Email from Abiding Place Daily Bread – November 16, 2024 (The Seventh Day – Genesis 2:1-3) Acts 2:1-4 – And on the day that Pentecost came, they were all of one purpose in the same place. And suddenly there came, out of Heaven, the sound of a violent rushing wind and it filled the whole house where they were seated. And there appeared cloven tongues like fire, and they set down upon each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit spoke forth from them. The New Covenant Gift Isaiah, the prophet, declared by the Spirit of God that this supernatural expression of the Holy Spirit would take place, “For with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this people. To whom He said, This is the rest wherewith you may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing…” (Isaiah 28:11-12). We can be certain the prophet was prophesying about this event because Paul makes this very clear to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 14:21-22). Jesus also declared that this empowerment would take place and referred to it as rivers of living water and the Promise of the Father (John 7:38-39; Luke 24:49). John the Baptist prophesied of this day when he declared there is One Who is coming that will Baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire (Luke 3:16; Acts 1:5, 19:4). The gift of tongues, or the language of the Spirit, was the sign that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit had occurred and the rivers of living water were flowing. The sign of being endued with power from on high by the expression of the language of the Spirit continued beyond the day of Pentecost (1 Corinthians 12:10,28, 14:18; Acts 10:44-46, 19:6). Also, since the gift of tongues is defined as praying in the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 14:2,14,15,16, we must recognize how the Scriptures such as Romans 8:26-27, Ephesians 6:18, and Jude 20 refer to praying in tongues. The gift of tongues is more than just a gift – it is the gift of the New Covenant. It is the gift of the New Covenant because it was the chief manifestation of the pouring forth of the Holy Spirit which inaugurated the birth of the Church. It is the New Covenant gift because all of the other gifts of the Spirit were manifested in the Old Testament. It is the gift of the New Covenant because it was the proof of how Jesus had ascended up on high and was exalted to the right hand of the Father (John 7:38-39; Acts 2:33). Jesus also promised this power from on high along with the sign of Baptism in the Spirit to all believers when He said, “These signs shall follow them that believe…they shall speak with new tongues.” (Mark 16:17). This power of the Holy Spirit empowers the believer to be a witness and produces the rivers of living water that Jesus invites all mankind to enjoy (Acts 1:8; John 7:38-39). The power of the Holy Spirit is given to the Church for as long as witnesses of the resurrection are needed. Blessings, Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
Daily Bread 11/16/2024
