Disciples Speaking in Tongues at PentecostBible World
2:7Acts 2:7
And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilæans?
At Pentecost the astonished crowd marveled that humble, unlearned Galileans were speaking, yet every hearer heard them in his own native language telling the wonderful works of God. By the power of the Holy Spirit the believers spoke purely and accurately in languages they had never learned and could not have mastered in a lifetime. This miraculous gift confirmed that their commission and message about Christ came with divine authority from heaven. Through it the Spirit glorified Jesus as Prince and Saviour to give repentance and forgiveness, bringing three thousand souls to repentance in one day. The event began the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy about the outpouring of the Spirit, a fulfillment not exhausted on that day but to be claimed now for power to witness and warn the world.
Setting at Pentecost
The whole crowd was amazed and marvelled that all those speaking were Galileans, yet each hearer heard them in his own language. That astonishment drew attention to God's work through the messengers He had chosen, and their Spirit-given ability confirmed their divine commission to speak accurately among people of many nations. Their speech in languages they had not learned was a miraculous sign of the Spirit's gift confirming their testimony.
Devout Jews from every nation under heaven were gathered in Jerusalem for the religious festival. Jerusalem was a great center of influence where the gospel light was to shine powerfully through the witnesses, and the lesson illustrates the importance of bringing the message with power to influential centers. There the apostles preached Christ, and converts carried the truth back to their homes, spreading it among all nations and classes in different parts of the world.
Each heard in his own native birth-language the wonderful works of God and asked what it meant. Those who so heard included Parthians and Medes and Elamites and dwellers in Mesopotamia and Judea and Cappadocia and Pontus and Asia and Phrygia and Pamphylia and Egypt and Libya about Cyrene and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, confounded because each heard the Spirit-filled disciples speak in his own tongue.
The speakers were recognized as Galileans of ordinary background, whose speech the people knew. They were humble, unlearned men without training in the schools of the prophets, yet they spoke truths so elevated and pure that hearers were amazed. Their ordinary background made their accurate command of many languages a striking sign of God's miraculous power working through them.
The believers were all with one accord in one place, united in one mind. Prayer ascending from disciples of one accord brought the Holy Spirit upon them very soon after Christ's ascension, and the Spirit of God wrought mightily through the early church because they were harmoniously united.
Miracle of Tongues
By the Holy Spirit's power the apostles spoke in languages they had not learned and that were unfamiliar to them, and the amazement was that Galileans were heard speaking the different languages of people from many nations. That Spirit-given ability was sometimes understood by those who spoke those languages, confirming that their commission and testimony about Christ came from heaven with divine authority. It enabled them to spread the gospel accurately among people of many nations, doing in the moment a work of correct speech they could not have accomplished in a lifetime. Their speech was pure, simple, and accurate in word and accent, whether in their native tongue or in a foreign one.
Though they were humble men without training in the schools of the prophets, they spoke truths so elevated and pure that the hearers were amazed. The purity and accuracy extended equally to their own language and to foreign languages, marking the utterance as wrought by the Spirit rather than by learning. Visitors carried those truths to their distant homes and shared them with others. The Spirit-given speech made the risen Saviour understandable, so the people gathered in Jerusalem for the religious festival heard the message in their own languages.
Those who had come to hear the gospel thus encountered it in their own tongue, and God by this means prepared them to receive it. The speaking in other tongues was one of the spiritual gifts manifested in a remarkable way when the Christian age began. The event displayed God's miraculous power equipping Christ's followers as witnesses and making His divine power known in public, unmistakable testimony.
The astonishment of the multitude gathered in Jerusalem highlighted that open witness borne through the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Yet the same speech that amazed believers puzzled hearers who could not understand the work of the Holy Spirit, and to those untouched by the Spirit the disciples seemed drunk.
Confirmation and Harvest
The amazement that Galileans should speak so that hearers of many nations each heard in his own language was itself heaven's seal that the commission to bear the gospel came from above. The ability to speak languages never learned confirmed that the message about Christ carried divine authority. It confirmed the testimony borne concerning Christ as given by the Holy Spirit for accurate proclamation across barriers of language.
Unlearned men thus enabled astonished their listeners by teaching Jesus and the plan of salvation in many tongues. They set forth with power the mercy and sacrifice of the Son of God, and their teaching convicted and converted thousands. Their preaching went forth with extraordinary power, and signs and wonders confirmed their words. Their words were confirmed by miracles, many accepted Jesus as Saviour, and opposition was for a time silenced.
The great subject was Jesus unfolded and glorified by the Spirit before eyes that before had seen in Him no beauty to be desired, preached in the demonstration of the Spirit and with power. He was lifted up as exalted by God to be Prince and Saviour to give repentance and forgiveness of sins, whose inward beauty and character are discerned not by natural sight but as the Spirit quickens. That preaching brought three thousand souls to repentance in one day. Conviction fastened upon them that Jesus was the Son of God and Saviour, and three thousand joined the church.
Very soon after Christ's ascension the Spirit came upon disciples of one accord and one mind, so that though the speakers were Galileans every man heard the Word spoken in his own language. The people took hold of the Word declared during Christ's ministry, and thousands were converted in a day. The believers went out and preached the Word everywhere under that outpouring.
Though the disciples had not studied in the schools of the prophets, they spoke with pure, simple, accurate words and accents whether in their native tongue or a foreign one. Visitors carried those truths to their distant homes and shared them with others. Jews from many tongues and countries had gathered in Jerusalem for the festivals, and converts carried the truth back to spread it among all nations and classes. Many converted at Jerusalem returned home bearing the news of the gospel to other places. Representatives of other nations heard the witness to Christ before the crowd gathered from many parts of the world and carried it home, spreading the testimony of His resurrection and the message of repentance and forgiveness of sins.
That outpouring was followed by busy years of ministry. Peter was among those who put forth untiring efforts to reach the Jews who came to Jerusalem to worship at the annual festivals. Opponents were so overawed that they temporarily stopped resisting the work.
Prophecy and Present Call
The speaking in other tongues at Pentecost began the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy about the pouring out of the Spirit, and that fulfillment was not exhausted on that day. The astonishing heavenly revelation points to a prophesied period in which God gives His people warnings, reproofs, and explanations of His Word so they will understand the time they have reached and remain watchful. Hearing each in his own tongue carried conviction to the hearers so the truth would go broadcast everywhere, and the same kind of representation of many nationalities will be seen again when God's people follow on to know the Lord. The first and second chapters of Acts are to be studied as the pattern for carrying the work forward in a higher and broader way than ever before, with heaven's light appreciated and cherished by laborers in living connection with God who feel God has given them a message and who bear a sacred responsibility in its proclamation.
The history of the early church during and immediately after Pentecost is to be studied because God's people must pass through similar experiences. The amazement of the multitude at Jerusalem when devout Jews out of every nation heard unlearned Galileans speak in other tongues, every man in his own birth language, means the Holy Ghost baptism promised by the Father had come, giving power to witness, and it carries a special bearing as a call to receive that same Spirit power for the work of warning the world now. Prayer ascending from disciples of one accord and one mind brought the Spirit upon them very soon after Christ's ascension, so that though the speakers were Galileans every man heard the Word in his own language and thousands were converted in a day as the people took hold of the Word declared during Christ's ministry. The same blessing can be claimed now by consecration to God, working in harmony with His Word, exalting the Word, honoring its precepts by a consistent course of action, and complying with the conditions of united prayer. The same outpouring is needed now so sinners will be converted as believers went out and preached the Word everywhere, and every believer has a part by getting the self-denying life of Christ and taking the Bible from house to house to read it to people, by which many souls are brought to the knowledge of the truth, for believers must wake from stupor and indifference because there is a world to save and a message to be given and no one is to sleep in this judgment hour.
The amazement that Galileans were speaking languages understood by people from other nations demonstrated the miraculous gift of knowledge of the languages in which the early missionaries were called to preach Christ. That willingness to help His servants then by miraculously endowing missionaries in the primitive church with knowledge of the languages for preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ proves His blessing will rest on efforts now to qualify those who naturally possess a knowledge of foreign tongues to bear the message of truth to their own countrymen. Therefore every church must with far greater earnestness make special provision for training its missionaries and securing the cooperation of every available talent to preach the gospel to every creature and rescue many souls from the bondage of error. As at Pentecost people heard the truth in their own tongues, the same kind of Spirit-given speech will empower many voices to proclaim God's truth.
Unlearned Galileans speaking so every listener heard in his own language proves that a mighty power from heaven works with human workers to reach all nations and tongues, and in the last days that same heavenly cooperation is given for a large work among people of all languages. Every believer of whatever country or speech who comes into right relation to God, searches the Scriptures and walks humbly with Him will have understanding opened, will receive a large measure of the grace of Jesus Christ, will gain an intelligent knowledge of the truths of the third angel's message, and will receive power to do intelligent work for God. Jerusalem was the great center of influence where the gospel light was to shine powerfully through the witnesses when Jews from many nations gathered and were amazed that Galileans could speak in those tongues. That center where the astonished multitude heard shows the importance of bringing the message with power to influential centers, a lesson for establishing gospel work in the nation's capital.
At Pentecost the astonished crowd marveled that humble, unlearned Galileans were speaking, yet every hearer heard them in his own native language telling the wonderful works of God. By the power of the Holy Spirit the believers spoke purely and accurately in languages they had never learned and could not have mastered in a lifetime. This miraculous gift confirmed that their commission and message about Christ came with divine authority from heaven. Through it the Spirit glorified Jesus as Prince and Saviour to give repentance and forgiveness, bringing three thousand souls to repentance in one day. The event began the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy about the outpouring of the Spirit, a fulfillment not exhausted on that day but to be claimed now for power to witness and warn the world.
Setting at Pentecost
The whole crowd was amazed and marvelled that all those speaking were Galileans, yet each hearer heard them in his own language. That astonishment drew attention to God's work through the messengers He had chosen, and their Spirit-given ability confirmed their divine commission to speak accurately among people of many nations. Their speech in languages they had not learned was a miraculous sign of the Spirit's gift confirming their testimony.
Devout Jews from every nation under heaven were gathered in Jerusalem for the religious festival. Jerusalem was a great center of influence where the gospel light was to shine powerfully through the witnesses, and the lesson illustrates the importance of bringing the message with power to influential centers. There the apostles preached Christ, and converts carried the truth back to their homes, spreading it among all nations and classes in different parts of the world.
Each heard in his own native birth-language the wonderful works of God and asked what it meant. Those who so heard included Parthians and Medes and Elamites and dwellers in Mesopotamia and Judea and Cappadocia and Pontus and Asia and Phrygia and Pamphylia and Egypt and Libya about Cyrene and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, confounded because each heard the Spirit-filled disciples speak in his own tongue.
The speakers were recognized as Galileans of ordinary background, whose speech the people knew. They were humble, unlearned men without training in the schools of the prophets, yet they spoke truths so elevated and pure that hearers were amazed. Their ordinary background made their accurate command of many languages a striking sign of God's miraculous power working through them.
The believers were all with one accord in one place, united in one mind. Prayer ascending from disciples of one accord brought the Holy Spirit upon them very soon after Christ's ascension, and the Spirit of God wrought mightily through the early church because they were harmoniously united.
Miracle of Tongues
By the Holy Spirit's power the apostles spoke in languages they had not learned and that were unfamiliar to them, and the amazement was that Galileans were heard speaking the different languages of people from many nations. That Spirit-given ability was sometimes understood by those who spoke those languages, confirming that their commission and testimony about Christ came from heaven with divine authority. It enabled them to spread the gospel accurately among people of many nations, doing in the moment a work of correct speech they could not have accomplished in a lifetime. Their speech was pure, simple, and accurate in word and accent, whether in their native tongue or in a foreign one.
Though they were humble men without training in the schools of the prophets, they spoke truths so elevated and pure that the hearers were amazed. The purity and accuracy extended equally to their own language and to foreign languages, marking the utterance as wrought by the Spirit rather than by learning. Visitors carried those truths to their distant homes and shared them with others. The Spirit-given speech made the risen Saviour understandable, so the people gathered in Jerusalem for the religious festival heard the message in their own languages.
Those who had come to hear the gospel thus encountered it in their own tongue, and God by this means prepared them to receive it. The speaking in other tongues was one of the spiritual gifts manifested in a remarkable way when the Christian age began. The event displayed God's miraculous power equipping Christ's followers as witnesses and making His divine power known in public, unmistakable testimony.
The astonishment of the multitude gathered in Jerusalem highlighted that open witness borne through the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Yet the same speech that amazed believers puzzled hearers who could not understand the work of the Holy Spirit, and to those untouched by the Spirit the disciples seemed drunk.
Confirmation and Harvest
The amazement that Galileans should speak so that hearers of many nations each heard in his own language was itself heaven's seal that the commission to bear the gospel came from above. The ability to speak languages never learned confirmed that the message about Christ carried divine authority. It confirmed the testimony borne concerning Christ as given by the Holy Spirit for accurate proclamation across barriers of language.
Unlearned men thus enabled astonished their listeners by teaching Jesus and the plan of salvation in many tongues. They set forth with power the mercy and sacrifice of the Son of God, and their teaching convicted and converted thousands. Their preaching went forth with extraordinary power, and signs and wonders confirmed their words. Their words were confirmed by miracles, many accepted Jesus as Saviour, and opposition was for a time silenced.
The great subject was Jesus unfolded and glorified by the Spirit before eyes that before had seen in Him no beauty to be desired, preached in the demonstration of the Spirit and with power. He was lifted up as exalted by God to be Prince and Saviour to give repentance and forgiveness of sins, whose inward beauty and character are discerned not by natural sight but as the Spirit quickens. That preaching brought three thousand souls to repentance in one day. Conviction fastened upon them that Jesus was the Son of God and Saviour, and three thousand joined the church.
Very soon after Christ's ascension the Spirit came upon disciples of one accord and one mind, so that though the speakers were Galileans every man heard the Word spoken in his own language. The people took hold of the Word declared during Christ's ministry, and thousands were converted in a day. The believers went out and preached the Word everywhere under that outpouring.
Though the disciples had not studied in the schools of the prophets, they spoke with pure, simple, accurate words and accents whether in their native tongue or a foreign one. Visitors carried those truths to their distant homes and shared them with others. Jews from many tongues and countries had gathered in Jerusalem for the festivals, and converts carried the truth back to spread it among all nations and classes. Many converted at Jerusalem returned home bearing the news of the gospel to other places. Representatives of other nations heard the witness to Christ before the crowd gathered from many parts of the world and carried it home, spreading the testimony of His resurrection and the message of repentance and forgiveness of sins.
That outpouring was followed by busy years of ministry. Peter was among those who put forth untiring efforts to reach the Jews who came to Jerusalem to worship at the annual festivals. Opponents were so overawed that they temporarily stopped resisting the work.
Prophecy and Present Call
The speaking in other tongues at Pentecost began the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy about the pouring out of the Spirit, and that fulfillment was not exhausted on that day. The astonishing heavenly revelation points to a prophesied period in which God gives His people warnings, reproofs, and explanations of His Word so they will understand the time they have reached and remain watchful. Hearing each in his own tongue carried conviction to the hearers so the truth would go broadcast everywhere, and the same kind of representation of many nationalities will be seen again when God's people follow on to know the Lord. The first and second chapters of Acts are to be studied as the pattern for carrying the work forward in a higher and broader way than ever before, with heaven's light appreciated and cherished by laborers in living connection with God who feel God has given them a message and who bear a sacred responsibility in its proclamation.
The history of the early church during and immediately after Pentecost is to be studied because God's people must pass through similar experiences. The amazement of the multitude at Jerusalem when devout Jews out of every nation heard unlearned Galileans speak in other tongues, every man in his own birth language, means the Holy Ghost baptism promised by the Father had come, giving power to witness, and it carries a special bearing as a call to receive that same Spirit power for the work of warning the world now. Prayer ascending from disciples of one accord and one mind brought the Spirit upon them very soon after Christ's ascension, so that though the speakers were Galileans every man heard the Word in his own language and thousands were converted in a day as the people took hold of the Word declared during Christ's ministry. The same blessing can be claimed now by consecration to God, working in harmony with His Word, exalting the Word, honoring its precepts by a consistent course of action, and complying with the conditions of united prayer. The same outpouring is needed now so sinners will be converted as believers went out and preached the Word everywhere, and every believer has a part by getting the self-denying life of Christ and taking the Bible from house to house to read it to people, by which many souls are brought to the knowledge of the truth, for believers must wake from stupor and indifference because there is a world to save and a message to be given and no one is to sleep in this judgment hour.
The amazement that Galileans were speaking languages understood by people from other nations demonstrated the miraculous gift of knowledge of the languages in which the early missionaries were called to preach Christ. That willingness to help His servants then by miraculously endowing missionaries in the primitive church with knowledge of the languages for preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ proves His blessing will rest on efforts now to qualify those who naturally possess a knowledge of foreign tongues to bear the message of truth to their own countrymen. Therefore every church must with far greater earnestness make special provision for training its missionaries and securing the cooperation of every available talent to preach the gospel to every creature and rescue many souls from the bondage of error. As at Pentecost people heard the truth in their own tongues, the same kind of Spirit-given speech will empower many voices to proclaim God's truth.
Unlearned Galileans speaking so every listener heard in his own language proves that a mighty power from heaven works with human workers to reach all nations and tongues, and in the last days that same heavenly cooperation is given for a large work among people of all languages. Every believer of whatever country or speech who comes into right relation to God, searches the Scriptures and walks humbly with Him will have understanding opened, will receive a large measure of the grace of Jesus Christ, will gain an intelligent knowledge of the truths of the third angel's message, and will receive power to do intelligent work for God. Jerusalem was the great center of influence where the gospel light was to shine powerfully through the witnesses when Jews from many nations gathered and were amazed that Galileans could speak in those tongues. That center where the astonished multitude heard shows the importance of bringing the message with power to influential centers, a lesson for establishing gospel work in the nation's capital.