"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place” Acts 2:1.
Immediately following the ascension of the Lord into the cloud and out of their sight, the disciples “returned unto Jerusalem” and “went into an upper room.” “These all continued in one accord in prayer and supplication.”
Relating these verses, the teaching is clear: that those abiding together and praying in one accord were found 10 days later, still “all in one accord in one place.” Let’s read that again! Dare we suppose such a thing to be possible apart from the indwelling Spirit? But the task ahead of them required an “unction,” an “anointing.” Our Lord was preparing to move upon the hearts of men in a fashion never before known of men.
These had received the prophetic promise from Christ Himself, “but ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” Acts 1:8. Understand, that there was to be power received, only when He, the Source of Power was “come upon them.” It was then, that a further transformation was to take place in their lives: “Ye shall BE witnesses.” It was not just something that they were to DO! Actually, according to scripture, one cannot “be” a witness unto Christ, apart from the Presence of the Witnessing Spirit of God. Similarly, in Ephesians 5:18 we are instructed to “BE FILLED with the Spirit.” How is this possible? It is certainly not by fleshly effort. To BE FILLED with the Spirit we must needs embrace, and may we say, yield ourselves unto Righteousness. We are to be filled with the Spirit, by the Spirit. Will one be filled with the Spirit of Righteousness? Then let him be made empty of unright-eousness! Neither can that be accomplished by fleshly effort! “If we confess our sins.” In doing this we submissively place ourselves into His faithful and trustworthy hands. And what is the response of our Lord? “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from - all unrighteousness!” I John 1:9b.
In verse 5 of Acts chapter 2, our attention is drawn to yet another group; these also “dwelling in Jerusalem.” The scripture declares them to be “devout men” and they were assembled out of every nation under heaven.
There is a vast difference between these two congregations, yet may we rightly contend both to be “devout men.” Devout: eulabes, Gr. religious, pious.
If we are to follow the road of definition, we find both groups to be “pious.” Actually, there may have been three groups present; and we list them thusly
Pious: 1. Having or showing a dutiful spirit or reverence God, or an earnest wish to fulfill religious obligations.
Pious: 2. (The scripture itself well defines this one:) “For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth” Rom.10:2-4.
Pious: 3. Practiced or used in the name of real or pretended religious motives: characterized by a hypocritical concern with virtue: sanctimonious. And sanctimonious? It is making a hypocritical show of religious devotion. This one characterizes the Pharisee, does it not?
“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come. . . they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” Acts 2:1b, 4.
A comparison/contrast of Acts chapter 2 and Genesis chapter 11.
“And there was dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language” Acts 2:6.
In contrast, we find in Genesis chapter 11: “And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech.” In Gen. 9:1,7 God had said unto Noah and his sons: “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.” “Be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.” Verses 18 and 19 of the same chapter name the sons of Noah and declare: “of them was the whole earth overspread!”
But this was not accomplished without Divine Intervention. Again, in Genesis 11: “And they journeyed. . .they found a plain. . .they dwelt there. . .they said one to another. . .let us make brick. . .let us build a city and tower, whose top may reach unto heaven, and let us make a name lest we be scattered upon the face of the whole earth.” Thus were they defiant and in a state of rebellion against the God of Heaven.
“And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do.” A one world government; a one world economic system; a one world religion? Is that what they had in mind in building a “tower” who’s “top would reach unto heaven?” Does anything sound familiar about all this “tower” business? May we respectfully mention a city (New York), and a tower (twin towers, the World Trade Center,) the people gathered together, having one language; (one would assume that all living in N.Y. and working in the Trade Center would be able to communicate in one common language (English.) A third “tower” sits nearby in New York harbor. Aside from the name of which we are familiar it is called, “The New Colossus,” “Mother of Exiles,” and was designated as a “World Heritage Site” in 1984 by the United Nations.
“Let us. . .build a city and tower whose top may reach unto heaven. Let us. . .make a name.” Is it possible that we are right back to where those tower builders were in Genesis chapter 11? And just what is to be God’s response this time?
At this very moment, men are again attempting to re-enact the scene: a world-wide network of New Agers, seeking to build a “city,” a “tower,” a “pyramid” with a few powerful wicked ones at the top who teach the doctrine of their father, “ye shall be as gods.” These, under the guise of promoting world peace, of cleaning up the earth, boldly proclaim that they will usher in a “new millennium,” a “1000 points of light.” And the true Christians, must be dealt with; for they, and Him whom they follow, have “kept the world in darkness for 2000 years!”
And what is God’s response to the building of the tower of Babel? “Now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let Us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth” Gen. 11:7-8.
May we pause here to insert a Psalm of praise penned by David: “The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my HIGH TOWER” Psalm 18:2. Misgab, Heb. a refuge;- defence high (fort) tower. Interesting.
Let us once again lay scripture along side scripture; let us determine if we are justified in comparing Acts 2 with Genesis 11.
they are "scattered." | they are “assembled;” the multitude “came together.” |
they are “scattered abroad” “upon the face of all the earth. | they are “assembled”. . .“out of every nation under heaven.” |
the purpose is to “confound their language,”. . .“that they may not understand one another’s speech.” | they are “confounded” because they did understand:”. . .“and were confounded because that every man heard them speak in his own language.” |
If we understand that the God of Beginning came down, confounded, and scattered men abroad upon the face of the earth because of their disobedience; then may we not likewise see the God of New Beginnings, drawing them that were scattered, miraculously restoring understanding, that they might hear the Truth; that they might believe and respond to that Truth in obedience to God?!!
“We do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.” It seems rather ironic that such phraseology should be used here. In Genesis 11, it was: “let us make brick, let us build a city and tower, let us make a name.” Here, it is “the wonderful works of God!”
“We do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.” “And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?” (were they in vain addressing one another, not knowing what the other was saying; or is it possible, that at least for a time, that God restored that which had earlier been confounded?!
“What meaneth this?” They were soon to find out what we now know.
Does not sound reasoning suggest that a great number of these “devout” men were among the 3000 that were saved that first day - and many days following? Would any dispute that these were assembled at Jerusalem by Divine Appointment?
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations” Matt. 28:19. “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” Mark 16:15. “And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” Luke 24:47.
All nations; every creature; beginning at Jerusalem. How on earth can twelve disciples fulfill such a task? This is how! By teaching and preaching, beginning at Jerusalem: to a multitude of “devout” men “out of every nation under Heaven;” these men, with hearts aflame, going forth to their people as witnesses of the Gospel of Christ: the first New Testament missionaries, if you please!
Now are they who were gathered, once again scattered, that they might sow Living Seed in all the world; to every creature!
(May we not say that the Ethiopian eunuch who was met by Philip enroute from Jerusalem, was likely the first missionary to Africa; to those in the caravan in which he traveled, and then to Queen Candace herself?!!)
Copyright 2007, by Darius Stewart
No comments:
Post a Comment