Someone, not something...
Acts 2:42 says, "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." (KJV)
First word: "And..." This is a clear indicator something happened before. What was it? The Holy Spirit came, empowered and added to the Church. Many were saved, praise God!
Now, look at the next part, "...they continued steadfastly..." That means they kept on living the dynamic life the Spirit delivered to them.
The ESV, NLT, NIV, CSB, HSCB all translate that same part of the phrase as "...they devoted themselves..." The NASB states it in the always active sense: "They were continually devoting themselves..."
Now, what's my point in all of this? Simple...
You can tell who has really gotten the Holy Ghost, not by some wild behavior that is temporary in its activity, nor by someone who has short lived, emotional excitement about an event, but by those ones who continue on in steadfast devotion to the things of God.
You see, dear hearts, some people love events. They love activities. They love to have their emotions stirred. Some folks love something; what happens when God really gets us is that we come to love Someone.
For example, I remember how hype some people were about a tent revival some time back. One of my friends remarked with some disdain and disbelief about the tent revival. I told him not to do that, but to wait and see who the Lord really got a-hold of, and that we'd know it months later when those people continued steadfastly in devotion to the Lord. IF they loved the event, then their devotion to the things of God will pass; IF they came to love God, they would continue steadfast in devotion to God.
We see this quite often in weekend retreats, conferences, mission trips, and other event based things. I'm glad we have those things; I've seen God move and work and ignite many wonderful believers through such spiritual activity. I'm going on a weekend retreat in May, and I can't wait! However, if we are really walking with God, we continually devote ourselves to the things of God. HE is in us, and HE sustains us, and HE fills and guides us when the event is long gone.
The early church got a huge blessing when the Holy Spirit came on so many at once. However, we know from the book of Hebrews that people who once had devotion do fall away. In other words, some didn't make it past the event. We know that. It stands to reason, and the evidence bears the reason out.
It may be a tough inventory for some to take, but I pray God will grant some bravery to some souls and they will ask themselves some tough questions. Do I actually love God? Am I devoted to Him? Does He lead me day by day? Do I need an event to be excited about the Lord?
Did I love something, or do I love Him? Did I get moved at an event, and am I still moving? Did my getting stirred translate to being devoted?
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