When the Spirit is Present, There is Diversity
Message Notes
This is how diversity works. ALL are special. ALL have gifts and ALL have a place at the table. ALL have a voice. It's like Jesus saying the last shall be first and the first shall be last. I can't imagine it was easy. But inclusion and diversity never IS. It will always rock the boat. It will always be offensive to the status quo. But the Holy Spirit wasn't finished. Not by any means.
Philip, one of the Hellenists, would take the gospel to the Samaritans, those people that the Jewish people had always hated, and an African Eunic who would take the gospel to Ethiopia. When we pray and trust the Holy Spirit to be at work, things will begin to happen everywhere at once, things that we hadn't planned or counted on. But the Spirit will always be beckoning us to open our hearts and our doors wider.
1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
5 Now there were devout Jews from every people under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” 12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”
Acts 2:1-13
