Luke the physician wrote about the disciples, “when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven”, and in chapter two and verse six of the book of Acts Luke wrote how, “when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together” where we read:
Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together,
and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
The verse begins, “Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, ...” Luke began with the words, “now when this was noised abroad” which means “moreover at this time and moment the activity within the upper room was uttered, declared, proclaimed and sounded aloud”, “the multitude came together” or “the crowd of people dwelling in Jerusalem arose and appeared, gathered and assembled with one another”. Luke shared at the time the activity in the upper room was made known and proclaimed, the Jewish people from other nations assembled.
The verse continues, “... and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.” Luke added the words, “and were confounded” or “and became disturbed, bewildered and confused”, “because that every man” which means “since and on account that each, the whole, all and everyone of the gathered people” “heard them speak” or “were endowed with the faculty of hearing, perceiving and understanding the people in the upper room” “in his own language” which means “with their own speech, discourse and dialect”. Luke shared how the Jewish people who gathered after they heard what was happening in the upper room were confused because they heard the people in the upper room speaking in their own “languages” and dialects.
When we think through Luke's words in this verse, we learn how the manifestation of the “Holy Spirit” of God by those in the upper room speaking in diverse “tongues or languages” caused people to gather together, and when they “heard” the people in the upper room speaking, they were using the “languages and dialects” which were known by the crowd. God's desire is to reach people all over the world through His Son Jesus, and He gave the people in the upper room the miraculous ability to speak in languages that were unfamiliar to them but familiar to the crowd who gathered. Those who study this special outpouring of God's Spirit and His power to have people speak in “languages” previously unknown should discover His passionate desire to reach all people with His “gospel”. Those who carefully examine these things should surrender to the One who “so loved the world, that He sent His only begotten Son”. (See John 3:16)
Next time Luke shares how the multitude was, “amazed and marveled”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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