It was one of those phenomenal explosions of obvious origin. Awesome Power, which had its source in heaven, hit the cosmopolitan city of Jerusalem. It was a holiday and the city had swelled its population by many thousands. A learned medical doctor used the best means of description he could find in his vocabulary to describe what it was like. Dr. Luke described the event in such a way that we know he will never forget what transpired. And he has left us with such a dazzling account that we shall never forget this divine event. It was not just divinely inspired. It was divinely perpetrated. The only way men were involved were as receivers. There was no doubt that the violent tempest blast (Acts 2:2 Amplified Bible), which rocked the entire city and shook the four walls of their meeting room while filling them, was from heaven.

The people who were amazed and bewildered were not heathen! They were very religious people (v.5"God-fearing Jews"). These were the "churched people" of that day. They knew the Scriptures and they had been trained in theology, at least to some degree. They were those who were supposed to know about God and know what He was like and know the kinds of things He does. But they didn't know everything about God nor everything about the way He does things. They hadn't seen all the ways in which God moves. They didn't have knowledge of all the ways in which God might manifest Himself. Cf.Isa 55:8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. 9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. This unprecedented Power surge left these religious people "bewildered" in v.6, "utterly amazed" in v.7 and "perplexed" in v.12 (NIV).

BELIEVERS MADE FUN OF THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

These were the "churched people" of that day. Yet when the presence of God began to manifest in that city, they were bewildered. These religious, faithful members of the synagogue even made fun of the move of God: v.13 "Some, however, made fun of them and said, 'They have had too much wine.'" Today people would say something like, "Oh, they're just in the flesh."

When God restores a truth to His people it can get messy because humanity, dug into its carnal comfort zones, is not easily moved. The way the God-fearing people reacted in Acts 2 is proof positive that God-fearing people can have carnal reactions to a move of God even to the point of making fun of it. A preacher I heard quoted said, "The ways of God must be inscrutable beyond understanding. If they were not, they would be surrendered to man's mind. And if to man's mind, then ultimately to man's control."

When God restores something that generations have lost, He must put emphasis on it. In this century we have seen an emphasis on Bible teaching, healing, faith, prophesying and joy. Each time God has restored one of these truths and highlighted it the teacher and the teaching have been rejected and even vehemently opposed by many. God must emphasize and spotlight each of these things because they have fallen into such neglect. Entire generations have become ignorant of them so that they must be jump-started. You cannot start a run-down battery with a typical 10 amp battery charger. You must put a 100 amp charger on it if you want the car to start right then and be useful then rather than many hours later.

They didn't understand this move of God. They had never seen God move in this way before. They didn't expect God to move like this, so they rejected the move of God. It did not fit anything their forefathers had told them about. No seas parted, no walls fell and no giants fell over dead. It was so long since anything like that had happened that they didn't know what a move of God was anyway. How does someone judge something as not being a move of God when they haven't seen a move of God or been in one? It was not in keeping with present religious practice. It didn't even happen inside the walls of the temple, so it was viewed as not being the move of God.

My wife Kathy and I, along with our daughter Melissa, attended a meeting at Christ The King in Conroe, Texas in August 1994. An Australian, Nigel McNeill, was the evangelist. The place was packed out that night. I enjoyed the service until they turned it over to the evangelist. He was too loud, too energetic, too dramatic and just too much for me all the way around. I wanted to get up and leave.

About half way through his message, which was on the subject of the move of God in the earth today, I noticed Kathy's head was at a strange angle. A few minutes later, she just fell over on my shoulder. I looked around at Melissa as if to say, "Please do something about your mother!" She just gave me that look that says, "I have no earthly idea what is going on" and shrugged her shoulders and went back to listening to the evangelist whom she was enjoying very much.

Well, I was thoroughly embarrassed and puzzled and ready to get off the property at the first opportunity. Kathy ended up on the floor as the evangelist finished his message and she laid there for almost an hour unable to move. She had to lean on me all the way to the car. The entire way home, she intermittently wept awhile, laughed awhile and spoke in tongues awhile. When we got home, it took Melissa, her cousin and myself to get my spiritually drunk wife into the house. Melissa had to dress her for bed. When she finally did get into the bed, she laid there until 2a.m. speaking in tongues.

Kathy was that way for days. She would go to work praying that she would be able to function and get through the day and each evening at the services she would get drunk, all over again, on the Holy Spirit's blessing during the middle of the preaching. I was a little frustrated during this time period but was not nearly as bewildered as that first night. After seven nights, holy laughter and spiritual drunkenness hit both Kathy and I as the evangelist prayed for us. Melissa got her own dose in the center aisle having never made it to the front. We were both on the floor enjoying fits of laughter and weeping and rejoicing. That night I got deliverance from a bitterness that had been stewing in my gut for years. Each night that I fell under the weight of the glory of God, I got relief in some area of my life. Some nights during the four week meeting it was as though I was being bathed in the love of God.

Neither of us have been the same since. Everywhere we go to minister now, laughter breaks out to some degree and at times breaks out over the entire congregation with reports of many being refreshed and delivered from things that have had them bound for years. I have laid hands on a number of people who have had a problem with depression or grief. As I commanded the depression to break and then prayed for joy to come to them, they would begin laughing. Typically, they have to have help getting to the car or have to be driven home. We have seen it happen to young and old.

It is time that someone besides Christians was bewildered! Why is it that the manifest presence of God is as foreign to organized religion as it is to the world? The reason "churched people" are bewildered by the moving of God and the manifest presence of God is because we do not expect God to manifest Himself!

The Holy Spirit is not Chinese nor is He Jewish and He certainly is not Texan. The Holy Spirit is going to be the Holy Spirit whether He is moving in a Chinese Baptist church or a South American charismatic church or an American Pentecostal church. He only knows one way to show up and only knows one way of doing things. One of the most courageous prayers a modern church-goer can pray at church is "Holy Spirit, show up and be yourself." When He showed up in Jerusalem at a believer's prayer meeting He acted like the Holy Spirit.

An Episcopal priest in Florida attended one of Rodney Howard-Browne's meetings. Rodney is the evangelist from South Africa whom God has been using to minister the infilling of joy in recent years. The priest attended two meetings and nothing happened. During the third meeting Rodney called him out and simply said, "Be filled!" The priest fell to the floor and started laughing and laughed for 20 minutes. He reported a refreshing for himself and a change in his marriage as a result of that infilling of joy.

The priest sites an incident which occurred on Palm Sunday 1993 as a major turning point for his church. He was dressed in his priestly garments and was about to read from the Gospels. Suddenly a "fit of laughter" hit him and he fell to the floor laughing while parishioners "either giggled or gazed in bewilderment." 20 people decided not to continue attending services at his church. However, attendance went from 100 to 150. The minister reported that worship lasted longer and was "more intense." Services are lasting as long as three hours and more healing and laughter are being experienced.

"It is distracting," he says, "but I've come to feel it is God who's distracting us from our routine ways and concentrating our attention on Him."

We want the world to think that God is among us, that He was at Church. Well, what happened at church? That should tell us if God showed up or not. "Well, we sang three songs, had three announcements, a three point sermon, prayed a three second dismissal prayer and got to the restaurant in three minutes." Question: Is that all that happened? Now, I ask you, could we blame someone for responding, "I think I'll go fishing next Sunday?"

When God does manifest Himself (and people are saved, delivered, filled and blessed) and there is human reaction to it (e.g. falling, spiritual drunkenness, laughing, weeping, whooping or even screaming as in the case of some demoniacs), some people get bewildered and bent out of shape.

When I was pastoring a church in the Houston area we invited an evangelist in for a two week meeting. God was doing some marvelous things in people's lives. The Holy Spirit moved in such a way during that meeting that there was a lot of weeping. Many people needed many things from God to be worked in their inner man. There was a man in the congregation who came from a prominent family in the community. His family had been nominally Christian all of his life but he knew little of a relationship with God until he had become a grown man. He was deeply concerned for his family and invited them to church regularly.

Wanting his family to experience the powerful move of God in the meetings, he tried extra hard until he got a commitment from his mother. That night my wife, Kathy, wept through the entire service. The next day the mother told her son, "That was nuts! That woman cried through the whole service!" One person's hunger and brokenness was another person's insanity but that didn't mean that God wasn't doing a life-changing work. I can personally testify that He was.

(1.) Cornelius distinctly saw an angel and (2.) the angel spoke to him. (3.) Peter fell into a trance, (4.)saw a vision and (5.)heard the voice of God two times (Acts 10:3-15). In v.14, Peter is bewildered and perplexed over the vision and the orders which he receives from the voice of God! God speaks directly to Peter but because the orders do not fit his current religious practice he is perplexed as to how it could be God.

From what we read about Peter's experience, it would appear that it is quite alright to be bewildered.... as long as you get over it. If we can just get over being perplexed about what God is doing in the earth now, perhaps we will get to be part of something great like that which happened at the house of Cornelius.

Heaven invaded Peter's life. It was not the typical level of church experience. It was all on God's initiative. Men did not conceive it in their minds. They did not hold a conference about it and decide it would be a good idea. No one had even thought of it.

Some people have nailed down the lid on their "experience box." Others have closed the file on further experiences with God. Some have closed the books to any more entries. Jesus commanded 500 of his followers, "Tarry in Jerusalem until..." Yet, only 120 went to Jerusalem and waited until. Why should 380 people who have the attitude "Been there, done it, got a T-shirt," wait until...?

The 500 were told to go to Jerusalem and wait for the Promise of the Father. Only 120 went. That left 380 who either (1.) did not understand the command or (2.) did not see the need to receive the Promise of the Father or they (3.) did not know what the Promise of the Father was so they didn't go or they (4.) simply didn't want the Promise of the Father. The Promise of the Father still came. A group of people still received Power from heaven. But the point is: 380 people didn't get over their bewilderment and receive. 380 people ended up merely reading about what happened to 120!

The prerequisite to receiving is Mt.5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled." All we have to do is just take one look at the last 20 years and we will have to admit that "church-as-usual" is not the answer to overcoming the world, let alone to reaching the world. We must pray that the Holy Spirit will show up and be the Holy Spirit. "Oh, Father, send your blessed Holy Spirit and we want Him to look like the Holy Spirit, sound like the Holy Spirit and do what the Holy Spirit does. We pray, "Do FOR us what you want to do for us. Do THROUGH us what you want to do through us." But when have we prayed, "Do TO US what you want to do to us?"

The hungry bunch in the upper room heard, felt and saw the presence of God. They actually could hear, see and feel the result of God showing up! When someone as big as GOD ALMIGHTY shows up something has got to give and it ain't gonna be God! In order to get the impact of the event, let's look at the context of this divine surprise and make some observations.

Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly [If it would have happened gradually, folks may have found a way to avoid it!] a sound [*They HEARD the presence of God.] like the blowing of a violent wind [They FELT the presence of God. You can't have wind without feeling it. Therefore it could not be church as usual!] came from heaven [*All these manifestations were initiated by God, not men.] and filled the whole house [The mice, roaches and termites were affected!] where they were sitting. 3 They saw [*They SAW the presence of God.] what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.[*Divine impartation - everything we receive from God comes by the Holy Spirit.]

5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. They were not liberal God-hating Jews, agnostic Jews or wild party-animal Jews. Don't you think that God-fearing Jews of this time period "went to church" regularly? Don't you think they knew what was supposed to happen "in church?" That's why they made fun (v.13) - none of this fit! They hadn't seen or heard God for 400 years. So, they had learned how to "have church" without Him! All it has taken for us is one generation and people are making fun again. At the turn of this century there was a mighty move of God's power in the United States. The generation which followed those who received were told about it. Then they learned how to logically deal with it and what categories to relegate it to according to their preferences. The generation after that one learned how to avoid manifestations and the comfort-zone-busting power of God altogether.

I heard a nationally known minister say that the reason the church has to have an agenda, a plan for each service, is because there is no revival. When there is revival the Holy Spirit is doing so much that we are doing good to keep up with Him. I believe that Frank Bartleman’s account of the Azusa Street outpouring (Another Wave Of Revival) will bear record of that truth.

12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?" [*Note: they did not ask God for revelation; they did not search out the scriptures, e.g. Joel - Peter told them this is that (Acts 2:16). Even if they would have searched out Joel they still would not have found rushing wind, speaking in tongues, tongues of fire or spiritual drunkenness. They simply decided among themselves that this was not of God.

This is parallel with what is happening today. After asking themselves, this is the conclusion the people of God came to: "This is not God. It's just a bunch of people in the flesh. In fact, they're committing sin - they are drunk. Not only is this not God, these people are in sin and in danger of the judgment of God." Similar things are being said today about the present moves of God.]

13 Some, however, made fun of them [This is happening today] and said, "They have had too much wine." [Note: those who were in the upper room were not perplexed or bewildered. They were expecting a move of God. They were obeying the command of Jesus to tarry until they received the promise of the Father (whatever it looked like or acted like). It happened to them yet they were not bewildered! It was the onlookers who were bewildered! The observers were perplexed, not the participants.]

"O.K., if these manifestations are of God, then what is their purpose?" God is: (1.) drawing His people to Himself and when we get to Him, (2.) we will be like Jesus and when we are like Jesus (3.) we will do the works of Jesus and when we do the works of Jesus (4.) the works of the devil will be destroyed !!! Now, why do you think the devil does not want us to enjoy or embrace the manifestations of God's Presence??? ...The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil [has done]. (1Jn.3:8) Now let's go on to consider: Just as you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. (Jn.17:18 Amplified Bible)

I have heard a number of people say that they (1.) feel closer to God after experiencing these manifestations (e.g. falling, drunkenness, laughter, weeping) or that (2.) they sensed the love of God in such a real way. I have experienced the same thing.

John 2:11 This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. [1.]He thus revealed his glory, and [2.]his disciples put their faith in him.

23 Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and [3.]believed in his name.

When Jesus performed miraculous signs:

His character is manifested.

His followers have faith to be and do.

Unbelievers become believers - souls are saved!

Unbelievers sought out Peter and John to know more.

The power of signs and wonders resulted in the Gentiles being obedient to the Word.

In September 1994 I attended one of Rodney Howard-Browne's meetings in Fort Worth, Texas at Calvary Temple. Rodney has faced a lot of criticism because God has used him to minister the joy of the Lord in such a powerful way in very large meetings. Thousands of people were laughing throughout the service and a large number of them ended up on the floor or stuck to their seat. Each night Rodney would give a call for those who would like to accept Jesus as their Savior. I would estimate that no less than 100 adults would go forward each night. Some nights I believe there were probably closer to 150. In meetings that Nigel McNeill held in Conroe, I saw people on two different occasions approach him, interrupt him while he was laying hands on people and ministering to them, and ask if they could get saved! Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done - by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. (Rom.15:19)

Staggering, speaking in tongues, wind and flames of fire were not the only things going on here. The manifestations were only the outward display of what God was doing on the inside of them. God was doing something in them so He could do something through them. The manifestations of God's presence on them were all conspicuous announcements that God was going to do something with them. Manifestations are the hearable, seeable, touchable presence of God - the glory of God which will be experienced in this earth in this hour.

The joy, laughter and spiritual drunkenness is only a taste of what God will bring upon His people in the last hours of this age. This is a test run to see what the traffic will allow. God is only getting warmed up. Oral Roberts and Katherine Kuhlman didn't see nearly what we're about to see. Billy Sunday's and Billy Graham's ministries were just introductory statements by God. God was just clearing His throat! I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. (Jn.14:12)

A side benefit is that manifestations totally cut the cost of advertisement. Given the opportunity, God will gladly do all the advertisement for the church for free. Acts 2:6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Acts 3:9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. [They were not filled with wonder and amazement because of expository preaching. Preaching certainly has its place but how shall the Kingdom of God come near us without power? Whenever Jesus preached the Kingdom, He demonstrated it. (Cf.My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.(1Co.2:4); also: But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. (1Co.4:19-20)] 11 While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. [He was different because he came in contact with people who had heard God and seen God!]

God is Creator, all-powerful, all-knowing and omnipresent (Cf. Ps.18:6-15). He is the Lamb slain before a tree was created to hang Him on. He moves in His chambers and the heavens roar. He claps His hands and leviathan leaps from out of the depths of the sea. He laughs and His confused enemies flee in seven directions! He is dynamic and can never be static.

We pray to God and ask Him to move. We actually have enough guts to ask God to show up when we meet together. So, what is supposed to happen? How will such a God show up? What will it be like? How will He express Himself? How will He manifest Himself? He will manifest Himself according to what He is. He is Savior, Baptizer, Healer and Deliverer!! And He is also Father who loves to affectionately touch His kids.

Do you think that the aforementioned God will show up and the result will be funeral home ambiance all over again? When we hunger and thirst for God, does He leave His Power and His Presence and His Dynamic out there among the stars and show up in our meetings merely as the impotent maintainer of an antiquated, unenviable religion??? No, indeed! God will always find a way, and a people, where He can break out of the little box small-minded religious people put Him in. And He does it in such a way that He, once again, proves Himself far too big for our little boxes and then, like it or not, we cannot go on being the same. Perhaps I have hit upon something here. Perhaps that is why stuck-in-the-mud humans do not care to experience any manifestations of God. Because manifestations become an indictment of where we are and cause question as to why we are not any farther down the road in both revelation and practice.

WHEN GOD SHOWS UP

About the time of Moses the nation of Israel, God's people, began to cry out to God, "Save us from Pharaoh!" Then suddenly, Wham! Bam! Boom! Snakes, staffs, bull frogs and lightning are flying in every direction. Later on, about the time of Jesus, the people of God began to cry out, "Save us from Rome!" Then suddenly, Wham! Bam! Wind, fire, tongues and Holy Ghost drunkenness hit them! Now, today, God's people are crying out to Him, "Save us from demons, drugs and degenerate liberals." Then suddenly Wham! Bam! Laughter, weeping, jerking, Holy Ghost drunkenness, gold dust and gold teeth!! SOMETIMES THAT IS HOW IT LOOKS WHEN GOD SHOWS UP !

When something as big and awesome as GOD ALMIGHTY shows up, something must precede Him! When an elephant runs through the jungle the ground will tremble, trees will shake and animals will screech and squawk. But when the aforementioned God shows up in response to the cries of His people, He is just supposed to gently walk in, sit down, do nothing, say nothing and somehow make sure that church, as we like it, remains undisturbed?!?

"The outpouring in Cornelius' household did not originate with a strategy meeting among the apostles. Peter himself was initially unwilling. The other apostles were questioning and critical. This was God's initiative, and it took the apostles by surprise.

"We see such surprises throughout history. The church has not grown in steady, predictable increments over the centuries. You cannot project a graph into the future and say, "Well, we're here now, so we'll be there ultimately." Church history can only be understood in the context of revivals. Ian Murray says in his marvelous book, The Puritan Hope, that the Puritans held that "the kingdom of Christ would spread in triumph through powerful operations of the Holy Spirit poured out upon the church in revivals." Church history has always had these flood times, supernatural surges when God suddenly takes the field again, breaking in and altering history.

"Often a new move of the Spirit clashes with previous experience. In Jerusalem, the apostles could not understand why Peter had violated tradition and ministered among Gentiles. Because they remained flexible and open to the Spirit, they were able to adapt to this fresh flow from God. Tragically, the church has often refused to adapt. At many junctures God has blown a fresh breath into the church through men like John Wesley or William Booth, yet they have been rejected and forced out of the mainstream.

"Researchers estimate the world population will double by the year 2020. A bookish religion would be out of reach for so many of them. But even the most illiterate peasant understands when the Spirit moves in power." (Terry Virgo, People of Destiny Mag., Dec.’94)

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