The Bible is filled with sad tales of those who missed the move of the Holy Spirit. Think of the old Israelites within a stone’s throw of their inheritance, or the Pharisees refusing to be baptised by John, or the scholars who missed their own Messiah.
On the day of Pentecost, that curious day when the Spirit fell and lit the flames of the early church, there are a few things we can learn if we want the same from the account given in Acts 2. First off, after the fire fell, Peter was the vessel through which the gospel was powerfully spoken, and many sons and daughters were added to the Kingdom. God had uniquely moulded him for the purpose, as Peter had a fresh experience of grace.
Grace had shaped him in a powerful way. Grace, for him, took the form of a morning fishing expedition. Having denied Christ in the most awful, gut-wrenching failure, Jesus comes looking for the backslidden Peter, who is back tending the nets. Grace, by the name of Jesus, went looking for him! Grace found him again in the very same spot where He found him the first time, with the very same instruction, to cast their nets on the other side of the boat. Grace found him in the most broken and dismal failure of his life – I can’t imagine there was a lower moment for Peter.
At that moment, when the sons and daughters of God were gathered in earnest prayer, in wonderful unity, with hearts bonded in beautiful love and mutual affection, God’s Spirit fell in power … God, grant us this love, and hearts which are bonded in Your love!
And so, through the humble Peter, the ancient words of the prophet are fulfilled, ‘And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication.’ (Zechariah 12:10, NIV) A spirit of grace! Thank you, Jesus! How we need this Spirit of grace today.
At that moment, when the sons and daughters of God were gathered in earnest prayer, in wonderful unity, with hearts bonded in beautiful love and mutual affection, God’s Spirit fell in power. Coincidence? Nope. God, grant us this love, and hearts which are bonded in Your love! When the Spirit falls, the crowd’s response is very sobering. Some are ‘amazed’, in awe and curious wonderment. Others are ‘perplexed’, confused and cautious, with no reference to what God is doing, and are even on the very edge of offence. Yet others ridicule and accuse the disciples of drunken foolishness.
The ways of God seemed foolish and nonsensical, even frivolous. Into this context of wide-ranging perspectives and attitudes, Peter stands up and says, ‘Let me explain this to you …’ He explains that this outpouring is a fulfilment of an ancient prophecy spoken through God’s man, Joel (Joel 2:28-32). After the word is brought, many respond in faith and repentance and are granted the same gift from God.
Are you ready to leave the “normal” … to follow God into the fresh and powerful stream of what He is doing right now?
Today, in us, in our time, even in this year, God is pouring out His Spirit, and the responses will be as varied and diverse as at first. How will we respond? Will we respond in wonder and amazement? Will we be perplexed yet soft in heart to hear the Word of God who tells us what He is doing? Or will we ridicule, resist, and allow offence to exclude us from a beautiful work of God? Are you ready to leave the “normal” and the known to follow God into the fresh and powerful stream of what He is doing right now?
This article was reviewed on 20 May 2026. It was originally published on the Four12 Global website on 24 March, 2016.
