“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” (Acts 2:4 NIV)
Because of the Feast of Pentecost, Jerusalem was crowded. Jews from Israel and Jews living outside Israel were in Jerusalem to celebrate the Harvest Festival together. As a result, all kinds of languages and dialects could be heard in the city during these days. Suddenly, something very special happened. Filled with the Spirit, the disciples began to speak in different languages that were understood by the crowds gathered.
Language connects humans to one another. Just look at what happened when people tried to build the tower of Babel. (Genesis 11:1-9) Those people wanted to erect some kind of monument to themselves, separate from God. But by God’s intervention, humanity was separated into different language groups. On this Feast of Pentecost, the opposite happened: the Holy Spirit overcame language barriers by making the gospel intelligible to anyone who was listening. It is Jesus’ will that His gospel be passed on (Matthew 28:18). And with the help of His Spirit, He breaks through our language barriers in the process. The Holy Spirit loosened the tongues of Jesus’ followers. The people in Jerusalem heard them speak boldly and fervently about Jesus.
Read: Acts 2:4-13
Question: In what ways do you need the Holy Spirit’s help to talk freely with others about Jesus?