Wednesday, April 15, 2026

Opening Scripture

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. 1 Corinthians 12:4-11

Opening Prayer

Gracious Heavenly Father, thank you that your mercy to me is new again this morning. I praise you for your forgiveness and grace. By the power of your Spirit at work within me, help me to be fruitful and serve you well this day. Help me to embrace your will, obey your Word, and walk in your ways. In the name of Jesus Christ my Lord I pray, Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

Acts 2:1-13

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

Reflection  

Shortly after conducting their first “business meeting” to elect Matthias, the Church in Jerusalem held their first (unscheduled) “revival.” Since the Church didn’t have its own building, they were meeting continually in and around the temple. They were obeying Jesus’ instruction: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

Luke says that, on this Sunday, they were “all together” sitting in a “house” presumably somewhere in the temple district. It was the day of Pentecost, the fiftieth day after the Sabbath of Passover week. The Feast of Pentecost (Shavuot = weeks), was originally a celebration of the first barley harvest, which took place about seven weeks (a week of weeks) after planting. It’s also referred to as the Feast of Harvest.

As the disciples and the rest of the Church were gathered “in one place,” something remarkable and unexpected happened. Jesus made good on His promise in a powerful way with an audible “wind” and a visible “fire.” In that moment, the believers were all “filled with the Holy Spirit.”

The word for “wind” here (pnoé) is only used two times in Scripture: 1. describing the Spirit descending from Heaven like a violent blast of air, and 2. in Pauls’ sermon in Athens, describing the life-giving breath of God. “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else” (Acts 17:24-25).

We’re reminded of Jesus’ comments to Nicodemus in John 3: “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” Word spread fast about the tornado-like sound and the cacophony of voices crying out.

In addition to the “wind” and “fire” (earth, anyone?), the Spirit’s indwelling presence was manifest by the followers of Jesus declaring “the wonders of God” in languages they had never learned. People from all over the Roman Empire had gathered in Jerusalem for the festival – “God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.” Each was hearing the gospel in their heart language.

The Greek word for “tongues” here is dialektō, from which we get the word “dialect.” These were the spoken languages of the nations mentioned, representing the Jewish diaspora and others who had gathered in Jerusalem for this major festival – perhaps close to a million people.

Understandably, the curious crowd that assembled was amazed and perplexed by what they saw and heard, wondering what it all could mean. Certainly, this wasn’t a typical festival exhibition. Some accused the “street preachers” of being drunk, but the truth was beyond their wildest imagination.

Flourishing Habit

Intentional Discipleship

When defending himself for associating with non-Jews who were coming to faith in Jesus, Peter would later remind the leaders of the Jerusalem Church that this event at Pentecost was where it all started.

“As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?” (Acts 11:15-16).

The “gift of languages” at Pentecost is a divine reversal of the “curse of confusion” at the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11). Babel represents pride, rebellion, and the division caused by sin. Pentecost represents humility, repentance, and the unity created by the Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s indwelling of Jesus’ disciples is a tangible expression of God making all things new!

The Holy Spirit enables us to understand spiritual truth. He always seeks to honor God the Son. He brings conviction of sin in the hearts of all people. He cultivates godly character in followers of Jesus. He brings comfort and gives spiritual gifts to all believers to strengthen and build up the Church. His indwelling presence is our promise of eternal life.

As described in our Opening Scripture, the Holy Spirit gifts followers of Jesus “for the common good.” In that passage, Paul lists several types of “gifts” that the Spirit distributes to believers for the building up of the Church. Things like wisdom, a message of knowledge, faith, healing, miraculous powers, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, speaking in different kinds of tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. These are supposed to assist the Church in its mission.

If you are a disciple of Jesus, the Holy Spirit lives in you. And if the Holy Spirit lives in you, He has gifted you to contribute to His kingdom work. When we use our spiritual gifts humbly and graciously to serve one another, the Church grows, and we all benefit.

Do you know your spiritual gift? You may have more than one! If you want to explore this further, click this link from Lifeway Christian Resources: https://s7d9.scene7.com/is/content/LifeWayChristianResources/Spiritual_Gifts_Assessmentpdf.pdf.

God has uniquely shaped you to serve Him! “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). Here’s a way to think about your SHAPE.

Spiritual Gifts. God intends for you to utilize your gifts for His glory and the Church’s good. Ask the Spirit to help you identify, develop, and use them well.

Heart. What are you passionate about? What motivates you and pumps you up? God wants to use what excites you for His glory and kingdom purpose.

Abilities. What are you good at? What are the natural talents you were born with? What does your body or brain find it easy to do that others might struggle with?

Personality. Are you more withdrawn or outgoing? Are you a “thinker” or “feeler”? Are you more silly or serious? God can use it all for His glory!

Experiences. We are all shaped by our experiences… good and bad. Your education, injuries, successes, and failures can all be used by God to accomplish His purpose. In fact, God often uses our most painful experiences to help others.

Once you begin to discover your unique SHAPE, trust God with it. Give yourself to Him and ask Him to use you for His glory. Resist the temptation to compare yourself to someone else. Instead, be the best YOU that you can be.

What are some of the factors that make up your unique SHAPE?

How has the Spirit used you to build up the Church?

What do you still need to give to God?

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!