74. What happened on pentecost day?

Jesus is about to return to heaven. He says to His disciples: – I now entrust you with a great mission. You are going to tell men that I have come to save them and do them good. You will speak to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to everybody throughout the land and to the ends of the earth. They must know that I have died and I have risen again so that faults, sins can be forgiven. Tell everyone everything that I have taught you and everything that you have seen so that they believe in Me and become my disciples. You are my witnesses! Imagine what might have happened in the mind of the disciples. Be witnesses of Jesus in Jerusalem! But the Jews, who sentenced Him to death, are going to arrest them and put them in jail! And who will want to listen to them? Many people came to listen to Jesus, that is because He blessed them, healed them, but it’s different for them? This mission seemsimpossible! They have neither the strength nor the courage to be His witnesses. Jesus adds: – Do not leave immediately because in a few days, you will receive a power, a strength that will enable you to be my witnesses. The Holy Spirit, that God has promised, will descend on you. How is this going to happen? They don’t know; but in the meantime, they are meeting again with joy to pray and praise God. For the past few days, the streets of Jerusalem have been swarming with people. A crowd of people who are coming for the feast of Pentecost from Galilee, Judea, but also from all the corners of the world. Some have traveled hundreds of kilometers with their camels. They are coming to worship God. Rich, poor, young, old, all kinds of people who speak different languages. On the day of Pentecost, the disciples are all together. Suddenly a loud noise comes down from the sky. It is as if a strong gust of wind is sweeping over them and filling the whole house. – What is happening? They say raising their heads. Oh! They are amazed. They see some sorts of tongues of fire that divide and land on each other’s heads. Their hearts are overflowing with joy. They open their mouths to worship God and there, they hear themselves utter words they do not understand. They speak languages they don’t know, that they have never learned. God’s promise has just come true, they’re filled with the Holy Ghost. Imagine! There are a hundred and twenty, men and women, who are praising God aloud all together. It makes a lot of noise, so much noise that people are running from everywhere in the town . They have heard and they want to see what is happening. They stay there, paralyzed. They can’t believe their ears. They wonder: – How is it that these people speak in our dialects, in the languages of our country? – I am from Egypt and I understand everything this man says. He speaks in my language! – We are from Arabia! There is a man who speaks of the wonders of God. – And I live in Rome, I am passing through here, and I can hear someone speaking in Latin. – I am from Libya and one of them speaks my language. – I live on the island of Crete! These people have never been to our country! – I come from Greece and I understand everything this woman says. It’s really surprising. – I come from Mesopotamia and I am impressed by what I hear this morning. – But finally! How come we hear them, in our owntongues, speak of the wonderful things that God has done? – What does that mean? Some snigger. – Oh! It’s very simple, they say. These people you see there, they drank too much wine, they are drunk. So Peter gets up and in front of the crowd and these wicked and mocking men he says in a loud voice: – No! These people are not drunk but you are witnessing a real miracle. What god had promised is now coming true before your eyes. Remember! He had said: « I will pour out my Spirit on all men, your sons and daughters will speak words that I will inspire them. Your young people will have visions; your elders will have dreams. There will be miracles in heaven and on earth and all who come to me will be saved.  » Peter is not afraid. With authority, he tells them about Jesus and His love. Many are upset. Their hearts are touched. They accept Jesus as their Savior and become His disciples. Do you know how many there are? Three thousand! In a few days, they will go back to their country and wherever they go, they will tell everything they have seen and heard, they too will become witnesses of Jesus. This is how the Good News of God’s love begins to spread over the Earth.

1, 2 3, 4 AND YOU AND ME! Are you ready to answer Benji’s question? He asked us: – What happened on the day of Pentecost? Yes! The Holy Spirit descended on the disciples and they began to talk about the wonders of God in languages they did not know and they became courageous. They were the first to receive the power of the Holy Spirit; but do you know that, for centuries, thousands and thousands have received and are receiving it even today because the Lord has promised to give it to all who believe in him, who became disciples of Jesus.

4, 3, 2, 1 AND WE PARENTS! The Holy Spirit was already with the disciples but on the day of Pentecost they were filled and clothed with His power. He will give a new dimension to their spiritual life and enable them to accomplish what Jesus entrusted to them. They will be powerful witnesses of Jesus in their generation. This promise of God is also for us, our children and generations to come.