Thursday 10Feb2022
This afternoon, in my New Testament reading, the words of the Apostle Peter recorded in Acts chapter 11 woke me up to the fact that there was a second occasion when the outpouring of the Holy Spirit happened, other than that which took place on the Day of Pentecost in Jerusalem.
It was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Gentiles in the house of Cornelius the Centurion.
Earlier in Acts chapter 2, we read that on the day of Shavuot (Pentecost), the Holy Spirit was poured out on the disciples as they were gathered together in Jerusalem,
Acts 2:1 - 4 WNT Weymouth New Testament
1 At length, on the day of the Harvest Festival, they had all met in one place;
2 when suddenly there came from the sky a sound as of a strong rushing blast of wind. This filled the whole house where they were sitting;
3 and they saw tongues of what looked like fire distributing themselves over the assembly, and on the head of each person a tongue alighted.
4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in foreign languages according as the Spirit gave them words to utter.
However, it is not obvious, initially, from a cursory reading of Acts chapter 2 that all the disciples in Jerusalem on that Pentecost day were Israelites. It took some pondering over the chapter for me to see one fact:
There were no Gentiles among them.
It is much later, in Acts chapter 10 that we read about Peter being called from the city of Joppa to the city of Caesarea where Cornelius the Centurion, a Captain of the Italian Regiment was based. There, in the home of Cornelius, Peter preached the Gospel of Iesus the Anointed to the entire Gentile household of Cornelius, including "all his relatives and intimate friends" (Acts 10:24 WNT).
On that significant day, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the Gentiles for the very first time.
Acts 10:44 - 48 WNT
44 While Peter was speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all who were listening to the Message.
45 And all the Jewish believers who had come with Peter were astonished that on the Gentiles also the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling the majesty of God. Then Peter said,
47 'Can any one forbid the use of water, and object to these persons being baptized--men who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?'
48 And he directed that they should be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they begged him to remain with them for a time.
Upon his return to Jerusalem, Peter was taken to task by the "champions of circumcision" for entering the house of a Gentile and sitting at meal with them. (Acts 11:1 - 2 WNT). Peter told them in his reply,
Acts 11:15 - 18 WNT
15 'And,' said Peter, 'no sooner had I begun to speak than the Holy Spirit fell upon them, just as He fell upon us at the first.
16 Then I remembered the Lord's words, how He used to say, ''John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit.'
17 'If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we first believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, why, who was I to be able to thwart God?'
18 This statement of Peter's silenced his opponents. They extolled the goodness of God, and said, 'So, then, to the Gentiles also God has given the repentance which leads to Life.'
Brothers and Sisters in the Anointed One, let us rejoice together that God our Father in Heaven has given repentance not only to the children of Israel, but also to the Gentiles as well.
Let us keep these words of the Apostle Peter in our hearts, "So, then, to the Gentiles also God has given the repentance which leads to life".
