Scripture
Evan as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message.
Observation
Peter starts to share the gospel message. He shares how God has shown him that he accepts all who fear Him and do what is right.
Peter goes on to say that Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit by God and went about healing all who were oppressed. He was crucified, but God raised Him to life on the third day.
While Peter is speaking, the Holy Spirit comes on the hearers. They start speaking in tongues and praising God. Peter orders that they should be baptised since God has given His Holy Spirit to them.
Application
While Peter is speaking, the Holy Spirit came on the hearers. Of all the reasons to have a sermon interrupted, this would have to be the best!
It was a shock to the Jewish believers that the Gentiles should receive the Holy Spirit like this. They were still thinking of christianity as a Jewish thing. But here was a bunch of people who were not Jews suddenly receiving the Holy Spirit as they responded to the Good News.
God often catches us by surprise. The least likely people get saved sometimes, while those we think are on the edge of believing remain stubbornly on the edge.
Like on the Day of Pentecost, the sign of the Holy Spirit being poured our is that these new believers speak in tongues and praise God.
Speaking in tongues or, as Paul calls it, praying in the Spirit, means surrendering our voice to the Holy Spirit for Him to use.
Praising God means using our voice , along with our mind, to focus on speaking good things about God.
Both of these together are signs of the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer
Come Holy Spirit and fill me again. May my heart and mind be totally filled with you, and my tongue devoted to our praise. Amen.
