Christianity Oasis Forum

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WEDNESDAY JUNE 15


TRUE COMMUNICATION

READ:
ACTS 2:6
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A crowd came
together in
bewilderment,
becasue each
one heard their
own language
being spoken.
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Walking in my North London neighborhood, I can hear snatches of conversaton in many languages__Polish japanese Hindu, Croation, and Italian, to name a few. This diversity feels like a taste of heaven, yet I can’t understand what they’re saying. As I step into the Russian café or the Polish market and hear the different accents and sounds, I sometimes reflect on how wonderful it must have been on the day of Pentecost when people of many nations could understand what the disciples were saying.

On that day, pilgrims gathered together in Jerusalem to celebrate the festival of the harvest. The Holy Spirit rested on the believers so that when they spoke, the hearers (who had come from all over the known world) could understand them in their own languages (Acts 2:5–6). What a miracle that these strangers from different lands could understand the praises to God in their own tongues! Many were spurred on to find out more about Jesus.

Lord, give us eyes to see those around us as You see them.
We may not speak or understand many languages, but we know that the Holy Spirit equips us to connect with people in other ways. Amazingly, we are God’s hands and feet—and mouth—to further His mission. Today, how might we—with the Spirit’s help—reach out to someone unlike us?

Lord, give us eyes to see those around us as You see them. Give us ears to hear their stories; give us hearts to share Your love.


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Love is the language everybody understands

**Lord, give us eyes to see those around us as You see them. Give us ears
to hear their stories; give us hearts to share Your love.
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Love is the language everybody understands.

**************Today’s Bible Reading __ Acts 2:1-12***********

1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together
in one place. 2 sudenly a sound like the blowing of a
violent wind came fr heaven and filled the whole
house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed
to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of
them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to
speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-earing 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 eing spoken 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? 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 fro Rome 11 (both
Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs__we har
them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”

12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does
this mean?”

>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Hours before Jesus went to the cross, He promised His disciples He would send “another advocate to help [them] and be with [them] forever—the Spirit of truth” (John 14:16–17). Before ascending to heaven, Jesus restated His promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4–5). What Jesus promised, the Father fulfilled on the day of Pentecost (2:1–12). The Feast of Pentecost is also called the Festival of Harvest (Ex. 23:16) or the Festival of Weeks (Deut. 16:10). It is celebrated fifty days after Passover to express thanks to the Lord for the blessing of the harvest (Lev. 23:15–22). Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples on the day He died (Mark 14:12; Luke 22:15; John 18:28), and the Holy Spirit was sent fifty days later.


By Amy Boucher Pye | See Other Authors

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