and completely fulfilled globally through the Holy Spirit.
Imagine you and your family are staying in Jerusalem for the Passover and Pentecost festivals. You are surrounded by a diverse group of Jews, all connected together by Jewish traditions, yet
speaking different languages. Suddenly, the Pentecost festival somehow veers off course.
Those near to the believers experience the Presence of the Holy Spirit in a way they could understand it best. It was as if the Holy Spirit wanted to speak directly to them, using the words and phrases that enabled them in understanding the Holy Spirit most effectively.
speaking different languages. Suddenly, the Pentecost festival somehow veers off course.
Those near to the believers experience the Presence of the Holy Spirit in a way they could understand it best. It was as if the Holy Spirit wanted to speak directly to them, using the words and phrases that enabled them in understanding the Holy Spirit most effectively.
This event had far-reaching consequences for Christ’s mission. Through the Holy Spirit, witnesses had the capacity to share their experience of grace and love with others, regardless of where they lived and what language they spoke.
It was these consequences that baffled some of the listeners. “How can this be? What does this mean?” they asked. There were some that dismissed the power of the Holy Spirit, explaining what they saw as the actions of a drunken crowd. As Christ witnesses filled with the Holy Spirit, we now know that we have the full capacity to talk to anyone about the Lord and share our own experiences with Christ’s redeeming work. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, what can possibly keep us from spreading the Good News to all of God’s people?
Praying Together:
“Lord, You promise that the Spirit will give the apostles words to speak in their times of need. As we seek to be Your witnesses, give us the words to speak when it is needed. Give us the wisdom to remain quiet when that is best. Give us the heart to serve when it is Your will. Amen.”