Acts 2 has frequently caught the attention of students of the New Testament, for it is here that the power of the Holy Ghost begins to show itself in the life of the nascent church. The apostles, whose number was newly completed with the addition of Matthias as the replacement for the fallen Judas (Acts 1:26), had gathered with other church members at the Jerusalem temple. They had probably assembled on the east side of the huge Court of the Gentiles under Solomon’s Porch, a favorite spot for church members to gather (Acts 3:11; 5:12). Precisely on “the day of Pentecost . . . they were all with one accord in one place” (Acts 2:1). At this moment, the Lord chose to seize the attention of everyone who would pay attention: “suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind.” This was not the whole event because, next we read, “there appeared unto them cloven tongues of fire, and it sat upon each of [the Twelve].” As a capstone, “they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues” (Acts 2:2–4). In effect, the Lord had set the table.
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