日期﹕ 02/18/2007

經文﹕使徒行傳 2 ﹕ 1-13

題目﹕疾風烈火的群體

主旨﹕因耶穌從他的寶座差遣了聖靈﹐我們便有能力做他的見證人。

引言﹕

中國人喜歡以一聲巨響開始新的一年。我們有傳統的煙火和舞獅表演﹐許多人為了合家團圓要長途跋涉地旅行。在國內﹐許多企業為了慶祝新年而歇業一個星期甚至更長的時間。在新年的第一天打掃房間被視作不祥之兆﹐人們害怕會因此把一年的財運給一掃而光。 中國人還有給紅包的習慣﹐紅包 象徵 在新的一年裡興旺發達。 人們喜歡彼此贈送充滿喜氣的新年祝福﹐節日裡所吃的食物也象征著祥和昌盛﹐其中包括常見的髮菜和蓮子。人們都希望以最好的方式開始新的一年。

今天所讀的經文裡﹐發生了三個不尋常的現象﹕強風﹐火焰和方言。 它們預示著一個重要事件的開始。 要 我們關注當時及之後所發生的狀況。

在我們仔細研讀這段經文之前﹐讓我們先回顧一下之前所發生的事件。 上週日﹐我們學到﹕在耶穌復活之後﹐他有四十天的時間和門徒在一起﹐教導他們有關天國的事。在耶穌升天之前﹐他要求門徒們做他在世上的見證人。當初神創造亞當和夏娃的時候﹐曾希望他們成為神的見證人﹐在世上代表神。後來﹐諾亞﹐亞伯拉罕﹐以撒﹐雅各﹐約瑟﹐摩西﹐大衛﹐所羅門和他們的子孫后代都要成為神在世上的見證人。但是他們都有跌倒的時候﹐有時甚至是非常痛苦和悲慘的。隨後耶穌來到世間。他在世的三十三年裡﹐他完全在神和人之間站立得穩。他成為神的代表﹐見證他的完美。就在他升天之前﹐他要求門徒們做他的見證人。耶穌不僅提出這個大使命﹐更應許賜他們聖靈﹐賜他們能力做他的見證人﹐在耶路撒冷以及地極代表和反應他。

現在我們來看今天的經文。在耶穌升天以後﹐門徒們都聚集在耶路撒冷。第一節經文告訴我們五旬節到了。五旬節指在逾越節的安息日之後的第五十天。這個節日被視作收穫的節日。在舊約和新約的過渡時期﹐五旬節也被用來紀念以色列人領受神的律法和他們在西奈山上與神重立誓約。在這一天﹐使徒們都聚集在一起﹐突然發生了三個可以被觀察到的事件﹕一陣好像強風吹過的響聲﹐火燄般的舌頭顯現出來和使徒們開口說 別處的地方語言 。 許多人把這段敘述看作是神的救贖計劃中一個新時期的開始，或者說是它們是新約教會誕生的標誌。 今天早上﹐我們先關注這三個事件本身。下個星期﹐我們再具體探討它們的重要意義。

I •  當耶穌差遣了聖靈﹐我們便可以經歷他的創造能力。

我們首先來看充滿了整間屋子的強風。２ :2, “ 忽然有一陣好像強風吹過的響聲，從天而來，充滿了他們坐在裡面的整間屋子。 ” 在希臘文和希伯來文中﹐“風”這個字代表了“靈”或者“氣息” 。 神就是借著這個“靈” 或者“風” 創造了天地萬物﹔也是這個“靈” ﹐“風” 或者“氣息” 被神吹進了亞當的體內﹐使他成為一個有靈的活人﹔也是這相同的“靈” 或者“氣息” 降臨到以西結所見到的遍地骸骨上﹐使他們復活成為神的軍隊。

在新約裡﹐耶穌告訴尼哥底母他必須要重生才能見到和進入天國。“重生” 就是要重複。耶穌解釋道﹕亞當因為神吹了那口氣使他成為有靈的活人﹔所以﹐如果我們要見到上帝的國﹐與神有一個屬靈的關係﹐我們也需要他向我們吹入一口氣﹐賜給我們一個靈﹐就像當初他賜給亞當的一樣。這就是“重生” 。這個靈創造了天地萬物﹔這個靈賜給亞當生命﹐使枯骨復活﹔這個使上帝的子民獲得新生的靈在五旬節的時候降臨到使徒們身上。

那麼﹐神的靈為什麼會降臨到使徒們身上﹖神出於自己的意志主動賜下他的靈﹐宣告了一個新的時代的開始。舊約的 < 約珥書 > 早已預言了聖靈的降臨。耶穌在昇天之前也應許將賜下聖靈。 隨著聖靈的降臨﹐神的救贖計劃進入了一個新的階段。 這是怎樣的一回事？

在舊約時代﹐以色列人是上帝的選民﹐他們成為上帝在世上的代表。但是現在﹐進入新約時代以後﹐所有的信徒都是神在世上的代表。 所有 信耶穌基督的人從此代替了以色列 這國度 。

那充滿創造能力和賜生命的靈﹐同樣賜給門徒力量﹐使他們成為上帝的見證人。從以後的 < 使徒行傳 > 記述中﹐我們看到﹕使徒們在接受了聖靈以後﹐從一群膽小怕事的人成為一支天國的精兵。 他們用神國 度 的福音 信息 徹底顛覆了 當時的 世界。聖靈賜給使徒們和其他耶穌的跟隨者力量﹐把福音從耶路撒冷傳到羅馬﹐直至地極。

靠著 這 聖靈的力量﹐在 1854 到 1979 年間﹐有 4000 名 內地會（海外 宣教 使團）得宣教士 和 他們的同工 在中國和其他亞洲國家事 奉 。即使在今天﹐仍然有許多 信徒 在一些我們從未聽說過的 城市 傳遞耶穌基督的福音。 當我三年前在阿拉木圖的時候﹐一位韓國牧師指著世界地圖上的絲綢之路說道﹕在這個或者那個城市﹐他們已經或者即將派遣韓國的宣教士前往傳福音。在中國﹐有許多教會 也 立志于將福音傳回到耶路撒冷。為什麼我們有如此堅定的勇氣和承諾﹖因為充滿了創造能力的聖靈已經降臨到我們身上。

這 聖靈也將賜我們力量和能力在 在我們所在之處 做他的見證人。他的大能將幫助我們在神和世界之間站立得穩﹐代表他﹐反應他的愛﹐榮耀﹐聖潔和 完整 。

II •  當耶穌差遣了聖靈﹐我們便可以經歷他的同在。

現在﹐讓我們來看看火焰的意義。 2 ﹕ 3 “又有火燄般的舌頭顯現出來，分別落在他們各人身上。” 這就像一根根火焰柱﹐雖然不是真的火焰﹐但是卻形同烈火。我們可以從舊約裡學到什麼呢﹖ < 創世紀 >15 ﹕ 17 首先提到火焰。上帝和亞伯拉罕立約﹐並要求他獻上牲祭﹐把那些獻祭的動物從中間劈開﹐日落天黑的時候﹐有冒煙的爐和燒著的火把，從那些肉塊中經過。這就是神為他和亞伯拉罕的誓約印證的方式。這完全是上帝的主動行為﹐亞伯拉罕不用做任何事。

在 < 出埃及記 > 裡﹐當以色列人在曠野漂泊的時候﹐有火焰在夜間出現為他們指明道路。在 < 出埃及記 >19 ﹕ 19 ﹐我們讀到﹕西奈山全山冒煙﹐上帝在火焰中降臨到山上﹐全地都震動。 40 ﹕ 36-38 ﹐當神來到會幕的時候﹐有烈火和雲彩伴隨著他。在舊約裡﹐烈火象征著神的同在。

現在﹐火焰般的舌頭降臨到使徒中間﹐象征了神與他們同在。這是對 < 約珥書 > 的預言以及耶穌在 < 馬太福音 > 裡的應許的實現。 < 馬太福音 >28 ﹕ 18-20 “天上地上一切權柄都賜給我了。所以，你們要去使萬民作我的門徒，奉父子聖靈的名，給他們施洗。我吩咐你們的一切，都要教導他們遵守。這樣，我就常常與你們同在，直到這世代的終結。” 耶穌告訴他的門徒和追隨者﹕當我們代表他﹐為他做見證人的時候﹐無論我們身在何處﹐無論週圍的環境是友善還是敵視﹐熟悉還是陌生﹐我們都不是孤單的﹐因為他一直將和我們在一起。

火還代表了清潔的意思。請大家注意﹕火焰的舌頭分別落在每個人的身上。之前﹐神的烈火降臨到會幕。但是現在﹐他和我們每一個人在一起。我們每個人都是他的居所﹐ 祂的聖殿。 無論我們去往何處﹐神都與我們同在。

神的同在使耶穌基督的門徒們充滿勇氣和力量﹐從第一世紀一直到今天﹐他們把天國的福音傳到世界的每個角落。神的同在幫助我們成為他的見證人﹐在他和世界之間站立得穩﹐在世上做他的代表和反映。

我知道有時候你的工作﹐學校甚至家庭環境對于耶穌基督的信仰可能不太友善。有時在父母﹐室友﹐教授或者同事面前﹐我們害怕提到耶穌或者上帝。 他們總是用一種 挑撥輕視 的眼光看待我們：你在這 時代 還怎麼 能信上帝 ﹖ 我這 共產黨員 決 不 能 相信基督教的神。 他們甚至會說﹕如果耶穌現在就在我面前的話﹐我就再把他釘一次十字架。這樣的態度和宣告多麼令人膽戰心驚。但是﹐無論我們處在何種場景﹐請記住﹕神與我們同在。他的靈已經降臨到我們身上。因此﹐我們不再需要害怕。

III •  當耶穌差遣了聖靈﹐我們便能宣講他的作為。

當聖靈降臨到使徒們身上以後發生了什麼事﹖此時此刻﹐我覺得有必要向大家說明一個簡單的解經原則。當我們忽視一些基本原則的時候﹐很容易對聖經的理解產生混淆。當我們學習 < 使徒行傳 > 的時候﹐要記住這是一段敘述性的描寫﹐而不是作為教義性的闡述。這本書準確地記錄了耶穌復活以後所發生的一些事件。 任何在 < 使徒行傳 > 裡出現的 好像是 教義或者實踐都要得到聖經其他經卷的應證和解釋。如果僅僅憑 < 使徒行傳 > 的經文來了解聖靈 的 洗或者被聖靈充滿的意義﹐將是十分危險和錯誤的。 我們要通過學習耶穌本人的教導﹐保羅和其他使徒的福音書來正確理解受聖靈施洗和被聖靈充滿的意思。

我在此簡單地闡述一下這個問題。 在保羅的書信裡﹐我們清楚地看到﹕ 當 我們把信心放在耶穌基督身上﹐並且通過水禮公開表達自己的信仰﹐那麼聖靈就 進入 我們。 這是一次性的事件。如果你是耶穌基督的信徒﹐你就已經有了聖靈的同在。被聖靈充滿的意思是讓聖靈成為我們生命的主宰。 當我們被聖靈掌管﹐受聖靈約束的時候﹐ 在 我們與神與人的屬靈關係 上就會結出聖靈的果子 。當聖靈在我們身上掌權的時候﹐我們就能 表現出聖靈的恩賜來。聖靈的洗是一次，但被聖靈充滿是重複的。要不斷讓聖靈來管理我們。

現在﹐讓我們來看看聖靈剛降臨到使徒們身上時發生了什麼立刻的 後果 。

首先﹐ 2 ﹕ 4 “他們都被聖靈充滿，就照著聖靈所賜給他們的，用別種的語言說出話來。” 他們開始說別 國或地區 的語言。 2 ﹕ 6-8 “這聲音一響，許多人都聚了來，人人都聽見門徒講出聽眾各人本鄉的話，就莫名其妙。他們又驚訝、又驚奇，說：“你看，這些說話的，不都是加利利人嗎？我們各人怎麼聽見他們講我們從小所用的本鄉話呢？” 使徒們說出了聽眾各人的本鄉話。 這些聽眾來自世界的各個地方﹐他們是猶太人﹐或者是已經歸依猶太教﹐來自于東西南北各個地區。這裡的重點不在於使徒們能夠說不同的 語 言﹐這 本身的確 是很奇妙的事﹐也是一次性的奇跡 ! 但更重要的是﹕無論從何處來的人都能用本鄉的話聽到神的話。 聖靈降臨的第一個立刻 後果 是人們能夠用自己的本鄉話聆聽神的信息。當然﹐這也預示著將來要發生的一切。 當神 將祂 的話 帶 到世上 各國 的時候﹐ 那裡 的人 就 都能用本鄉話聽到福音。

就好像我們來到國外﹐週圍的人都講外語﹐對于我們就好像是噪音一般。突然﹐我們聽到有人說英語﹐就會立刻把頭轉過去。熟悉的語言往往能打動我們的心。當神的靈降臨到我們身上的時候﹐人們能用自己的語言聆聽神的教導。這也是許多人認識耶穌基督的方式。 往往是因為 有人用 我們心的語言 向我們傳福音。

無論宣教士走到哪裡﹐他們都會學習當地的語言﹐把聖經翻譯成當地的文字﹐使當地的人民能夠用他們自己的語言聽和讀神的話語。根據 威克理夫 聖經翻譯組織的統計﹐全世界大約有 6000 多種語 言 。 其中大約 3000 種語言 還 沒有聖經的翻譯版。在中國教會史的最初一百年﹐宣教士們花了許多時間翻譯聖經的中文版。 病粵語版，　上海話版。 最早的中文版聖經完成于 1919 年。迄今為止﹐已經有好幾個版本的中文聖經﹐ 使 我們得以用自己的語言來學習神的話語。我們要記住﹕當我們與 Wycliffe 聖經翻譯機構一起支持 Edward 和 Dianne 在非洲的事工時﹐我們就是幫助了在那些地區的人們用他們自己的語言聆聽天國的福音。

聖靈降臨到使徒身上的第二個立刻 的後果 是﹕ 2 ﹕ 11 “克里特人以及阿拉伯人，都聽見他們用我們的語言，講說　神的大作為。 ” 當聖靈降臨到使徒身上的時候﹐他們開始講述上帝的創造作為﹐他 如何 引領以色列人出埃及， 過紅海 和他們在曠野的漂泊。 神的奇妙作為也包括他親自道成肉身來到世界。他在世上 的 事奉﹐受苦﹐並且死在十字架上。三天以後﹐他從死裡復活。四十天以後﹐他被接升上天。這些都是神的奇妙作為。使徒們訴說的都是神和他的大作為。 當神的作為和真理被宣告的時候﹐他的國度就得到擴展。

我們可以從中獲益匪淺。 我們要和別人分享什麼﹖ 有時是要 與人分享我們的經歷。 但是要小心﹐我們的經歷是幫助別人指向耶穌基督還是我們自己﹖有時﹐當我們聽不同人的分享時﹐會忍不住希望也成為他那樣的人﹕充滿耐心和謙卑。 這是錯的。更重要的是和 別人分享 神的作為 。

結論﹕

按著舊約的預言和耶穌的應許﹐在五旬節那天﹐上帝主動差遣他的聖靈來到使徒們中間。就是這個聖靈創造了天地萬物﹐賜給亞當生命﹐使他的子民得到重生。 聖靈的降臨表 示 了神與他的兒女同在﹐也 象徵 了 一個 新時代的開始。 在這個新時代裡﹐神的兒女已經不再僅僅局限于以色列人。上帝的兒女 / 子民包括所有一切相信耶穌基督的人。有了聖靈的同在﹐神的子民有能力在世上做他的見證﹐在神國的 擴張 中有份。聖靈的能力幫助我們站立在神和世界之間﹐代表和反映神的形像。有了聖靈的能力﹐我們能夠訴說記錄在聖經裡的神的大作為。

我們現在的處境是如何呢﹖為什麼有時候甚至大部份時候我們感到軟弱和灰心﹖是不是因為我們沒有聖靈的同在﹐所以要更急切地禱告求聖靈快來﹖是的﹐有時候我們需要聖靈與我們特別同在。 但是﹐如果我們對于聖經的理解是正確的話﹐上帝已經把聖靈賜給了我們。我們感到無力是因為我們沒有把 生命的 主權交給聖靈。 當我將自己放在聖靈的掌管之下，也就是被聖靈所充滿。 我們 就要學習處理 生命中的某些罪。 要除掉 對人 的 苦毒 與怨恨 。我們 要 饒恕 並 愛 那些 傷害過我們的人。 要學習 接 納 和愛那些跟我們不同的人。我們為了改善和他人的關係而 願意 改變自己的性格。我們 要聆聽 聖靈在我們內心的 提醒 。 當聖靈在管理我生命時 ﹐ 我就有力量 在家裡﹐公司和學校裡代表和反映他的愛﹐公平﹐聖潔和 完整。

Date:    02/18/07

Text:    Acts 2: 1-13

Title:    A Community Set Ablaze

Theme: Since Jesus sits on high and sends His Spirit to His people, we are empowered to be His Witness .

Introduction:

  The Chinese like to begin the New Year with a big bang. We have fire crackers and lion dances. Family members travel great distances for the annual reunion. In China, many businesses shut down for about one week or more. It is considered bad luck if we do any sweeping on New Year’s Day for fear that we may sweep away our money. Then there is also the custom of giving the red envelope to symbolize prosperity in the New Year. We have to make sure to include all the right words in our New Year greetings. All the food we eat in the celebration of New Year will include ingredients that symbolize prosperity and good will. Of course, this will include that black hair vegetable ( 髮菜 ) and 蓮子 . We want to make sure we start the New Year right.

  The scripture lesson we read today is characterized by 3 very unusual major phenomena: Wind, Fire and Foreign languages. They signified the beginning of something very important. It calls our attention to what is happening here and also the succeeding events.

  Before we plunge into the text, we need to review what had occurred before. Last Sunday we learned that after Jesus'' resurrection, he spent 40 days teaching his disciples about the kingdom of God. Before his ascension, he commissioned them to be his witnesses. You see, when Adam and Eve were created, they were meant to be God's witness, representing God before the world. Later, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph , Moses, David, Solomon and their descendents were all meant to be God's witnesses in the world. At times they all had failed, and sometimes quite miserably. Then came Jesus Christ. During his 33 years on earth, he stood perfectly between God and the world. He was God's representative and witness par excellence. And now, just prior to his ascension, he commissioned his disciples to be his witnesses. He not only commissioned them, but also promised that he will send his Holy Spirit to them, giving them the power they need to be his witnesses, to represent and reflect him beginning in Jerusalem and to the end of the earth.

  This brings us to today’s text. After Jesus'' ascension, the disciples stayed in Jerusalem. In vs. 1 we read that when the day of Pentecost arrived. Pentecost is the 50 th day after Sabbath of the Passover week. Pentecost is known as the feast of Harvest. Then during the inter-testament time, this day was also used to celebrate the receiving of God's law and the renewal of his covenant with the Israelites at Mt. Sinai. So, on this day, when the disciples were together, something happened. There were 3 observable events: What sounded like a violent wind, what appeared to be tongues of fire and the people gathered there were able to understand the disciples’ conversations in their own language. Many considered this narrative as the beginning of a new era in God's redemptive history; or the birth of the NT church. This morning we want to focus on these three observable events, and next week, we’ll go into greater detail regarding their significance.

I •  When Jesus sends forth his spirit, we experience his creative power.

2:2, “ 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.” Let’s first take a look at what appears to be a mighty wind filling the house. The word ‘wind’ in both the Hebrew and Greek language means “Spirit” or “Breath”. It is this spirit or wind that was present when God created the heaven and earth. It is this spirit, wind or breath that was given to Adam, making him a living creature. It is the same spirit or breath that came upon the dry bones in Ezkiel’s vision, turning them into a mighty army. .

Then in the NT, Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born again in order to see and enter the kingdom of heaven. The word ‘again’ means to repeat. Jesus explained that Adam was made alive by the spirit, breath, or wind; so if we are to see God's kingdom, have that spiritual relationship with God, we also need Him to breathe into us, giving us his spirit just like he gave Adam. This is called born again. The Spirit that created the heavens and earth; the spirit that gave life to Adam, to the dry bones; the Spirit that regenerates God's people came upon the disciples on this day of Pentecost.

Now, why was the Spirit given to the disciples and for what occasion? God, on his own initiative, sends His spirit to inaugurate the beginning of a new era. This is the spirit that was prophesied in the OT book of Joel. This is the spirit promised by Jesus just before his ascension. With the pouring of this Spirit, God's redemptive work on earth enters into a new stage. How so?

In the OT, the nation of Israel was God's chosen and visible representative on earth. But now, in this new era, all believers are now God's visible representatives on earth. The visible nation of Israel is now replaced by all those who put their faith in Jesus Christ.

This spirit with its creative and life-giving power, also provided strength for the disciples so they can be God's witnesses. In the rest of the book of Acts, we learn that having received this power, the disciples were changed from a group of timid and discouraged men and women into a mighty army. They turned the world upside down with the gospel message of God's kingdom. This Spirit empowered the disciples and other followers of Jesus Christ, bringing the gospel message from Jerusalem to Rome, and to the rest of the world.

With this same empowerment of the Holy Spirit, between 1854 and 1979, there were 4000 OMF missionaries and associates working in China and other Asian countries. Even to this day, men and women are still bringing the gospel message to countries and cities we have never heard of. While I was in Almaty about three years ago, a Korean pastor showed me the world map and pointed to the Silk Road. He told me in this and those cities, they have either already sent or will send Korean missionaries. Many churches in China today are actively involved in a movement of bringing the gospel message back to Jerusalem. Why such a motivation and commitment? Because the creative and life-giving power of God has already come upon us.

This Spirit will also give us the power and strength as we live to be God's witnesses at where we are. His power will enable us to stand between God and the world, representing him and reflecting his love, glory, holiness and integrity.

II •  When Jesus sends forth his spirit, we experience God's presence with us.

Now, let’s take a closer look at the symbol of fire. Vs. 3, “ 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.” It was like little pillars of fire. This was not real fire but appeared to be fire. What do we learn about fire from the OT? The first time it was mentioned was in Genesis 15:17. God was establishing a covenant with Abraham. He was told to kill animals and split them into halves. When it was dark, smoke and fire came, passing through the animals. This is how God sealed his covenant with Abraham. It was totally God's initiative, Abraham did not have to do anything.

Then in Exodus, when the Israelites were traveling in the wilderness, there was a pillar of fire shining their way at night and guiding them. In Exodus 19:19 we read about how God came to Mt. Sinai in smoke, fire and earthquake. In Exodus 40:36-38, there were fire and cloud when God came to the Tabernacle. Fire in the OT symbolized God's presence with his people.

Now, when tongues of fire descended upon the disciples, symbolizing God's presence, it was also a fulfillment of the Joel prophesy and Jesus'' promise in Matthew 28:18-20, “ All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." 19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," 20 "teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” He is telling his disciples and his followers that as we represent Him, being his witnesses, wherever we are, whether at a friendly or hostile place, familiar or foreign setting, we are not alone, for He is with us,

Fire also signifies cleansing. Please note that the tongues of fire came upon individuals. Previously, God's fire came to the Tabernacle. But now, he is with each individual. Each one of us is now his dwelling place. Wherever we go, he is with us.

This Presence emboldened the disciples of Jesus Christ, beginning in the 1 st century to this day, to carry the message of God's kingdom to all parts of the world. This presence enables us to be His witnesses, to stand before him and the world, to represent and reflect him.

I understand your work place, your school and sometimes your home is not a very friendly place for the Christian faith. Sometimes in the presence of parents, roommates, professors and colleagues, we feel scared and intimidated even to mention Jesus or God. they look at you with a cynical eye. How can you still believe in this? No communist party member can ever believe in the Christian God. Or making comments like: if Jesus would be here today, we would crucify him again. Such attitudes and statements can certainly intimidate us. Whenever we find ourselves in such situations, remember, God’s spirit is with us. His spirit has already come upon us. Therefore we don’t have to be afraid.

III •  When Jesus sends forth his spirit, His work is proclaimed.

What happened when the Spirit came upon the disciples? At this point, I feel it is important for us to pay attention to a simple principle of interpretation. Very often when we ignore certain principles, this and other passages can cause great confusion. When we study the Book of Acts, it is important for us to remember that this is written in the narrative style. It is not meant for us to derive doctrines from this book. It is an accurate description of events that happened after Jesus'' resurrection. Any apparent doctrine or practice in Acts has to be interpreted and affirmed by the other books in the scripture. It will be wrong for us to discuss and draw certain conclusions about the meaning of baptism of the Holy Spirit or filling with the Holy Spirit from this and other Acts passages alone. We are to read and study Jesus'' teaching, Paul and other apostles’ epistles in order to gain insight into the meaning of baptism of the Holy Spirit and being filled with the Holy Spirit.

I will address this issue very briefly here. In Paul’s writing, it is clear that when we put our faith in Jesus Christ expressed through water baptism, the holy spirit has come to us. It is a onetime event. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you already have the Holy Spirit. Filled by the Holy Spirit means to have the Holy Spirit take control of us. When our lives are controlled and ruled by the Holy Spirit, we will manifest the fruit of the spirit in our relationships with God and with others. When the Holy Spirit is in control, we’ll express the gifts of the Spirit in a proper way.

Now, let’s take a look at the immediate effect of the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples.

First, Vs.4, “ 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance…” They started to speak in other languages. Vs.6-8, “ 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?” The languages the disciples used were understood by people from other parts of the world. These people were Jews or having been converted to Judaism, have come from the East, West, North and South. The focus is not on the fact that the disciples spoke different languages, this was amazing. This is a one time occurrence. But what is even more important is that people, no matter where they came from, heard of God in their own languages. The first immediate effect of the coming of the Holy Spirit is that people heard about God in the language of their hearts. Of course, this is a foreshadowing of what is to come in the future. When God's word will be taken to their lands so that their people will hear God's word in the language of their hearts.

It’s like when we go overseas and surrounded by foreign languages. It’s like noise to us. Then suddenly we hear people speaking English. We immediately turn our heads around. This familiar language touched our hearts. When God's spirit came upon us, people will hear of him in their own languages. This is how many of us come to know Christ. Someone shared with us the gospel message in the language of our hearts.

Wherever the missionaries go, they would learn the local language and translate the Bible into that language so the locals can read and hear the word in their language. According to the Wycliffe Bible Translators, there are about 6,000 language groups in the world. Of these groups, 3,000 do not yet have a Bible in their own language. During the 1 st 100 years of Chinese church history, the missionaries were devoted to translating the Bible into Chinese. There was the Cantonese and Shanghaiese versions. The first official Chinese Bible was completed in 1919. And since then we has several new translations so that today, we can read God's word in our own language. It is good to remember that as we support Edward and Dianne who are serving in Africa with the Wycliffe Bible translators, we are helping people in that part of the world to hear the message of God's kingdom in their heart language.

The second immediate effect of the coming of the Holy Spirit: Vs. 11, “Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” When the spirit came upon them, the disciples talked about God's creation, the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt and their travel in the wilderness. This mighty work of God also includes His coming into the world and became man. He served, suffered and died on the cross. Three days later he rose from the dead and 40 days later ascended into heaven. These are the mighty works of God. The disciples’ message was God and his works. When God's work and words are proclaimed, his kingdom grows.

We can certainly learn from this. What do we share with others? It is important that we share with others some of our experiences. But be careful, we need to ask, “do our experiences point others to ourselves or to Jesus Christ?” Sometimes when we listen to different sharings, I can’t help but feel that we, too, want to be like that person: His patience or humility. Instead when we share our personal experiences, we are to point others to Jesus Christ.

Conclusion:

   On that day of Pentecost, as prophesied in the OT, promised by Jesus, God took the initiative to send His Spirit to his disciples. It is the same spirit that created the heavens and earth; gave life to Adam; regenerate His children. The pouring of the Holy Spirit upon his people signified His presence with his children and the beginning of a new era. In this new era, God's children are no longer confined to the nation of Israel. God's children/people include all those who put their faith in Jesus Christ. With this Spirit, His children are given the power to be His witnesses in the world, taking part in the expansion of His kingdom. This power will enable us to stand between Him and the world so we can represent and reflect him. With this power, we will speak of his mighty works as recorded in the scriptures.

   How about us today? Why are we at times, or most of the time feel weak and discouraged? Is that because we don’t have the Holy Spirit and therefore pray more for the coming of the Holy Spirit? Yes, there are times we need to have that special presence of the Holy Spirit with us. However, if our understanding of the scripture is accurate, God has already given us his spirit. You see, we often feel powerless because we have failed to let the Holy Spirit control us, we are not filled with the Holy Spirit. When we yield ourselves to the spirit’s control, we’ll deal with certain sins in our lives. We’ll deliberately rid those hateful and resentful feelings towards others. We’ll forgive and love those who may have hurt us and let go of our grudges towards them. We’ll learn to love and accept those different from us. We’ll do our best to make changes in our personality in order to improve our relationship with others. We’ll listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. When we let the Holy Spirit control and fill us, we’ll then experience His power to reflect His love, justice, holiness and integrity at home, work and school.