First Christian Church—Sunday, December 29th, 2024
Jon Taylor, Coaching Mission International

People of the Word
First Christian Church—Sunday, January 26, 2025
Chuck Foreman, Teaching/Missions Pastor
 
If you really want to get someone’s attention…
 
GOD’s Story— The Coming of the Holy Spirit, Acts 2:1-21   (Tell)
 
God’s Attention Getter (1-12)
Timing: Pentecost: 50 days after Passover (Leviticus 23:15-17).
Also called Feast of Weeks (Deuteronomy 16:10),
Feast of Harvest (Exodus 23:16),
Day of First Fruits (Numbers 28:26)  
Sound: “like the blowing of a violent wind from heaven” (2)
Visual: flames of fire shaped like tongues, glowssai  glwssai (3)
Communication: other tongues = languages, glowssais  glwssaiV (4)

Audience: God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven heard their own language being spoken. dialect, dialekto dialektw (5-8)
Communicators: Galileans (the Apostles)—ordinary, uneducated, working class men! (7)

Message: “wonders of God in our own tongues” = languages, glowssais  glwssaiV (9-11)

God’s Desired Response (12)  
         
The audience was:
Amazed
Perplexed
Questioning—“What does this mean?”  (He had them right where he wanted them!)

Doubting, giving a natural explanation for this miracle (when the natural explanation for a miracle doesn’t work, genuine questioners listen, Pete…)  

God’s Messenger—Peter, the Witness (13-21)
Pete refutes the natural explanation (13-15)
Pete recognizes the fulfilment of Joel’s prophecy (16)
Acts 2:17-21 (Joel 2:28-32)
On whom will God pour out his Spirit? (17-18)
What is the Day of the Lord? = anytime God shows up. Ex. Prophecy against Babylon Isaiah 13:9-13=
How do Jewish prophets describe the Day of the Lord?
With fantastic imagery and figurative language (19-20)  
(Much of Revelation is like this. Reading it all literally misunderstands Jewish prophetic language.)

What’s the Good News here? Acts 2:21

What did you discover in this story? _______________________________________
 
BIG Idea:           The Holy Spirit wants to get your attention and save you.
Does he have yours?
 
Right On!                                            Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 11:19-20; Ezekiel 36:25-27    

Check out our upcoming FCC Featured Events!

Burgers and Dogs - Sunday, January 26th
Movie Nights - Friday, January 31st