The Miracle Of Communication Series

THE MIRACLE OF COMMUNICATION

ACTS 2:4 11

The third manifestation of the Holy Spirit was not only for the 120 but also for the crowds that had gathered in Jerusalem for the celebration of Pentecost.

The followers of Jesus were filled with the Holy Spirit for PRAISE and PROCLAMATION. These two go together. The Spirit releases us to praise, and that becomes a very effective proclamation.

It was the sound of that rushing mighty wind that brought the crowds to the area of the Upper Room...then it was the quality of praise that made them want to know what was happening.

Following that, Peter had a ready audience for a powerful proclamation of the true nature of not just what was happening but how all those gathered there in Jerusalem could participate with them.

The followers of the Lord experienced the communion of the Holy Spirit for communication...they were given a special anointing for utterance. Here they discovered that the Spirit and His gifts are for ministry.

Luke tells us that the people in the Upper Room were "filled with the Holy Spirit" (v. 4). The word filled [eplerosen] that is used here is speaking of a definite act at a specific time in the past.

The Spirit had filled the room...now He had filled the ready disciples and followers whose preparation had made room for Him. The Greek means that they were filled to the full. or made full. The result is that they were Spirit filled, as a vessel is filled.

What does this mean? I've heard many people attempt to explain it, in a variety of ways. To me, the best way to explain it is to consider the human vessel which was filled...

As human beings they had minds, brains, wills, emotions, and physical bodies. To be filled to the full, as the Greek implies, means that the Spirit invaded every facet, function and part of their nature...

The entry was through their spirits, the conscious self. Then the tissues of their brains were implanted with the Spirit, which made possible an emotional response...and their bodies were energized which produced a physical radiance and energetic movements.

Their minds were captured by the truth of the Spirit, their brains thought it out, and their nervous system channeled it...with every part of the body responding in unity and oneness.

All that they were was infused by the all powerful Spirit of the Lord. And what was the undeniable evidence of all this?....PRAISE!!!!

An outpouring of praise that to this day has yet to be equaled.

One of the manifestations of this was that they "began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit enabled them." (v.4)

Galileans whose language was Aramaic were able to speak in Latin, Greek, and all other languages represented by the people gathered from around the known world.

READ vs. 5 11

When we understand the complicated method of speech through the system of the brain, we begin to see what a phenomenal thing happened to the Lord's people.

The cerebral cortex of the brain sends a signal to the speech center where words are formulated. This area lies on the lateral side of the dominant brain.

With the aid of the motor cortex on both sides of the brain, messages are sent deep into the brain where the medulla lies. Here, two cranial nerves, one which controls the tongue and one which controls the mouth, are stimulated into action.

At the same time, the cerebral motor cortex takes over voluntary control of respiration. Signals are sent down the phrenic nerve to the diaphragm and to the thoracic nerves to cause the person to exhale on command. The combination of all this produces speech.

That we can think and then express our thoughts in words in our own language is evidence of the wonder of creation. But what about "other" tongues?

Luke tells us that the praise of the Spirit filled believers was spoken in the languages of the people gathered in Jerusalem. This is an indication of how completely filled and under the influence of the Spirit they were.

The amazing mechanism of speech was utilized by Him to enable the believers to think and articulate in languages they had previously not learned.

Now, it is important to distinguish between "other" tongues and the gift of tongues. On Pentecost, for the 120 to speak in the languages of the different nationalities was a miracle for the communication of what was happening to them.

Later, in the development of the fellowship of the church, the Holy Spirit gave a gift of utterance which was not a specific language.

Rather, words and sounds were given by the Spirit to release the believers for praise beyond the capacity of expression in the words of their own languages...and for prophesies to the church.