The
state of being united or joined as a whole
• harmony
or agreement between people or groups
• the
state of forming a complete and pleasing whole
2. uniformity |ˌyoōnəˈfôrmətē| noun ( pl. -ties)
The
quality or state of being uniform, not changing in
form or character;
remaining
the same in all cases and at all times
• of
a similar form or character to another or others
One of these things is not in the passage.
One of these things does not belong...! :)
One of these things does not belong...! :)
Take
a look at Acts 2 ...
Do
you see God bringing different kinds of people together in unity? Or
do you see God causing uniformity in order to create unity?
"And
when the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all assembled
together in one place, when suddenly there came a sound from heaven
like the rushing of a violent tempest blast, and it filled the whole
house in which they were sitting. And there appeared to them
tongues resembling fire, which were separated and distributed and
which settled on each one of them.
And
they were all filled (diffused throughout their souls) with the Holy
Spirit and began to speak in other (different, foreign)
languages (tongues), as the Spirit kept
giving them clear and loud expression [in each tongue in
appropriate words].
Now
there were then residing in Jerusalem Jews, devout and God-fearing
men from every country under heaven. And
when this sound was heard, the multitude came together and they
were astonished and bewildered, because each one heard
them [the apostles] speaking in his own [particular] dialect.
And
they were beside themselves with amazement, saying, Are not all these
who are talking Galileans? Then how
is it that we hear, each of us, in our own (particular) dialect to
which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and
inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and [the
province of] Asia, Phrygia
and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and the
transient residents from Rome, both Jews and the proselytes [to
Judaism from other religions], Cretans
and Arabians too—we all hear them speaking in our own native
tongues [and telling of] the mighty works of God!
And
all were beside themselves with amazement and were
puzzled and bewildered, saying one to another, What can
this mean?"
-
Acts 2:2-12 (AMP)
Note Peter's explanation as to why God showed up in that
magnificent way:
"But
Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them:
You Jews and all you residents of Jerusalem, let this be [explained]
to you so that you will know and understand;
listen closely to what I have to say. For these men are not
drunk, as you imagine, for it is [only] the third hour (about 9:00
a.m.) of the day; But
[instead] this is [the beginning of] what was spoken through the
prophet Joel: And
it shall come to pass in the last days, God declares, that I will
pour out of My Spirit upon all mankind, and your sons and
your daughters shall prophesy [telling forth the divine
counsels] and your young men shall see visions
(divinely granted appearances), and your old men shall
dream [divinely suggested] dreams. Yes,
and on My menservants also and on My maidservants in
those days I will pour out of My Spirit, and they shall prophesy
[telling forth the divine counsels and predicting future events
pertaining especially to God’s kingdom]."
-
Acts 2:14-18
Also
note the beautiful finale, pointing to what the experience produced in the hearts of men:
"Therefore
my heart rejoiced and my tongue exulted exceedingly; moreover, my
flesh also will dwell in hope [will encamp, pitch its tent, and dwell
in hope in anticipation of the resurrection]. For
You will not abandon my soul, leaving it helpless in Hades (the state
of departed spirits), nor let Your Holy One know decay or see
destruction [of the body after death]."
-
Acts 2:26-27
