Astonished

  

DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

ASTONISHED

Acts 10:39-48

39 "We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen.   41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen — by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." 4 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, 47 "Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have." 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.

NIV

Astonished is an interesting choice of words for a response of someone witnessing the outpouring of the Holy Spirit without anyone seeking or asking or laying on of hands or any other human effort, or request. Of course, Cornelius was already a God-fearing man, even as a gentile and it would seem right that all those, he invited to be there to hear Peter were also willing participants in the fear of God. Thus, when Peter preached Jesus Christ crucified, buried, and raised from the dead, their fear of God turned to faith in the Son of God and that because of Jesus all their sins have been forgiven. That kind of faith was witnessed by the Jews that came with Peter, however, more importantly, it was witnessed by God. He was the one who caused himself to move on those hearings of the good news. It seems a little strange to say that God caused himself to move in them, because it was the Holy Spirit who came upon them. The fact is that God is trinitarian, as He is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, without getting too invested in this doctrine, or this theology of God, the fact is He did come upon those hearers and they immediately began to speak in another language. What we do not know is what tongues they were speaking that they had not learned. Because they were gentiles, Roman in nationality and most likely having a mother tongue based from Latin and may not have ever had the opportunity to learn Hebrew and it might make sense this was why Luke recorded those Jews heard the gentiles praising God. The other possibility is that whatever tongues the gentile believers were speaking, the Spirit moved within the Jews with his gift of interpretation, as the Jews understood the tongues of the Gentiles. Whatever it was, it was all the Holy Spirit moving upon those people by His own free will. This we must take to heart. We are not the cause of the move of the Spirit. It is not how much faith we have. It is not about how much we pray. It is not about anything that we do, our how we behave. It is not about the style or the earnestness of our prayers. When the Holy Spirit decides to move upon someone, it is by His will and His will alone. Yes, we can ask for Him to move upon us, but there is no formula for getting the Spirit to move on or in us. Those gentiles did not even know about the Spirit, as they feared God and were made aware of Jesus. Peter did not preach about the Spirit or lay hands of them. The Spirit came on His own account. What we must recognize is that same Spirit will move within us and through us when He is needs and wants to, we will be witnesses of, and participates with the Spirit as he moves in and though us. We cannot make him show up, we cannot manufacture any of his gifts or his fruit. We can only be a person of faith, open to the truth of God and being available for the Spirit to work in and through us, and when He moves, we just might see some people astonished.