1 When the day of Pentecosta came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a noise came from heaven. It sounded like a strong wind blowing. This noise filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw something that looked like flames of fire. The flames were separated and stood over each person there. 4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit,b and they began to speak different languages. The Holy Spirit was giving them the power to do this.
5 There were some godly Jewish men in Jerusalem at this time. They were from every country in the world. 6 A large group of these men came together because they heard the noise. They were surprised because, as the apostlesc were speaking, every person heard in their own language.
7 They were all amazed at this. They did not understand how the apostles could do this. They said, “Look! These men we hear speaking are all from Galilee.d 8 But we hear them in our own languages. How is this possible? We are from all these different places: 9 Parthia, Media, Elam, Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia,e 10 Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the areas of Libya near the city of Cyrene, Rome, 11 Crete, and Arabia. Some of us were born Jews, and others have changed their religion to worship God like Jews. We are from these different countries, but we can hear these men in our own languages! We can all understand the great things they are saying about God.”
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“I think God can be everywhere because he can look at everybody from the sky.” Kate, age unknown
“God has angels everywhere to help him be everywhere.” Emilee, 8
“God can be everywhere because he is bigger than the world.” Shelby, 7
“God is spirit.” Katy, 8
It is very hard to understand how big God is. We can be in only one place at a time. It’s hard to imagine someone who is present everywhere. God isn’t limited to living in one space or any space.
When Jesus lived in a human body on earth, he limited himself to living in a place called Palestine. He got hungry, tired and sometimes felt weak. But before coming to Earth in a body, Jesus was everywhere at once. Remember, God isn’t limited to one place. But as a man, Jesus learned to live in one place.
At Pentecost, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to live in his people who were gathered there from many nations. When the Christians at Pentecost went back to their countries, they took Jesus with them because his Spirit lived inside them. If you are a Christian, Jesus’ Spirit lives inside of you. Jesus wants to live his life through you. Wherever you go, Jesus is there.
When the Holy Spirit is in control of your life, the Bible says you are filled with God’s Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). If you are filled with the Holy Spirit, God will control your life. If you allow God to fill your life, you will have joy and peace.
This doesn’t mean that you will never have problems. You can be brave when you know that God is bigger than any problem. God’s Holy Spirit will fill you with courage and wisdom. Remember the story of young David when he fought the giant Goliath? Although David was small, he killed a mean giant with a stone from his sling. David knew that God was with him. He even said that the battle belonged to God (1 Samuel 17:47).
We live in a time when many Christians are trying to fill their lives with entertainment: sports, TV, music, video games and hobbies. Do you get more excited about these things than about your relationship with God? Entertainment can be fun, but it can’t take the place of God.
Think About This: God wants to fill your life with his love, life and power.
Memorize This Truth: “Don’t be drunk with wine, which will ruin your life, but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).
Ask This Question: Will you allow God to fill your life?
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