Podcast 136, Acts, “Pt 2 A, Ch 2” Acts, Chapter 2, occurs on the ‘Day of Pentecost.’ The Day of Pentecost was an ancient Jewish feast commanded in the Law of Moses. “Pentecost” comes from the Greek, meaning “fiftieth.” The Pentecost was observed fifty days from the Passover and the offering of the firstfruits. In the Old Testament it was also called “The feast of Weeks,” “The Feast of Harvest,” and “The Day of the Firstfruits.” It was associated with the wheat harvest. Exodus 34:22 And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year’s end. Because of the festival, faithful Jews gathered from all over. Deuteronomy 16:16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles... That is why we read in Acts, Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. Christians, of course, see the Day of Pentecost differently because of the outpouring of the Holy Ghost. Acts 2:2-4 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. We also think of the Holy Ghost as the ‘still small voice” as recorded by Elijah at Mount Horeb. 1 Kings 19:11-12 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” The Pentecostal experience, described so beautifully by Luke, was shared with the entire world for our edification to teach us of the power and importance and necessity of the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Lord omnipotent may manifest himself through the power of the Holy Ghost in such a way and such as time as the above, but only when he deems it appropriate. However, as the Lord taught Elijah, most of us experience the Holy Ghost, not by strong winds or earthquake or fire but by that “still small voice,” what we also call “the promptings of the spirit.” We may call upon the Lord anytime, and we have the right, even a spiritual responsibility, to listen to the promptings of the spirit. It is a gift that not only must we be worthy of, but we must also learn how to use. How many have felt a prompting of the Holy Ghost but didn’t act upon it only to regret it later? On the other hand, how many have heard the whisperings of the spirit and did act upon it and were greatly blessed. It is entirely associated with faith in Christ. We may spend a lifetime learning how to listen to the promptings of the spirit, but it is a lifetime well spent. How do we distinguish the prompting of the Holy Ghost with intuition, insight, inspiration, revelation, epiphany, intimation, inkling, hunch, instinct, presentiment, premonition, perception, discernment, perspicacity, apprehension, realization, enlightenment, insight, genius, prompting, impression, impulse, prescience. In many instances, perhaps they are all one, but only righteousness can be associated with the Holy Ghost. Every thought is not a prompting of the Holy Ghost. We are very complex, dual beings. We have both an immortal spirit and a physical body. We often confuse the temporal with the spiritual. The brain is a case in point. We often give credit to the brain when we should give credit to our own spirit. The physical body is but an extension of the spirit. All life, all conscious thought, all freewill, all inspiration, all logic, etc. come from the spirit, not the physical Body. The Holy Ghost speaks only to the spirit, not to the brain. In fact, speaking of logic, it is not the brain that thinks. It is the spirit that thinks. Intelligence is in the spirit, not in the body, The body is a biological machine that serves the spirit. We get in trouble with the Lord when we let the physical appetites, also called ‘the natural man,’ take over. The brain is nothing without the spirit. When the spirit leaves, the body dies. At death the brain stops but the spirit, which forgets nothing, does not. The spirit lives on forever. Death is merely an illusion of terminality. Life and intelligence and consciousness never die because the spirit never dies. Death is nothing but the separation of the spirit from the body. If you could see the spirit of a loved one at their passing, it would look exactly like their body. If you saw with your spiritual eyes rather than your physical, you would see that they are still very much alive, having the same mind, the same intelligence, the same personality, the same smile, the same affections, the same sense of humor, the same love, etc. We should be very careful who we become in our earthly life for we carry that same spirit with us when we die. One thing will change at death. The wicked will not be able to mingle with the righteous as they do on earth. At death there will be a great division of spirits. The righteous have nothing to fear at death nor will they ever have to fear again. The Holy Ghost speaks only to the spirit. The purpose of the body is to give us a physical experience of sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, and feel. The physical body, an extension of the spirit, is one of the greatest gifts God ever gave to our spirit. The Holy Ghost is another. The resurrection is another. And eternal life with him still another. One cannot choose not to be resurrected, though through wickedness one may postpone their resurrection and one may diminish the light and intelligence and glory and happiness reserved for the righteous. However, one can choose not to have the Holy Ghost, not to live in Paradise, and not to have eternal life with God. The body is so important that Christ died to bring about the resurrection from the dead to all of us so that we may have our physical bodies forever. Many are familiar with the lines from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”[1] In answer to the question above, “How do we tell the difference between the promptings of the Holy Ghost and one’s own personal thoughts?” The simple answer is that only one’s spirit can detect the spirit of the Holy Ghost. It is an act of faith. We have the ability to discern good from evil, God from Satan, the whisperings of the Holy Ghost from the logic of our own mind. Faith in Christ is the first step God has given us many gifts of the spirit that we must cultivate as referenced elsewhere in the scriptures. We have all observed those gifts in others, perhaps to our own envying. God is the source of all Good. He is the father of us all and he gave those gifts so that all humanity may be blessed. Look at the advancement in science, communication, medicine, and technology. Look at the great writers, musicians, singers, painters, builders, etc. All those gifts are from God. The person who gives God credit for their gifts is more fortunate than those who think they are doing it by themselves. On the Day of Pentecost, we observe gifts of the spirit. Because of the Jewish Festival people had come to Jerusalem from far distances. The strange thing, however, is that so many from various nations, spoke with the gift of tongues, some were given the gift of speaking in tongues and others the gift of interpreting different tongues. The experience was far different from people simply jabbering in their own native tongue. The difference was everyone understood each other. That is what the gift of tongues is. Acts 3:5-13 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilæans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judæa, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. Speaking of ‘gifts of the spirit,’ Paul lists the following: 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
