聖靈降臨
1五旬節到了，門徒都聚集在一處。 2忽然，從天上有響聲下來，好像一陣大風吹過，充滿了他們所坐的屋子， 3又有舌頭如火焰顯現出來，分開落在他們各人頭上。 4他們就都被聖靈充滿，按着聖靈所賜的口才說起別國的話來。
5那時，有虔誠的猶太人從天下各國來，住在耶路撒冷。 6這聲音一響，眾人都來聚集，各人聽見門徒用眾人的鄉談說話，就甚納悶； 7都驚訝希奇說：「看哪，這說話的不都是加利利人嗎？ 8我們各人怎麼聽見他們說我們生來所用的鄉談呢？ 9我們帕提亞人、米底亞人、以攔人，和住在美索不達米亞、猶太、加帕多家、本都、亞細亞、 10弗呂家、旁非利亞、埃及的人，並靠近古利奈的利比亞一帶地方的人，從羅馬來的客旅中，或是猶太人，或是進猶太教的人， 11克里特和阿拉伯人，都聽見他們用我們的鄉談，講說神的大作為。」 12眾人就都驚訝猜疑，彼此說：「這是甚麼意思呢？」 13還有人譏誚說：「他們無非是新酒灌滿了。」
各位弟兄姊妹平安。第二章記載的五旬節事件，是新約歷史上非常重要的一個時刻。一旬就是十天，五旬節的意思就是五個十天。這是猶太人的三大節期之一，另外一個名字叫做七七節，是在逾越節的五十天以後。這個節期的主要意義是，在西乃山上摩西得到上帝所賜給的律法。第二是在逾越節的時候要把大麥和穀物獻給上帝，所以五旬節也是一個安息日，是假日，在街道上非常的熱鬧。
就在門徒聚集的時候，天上出現了大的響聲，好像大風吹過，聖靈就降臨在他們身上，他們這個時候就開始說別國的話來。當時的猶太人散居在羅馬帝國各地，而因為五旬節的緣故，各地的猶太人都從天下各個地方來到耶路撒冷聚集。 在這裡我們看到相當多的地名，所以在這個時候其實是一個非常多人聚集，國際化的一個時候。這也有一個重要的含義，就是要把福音傳揚給萬國萬民。上帝用奇妙的方式，透過門徒們，用各地方言，把話語傳給了別人，我們這裡要注意一下，方言的概念是什麼。方言並不是一個人無法聽懂的話，而是各地的鄉談，各地的語言。因為來自各地的人們都聽得懂他們在講什麼。 雖然正在講話的這些門徒們不一定知道自己在說的是什麼語言，但是聽的人卻明明白白知道他們在講的是自己所熟悉的語言。所以方言的目的，必定是要為了溝通，如果沒有人聽得懂，你不會無緣無故開始講起別國的語言。
而且我們看到，這些門徒們在講的話，是在傳講神的大作為。他們這個時候就已經在傳福音了。用各地的方言，向這些人來傳福音。雖然他們都是羅馬帝國的人，也都懂得希臘語，但是聽到自己熟悉的鄉音，對這一個福音會更有親切感。
這段時候我們來了解幾個重要的事實，首先就是聖靈在舊約的時候也有在說話。聖靈透過大衛，透過先知們，去感動了許多人，記錄下來話語，但是從五旬節開始，聖靈來到每一個相信上帝的人的心中。每一個人都可以得到，每一個人也都能夠得到聖靈的啟發與感受，但是我們要注意，我們能得到聖靈的光照，並不代表我們會有新的啟示寫出來。聖經並不會再增加篇幅，我們得到的已經是完整的啟示，聖靈會給我們每一個人有個別的帶領，個別的話語，個別的光照，這是屬於我們個人的經驗，不能夠把它拿來當作總原則來教導或傳講，只是屬於個人的生命經歷和見證。所以聖靈的充滿 代表時我們擁有了聖靈的光照，能夠去明白聖經所記載的話語，這是要特別注意的。
在舊約的時候，上帝在這一天賜給摩西律法，而在新約上帝的聖靈把自己給人們。我們看到這些門徒們從這一天開始就不一樣了，他們不再是膽怯沒有能力的一群人，他們大大充滿能力，開始為上帝勇敢地傳福音，勇於面對一切挑戰和困難。
所以五旬節這件事情在新約之中記載非常的重要。明天我們要聽的，就是彼得的講道，這一篇講道非常關鍵，因為他明白地把舊約中的啟示解釋給眾人聽，並且宣告舊約的預言已經應驗了。讓我們明天接著來看，感謝各位的聆聽！
The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost
1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11(both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
13Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
Dear brothers and sisters,
The event of Pentecost recorded in chapter two is an extremely important moment in New Testament history. Pentecost signifies fifty days, hence the name. It is one of the three major Jewish festivals, also known as the Feast of Weeks, which occurs fifty days after Passover. The significance of this festival lies in the giving of the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai and the offering of first fruits during Passover. Therefore, Pentecost is also a Sabbath, a holiday, and the streets of Rome are bustling with activity.
As the disciples gathered together, there was a great sound from heaven, like a mighty rushing wind, and the Holy Spirit descended upon them, causing them to speak in different languages. At that time, Jews from various parts of the Roman Empire were scattered, but because of Pentecost, they all gathered in Jerusalem. Consequently, it was an international gathering with many place names mentioned, signifying the spread of the gospel to all nations and peoples. God, in His marvelous way, communicated through the disciples in various languages, emphasizing that "dialect" here refers to regional languages understood by the people. Though the disciples may not have known what language they were speaking, the listeners understood in their own familiar tongues. Therefore, the purpose of tongues is for communication; it's not about speaking strange or unintelligible sounds.
Furthermore, we see that the disciples were speaking about the mighty works of God. They were already preaching the gospel at this point, using various languages to communicate it to different people. Although they were all from the Roman Empire and understood Greek, hearing their familiar dialects made the gospel message even more relatable.
At this point, it's important to note that the Holy Spirit had been speaking in the Old Testament as well, through David and the prophets, inspiring and recording their words. However, since Pentecost, the Holy Spirit has been given to every believer individually. While everyone can receive the Holy Spirit's illumination and inspiration, it doesn't necessarily mean that new revelations will be written. The Bible is complete as it is; the Holy Spirit provides personal guidance, enlightenment, and experiences, which cannot be used as general principles for teaching or preaching. Therefore, the filling of the Holy Spirit means that we have the illumination to understand the words recorded in the Bible, a point to be particularly noted.
In the Old Testament, God gave the Law to Moses on this day, but in the New Testament, God gave Himself through the Holy Spirit to the people. From this day onward, we see that the disciples were transformed; they were no longer a timid and powerless group but were filled with power, boldly proclaiming the gospel and facing all challenges and difficulties.
So, the event of Pentecost is recorded as highly significant in the New Testament. Tomorrow, we will hear Peter's sermon, which is crucial because he clearly explains the revelations from the Old Testament to the audience and declares that the prophecies of the Old Testament have been fulfilled. Let's continue to explore this tomorrow. Thank you for listening!
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