Acts 2:1-13 New American Standard Bible 1995
The Day of Pentecost
2 When the day of Pentecost [a]had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared to them tongues as of fire [b]distributing themselves, and [c]they [d] rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other [e]tongues, as the Spirit was giving them [f]utterance.
5 Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own [g] language. 7 They were amazed and astonished, saying, “[h]Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we each hear them in our own [i] language [j]to which we were born? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and [k]Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and [l]visitors from Rome, both Jews and [m]proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.” 12 And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others were mocking and saying, “They are full of [n] sweet wine.”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
God’s Growing Kingdom 2024
On the day of Pentecost, God-fearing Jews from many nations were staying in Jerusalem.
They were gathering to celebrate the Feast of Weeks that God had established for his people Israel some 1,500 years earlier (Deuteronomy 16:9-12).
9 “You shall count seven weeks for yourself; you shall begin to count seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. 10 Then you shall [a] celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with a tribute of a freewill offering of your hand, which you shall give just as the Lord your God blesses you; 11 and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter and your male and female servants and the Levite who is in your [b]town, and the stranger and the [c]orphan and the widow who are in your midst, in the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name. 12 You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful to observe these statutes.
They all converged on the temple on Pentecost (fifty days after the Feast of Passover) to bring their offerings of the best firstfruits of their harvests.
That day people from many nations heard the good news of Jesus for the first time. And about 3,000 believed and were baptized (Acts 2:41).
Scholars estimate that the world population was about 300 million people at that time.
That is 1/27th of today’s population.
At the time of his birth, the earth’s entire population was just 300 million, smaller than the U.S. by itself today. The United States 2023 population is estimated at 339,996,563 people at mid year. the United States population is equivalent to 4.23% of the total world population. the U.S.A. ranks number 3 in the list of countries (and dependencies) by population.
In biblical times it is estimated that about 45 million of those people, including Jesus himself, had lived in the Roman Empire, whose borders stretched in Jesus’ time from modern-day Portugal in the west to Turkey in the east.
From there, it took 1,800 years for the world’s population to grow to a billion.
Prior to the 1800s there were few formal immigration laws.
But with the world’s population at over 8 billion today, almost every country has decided to regulate immigration.
Christians are free to differ and disagree over the details of immigration laws.
However, as immigrants, migrants, refugees, and others cross borders today, many hear the gospel for the first time.
God’s people have the opportunity and responsibility to share the gospel with them. As the gospel is shared, many people continue to enter God’s kingdom each day! That of course is a good thing—regardless of views on immigration.
What Are those Radical Demands of Following Jesus?
Luke 14:25-35 The Message
Figure the Cost
25-27 One day when large groups of people were walking along with him, Jesus turned and told them, “Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters—yes, even one’s own self!—can’t be my disciple. Anyone who won’t shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can’t be my disciple.
28-30 “Is there anyone here who, planning to build a new house, doesn’t first sit down and figure the cost so you’ll know if you can complete it? If you only get the foundation laid and then run out of money, you’re going to look pretty foolish. Everyone passing by will poke fun at you: ‘He started something he couldn’t finish.’
31-32 “Or can you imagine a king going into battle against another king without first deciding whether it is possible with his ten thousand troops to face the twenty thousand troops of the other? And if he decides he can’t, won’t he send an emissary and work out a truce?
33 “Simply put, if you’re not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can’t be my disciple.
34-35 “Salt is excellent. But if the salt goes flat, it’s useless, good for nothing.
“Are you listening to this? Really listening?”
Without any doubt, there are a great number of the teachings of Jesus that are often easy to remember and even memorize, a bit more difficult perhaps to understand, discern, then extremely challenging to live out in our daily lives.
These lessons are frequently, but not always, described by Jesus through parables, as was his way of teaching. For example:
- The parable of the talents. (Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:12-28)
- The rich young ruler. (Matthew 19:16-23; Mark 10:17-27; Luke 18:18-30)
- God or money – we each have to choose. (Matthew 5:38-42)
- Forgive others, or God won’t forgive you. (Matthew 6:14-15)
- Serve the poor and needy – or go to hell. (Matthew 25:41-46)
- Blessed are the poor, the hungry, those who weep, and those who are hated. (Luke 6:20-23)
- Woe to the rich, and those who are well fed, and those who laugh now, and when everyone speaks well of you. (Luke 6:23-26)
And we could go on. “Turn the other cheek.” “Love your enemies.”
In these and many—perhaps most—of Jesus’ parables, he taught about the life we are called to live—the real terms of discipleship.
He taught about what it would mean to truly follow him.
Perhaps, though, one of the most compelling is when Jesus taught that we must count the cost of becoming his disciples.
Luke 14:25-35 New International Version
The Cost of Being a Disciple
25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
34 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.
“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
Wait…what? Hate father and mother, wife and children? Hate our own life?
If those are the terms of discipleship, then we would certainly each be smart to measure that cost, wouldn’t we? But…is that really what Jesus meant?
An Argument Against Cultural Christianity
During his ministry, Jesus had a great many crowds following him, very often thousands upon thousands.
Everyone had heard about the miracles, the healings, and free food!
But Jesus knew their hearts were not always with him. He knew they desired the benefits of what he did.
They wanted to reap the rewards.
They loved his gifts—but not him.
They loved the idea of Jesus without understanding who he truly was.
We see them even today.
Jesus is the one who is going to get us into paradise when we die, right?
He died on the cross to pay for our sins and to give us our forever home in heaven. Right? That’s all, folks! We have our mansion in the sky waiting for us!
Leave it to Jesus to mess up our comfortable lives. Jesus knows our hearts; clearly, a comfortable easy chair life here on earth was not his expectation.
How many today speak the words yet don’t live them out?
How many today can memorize the teachings but not apply them to their lives?
How many put on the show of performing deeds in and for church yet don’t know Christ in their hearts?
We see them even in church.
They have the verses memorized and repeat them as if they believe the words to be true. And maybe they do believe them – but the words don’t move from their heads to their hearts. But God will not be mocked, and Jesus will not be fooled:
Matthew 7:21-29 New International Version
True and False Disciples
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
The Wise and Foolish Builders
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
The lesson certainly seems directed at those who do the work and go through the motions but have never given their hearts to Christ.
Or perhaps they made the claim, knowing the expectation, but had never actually lived out the words.
After all, if indeed they had prophesied, cast out demons, and performed miracles in his name, then Jesus would indeed have known them.
Either way, the lesson is that mere words or mere acts without faith—without heart—are not the discipleship Jesus is looking for.
James, the brother of Jesus, put it this way:
James 2:14-24 New International Version
Faith and Deeds
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless[a]? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”[b] and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
In other words, if you claim to have faith but it has no impact on how you live your life, your faith is worthless.
If your life isn’t following the teachings of Christ, then you are still lost despite your words.
So many today say they believe.
They love the idea of eternal life, escaping hell, and being able to pray whenever they need anything.
But they are unwilling to give up their earthly desires and the life they now live.
They are more in love with their sinful habits than with Jesus.
1 John 2:15-17 New International Version
On Not Loving the World
15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father[a] is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
The Cost of Discipleship
So what is it that Jesus expects of us…really?
Jesus often uses hyperbole to make his point.
Clearly, Jesus would not expect us to “gouge out our eye” or “cut off our hand” if they cause us to sin. (Matthew 5:29-32)
Neither are we to truly “hate” our father and mother, our wife and children, or our brothers and sisters.
We know this, as we are called to hate no one.
But Jesus is unmistakable in what he does expect: He wants everything from us.
He wants our full commitment, our entire hearts, entire souls, all our strengths.
Luke 9:21-25 New International Version
Jesus Predicts His Death
21 Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. 22 And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?
We often tend to understate the meaning of “bearing our cross.”
But when Jesus spoke those words, his listeners thought of the cross only as a means of execution.
We use it as a metaphor.
Jesus was asking them to put to death their prior lives and follow him.
To die to themselves, to life as they know it, to everything they hold near and dear – to follow him to the cross.
Jesus often spoke volumes with just a few words – this being one of those times.
When he calls us to “count the cost,” he does not want us to think we can go halfway naively or be surprised later with the expectations.
And there is no negotiating.
The gift of eternal life is free to anyone who asks and believes (John 3:16) – but it is not a free welfare program.
It requires a commitment on our part – a transfer of ownership of our lives, if you will, to him.
To follow him and follow his commands and teachings.
We can no longer simply follow our own selfish desires – we must give up our “me-first” attitudes and approach to life.
Jesus once described the kingdom of heaven in this way:
Matthew 13:44-51 New International Version
The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
The Parable of the Net
47 “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 “Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked.
“Yes,” they replied.
Yes! They Replied … Reality would later prove radically different in the Garden of Gethsemane and again in the courtyard and again at the Hill called Calvary.
In each parable, the man sold everything he had.
Each gave up everything to gain the valuable treasure he had found.
That is what Jesus asks of us – to give up all we have, all we are, to be called his disciple.
What Is the Reward?
The disciples of Jesus are either all in—or they are not in at all.
Jesus has laid down some pretty high costs, but with those costs come some incredible rewards.
Matthew 7:24-29 New International Version
The Wise and Foolish Builders
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
When we simply give lip service to giving our lives to Christ, the words become like political talking points written on cardboard.
They have no strength, no foundation.
Like a house built on sand and cardboard, Christianity cannot stand against the storms of life.
But when we build the house—build our lives—on the rock of faith in Jesus Christ, we can withstand anything and everything that comes against us and will not fall.
We will not fall because our faith is built on the foundation of Jesus Christ.
By losing our lives, we save them. (Luke 9:24)
When we give up ourselves and give up our lives, we will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. (Luke 14:14)
In other words, what we think we lose here is nothing compared to what we gain with Jesus in eternity.
Paul expressed it very well when he said:
Philippians 3:7-11 New International Version
7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in[a] Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
This Pentecost Day of 2024 and in the days, months ahead, May we each say,
“I consider everything I have lost garbage that I may gain Christ.”
In the name o God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 16 The Message
16 1-2 Keep me safe, O God,
I’ve run for dear life to you.
I say to God, “Be my Lord!”
Without you, nothing makes sense.
3 And these God-chosen lives all around—
what splendid friends they make!
4 Don’t just go shopping for a god.
Gods are not for sale.
I swear I’ll never treat god-names
like brand-names.
5-6 My choice is you, God, first and only.
And now I find I’m your choice!
You set me up with a house and yard.
And then you made me your heir!
7-8 The wise counsel God gives when I’m awake
is confirmed by my sleeping heart.
Day and night I’ll stick with God;
I’ve got a good thing going and I’m not letting go.
9-10 I’m happy from the inside out,
and from the outside in, I’m firmly formed.
You canceled my ticket to hell—
that’s not my destination!
11 Now you’ve got my feet on the life path,
all radiant from the shining of your face.
Ever since you took my hand,
I’m on the right way.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 