But others in the crowd ridiculed them, saying, “They’re just drunk, that’s all!”
Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that. No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel:
‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike—and they will prophesy. But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
Acts 2:13-1, 21 New Living Translation (NLT)
When we question the power of the Holy Spirit, all we need to do is get to know Peter. Jesus called Simon "Peter." The Greek translation of Peter is "rock." Just as Jesus knew Peter would deny Him three times before that rooster crowed, Jesus also knew that Peter was ordained to be the foundation on which He would build His church. This was an ordinary fisherman who would be used by God in spite of himself. That is the power of the Holy Spirit. God will use even a rock to fulfill His plans.
People who doubt God's power often look for other reasons to explain things that happen outside of their realm of understanding. As the Holy Spirit filled the believers with His power, those who did not believe accused them of being drunk. In the Old Testament, as Hannah prayed earnestly to God for a child at the Tabernacle, she was accused of being drunk by the priest (1 Samuel 1:14)! Must have been a lot of drinking going on in those days for that to be such a common accusation from those seeking to condemn behavior they didn't understand. These believers at Pentecost may have seemed drunk, but they were being filled with the Holy Spirit. God was keeping His promise to send a Helper and His plan was in action for all to see, believe and receive.
Some people refer to drunkenness as being "full." These people were full, alright! But they were full of the Holy Spirit. They were being saved and used by God to carry His message to others as Jesus promised they would as they believed. This is a drink Jesus offers to fill us all with. A drink that promises we will never thirst again.
Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. Ephesians 5:18-19 NLT
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