Imagine a worship service down in Turner Park. People are worshiping God when all of a sudden they are all speaking in foreign languages along with some other miraculous signs. People start running from all over to observe the commotion. Pretty soon some of the people are laughing and mocking the believers thinking they must be drunk. That is when the leader bravely stands up in front of those mockers and says, “These men are not drunk as you suppose. You misunderstand what is going on. Let me explain.”
That is what happened on the day of Pentecost, 50 days after the first Easter, as seen in Acts 2. Only 120 believers were in the upper room but they attracted a huge crowd. There were a lot of different languages, a lot of noise, and fire hovering over their heads. Up stands chicken Peter, who had a few weeks earlier denied even knowing Jesus. Yet there he was, standing bravely in front of thousands of people.
Peter, full of the Holy Spirit was emboldened to preach the first evangelistic sermon with 3000 people coming to believe. Peter didn’t have weeks, days or even hours to prepare for the sermon. He had to stand and preach on the spot in front of the same crowds that had only recently crucified Jesus, the same people he had been afraid of. But with the Holy Spirit’s power, he could do what he couldn’t only 50 days earlier. That same power is available to us today, to overcome all obsticles, to make us shinning lights to our community.
You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. -Matthew 5:14-16
