And Peter thence begins to quote Scripture. Pentecost is a Christian holy day that celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit 50 days after Easter. 15 likes, 0 comments - Saints Community Church - COM (@saintscommunitychurchofficial) on Instagram: "Have You Prophesied Since You Believed (4)? Now, it was all beginning to come together. "Pentecost" is actually the Greek name for a festival known in the Old Testament as the Feast of Weeks ( Leviticus 23:15; Deuteronomy 16:9 ). This then begins to be the anchor and the soil into which they can anchor a life of faith that they were to have and to develop. And then they had seen that He was resurrected. If I were to summarize it, it would probably be like this: Your mission until I return is to preach the gospel to all nations. He seals us in Christproof of the promise that we are forever in God's presence ( Ephesians 1:13-14 ). 1 I wrote the former account, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after he had given orders by the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. That is what caused them to banish their fear, trouble, doubt, and unbelief: Christ in them through the Holy Spirit. Though a miracle had taken place in front of them, that still wasn't enough to remove the doubt and fear. We've just read it. Because Ruth saw in Naomi, God, an example that she wanted to be a part of. It's God's Spirit that is the only thing that we can have to overcome those fears, because really, it's all the Church of God has ever had. Only Paul matches Luke in the proofs he supplies for the resurrection: 3 For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also receivedthat Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, 4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth . First, there was an unmistakable "sound like a mighty rushing wind" that "filled the entire house" where the believers had gathered. 3 And tongues spreading out like a fire appeared to them and came to rest on each one of them. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. He was interested in the gospel, but a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus (or Elymas) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the truth. They stood there, transfixed. As the writer to the Hebrews constantly emphasized, the New Covenant is vastly superior to the Old. They were going up against a lot, just as we go up against our world today, and ourselves, and what Satan might throw at us. They must not attempt to carry out the Great Commission without Pentecostal power. I don't think it was an intergalactic tour that He was on to get to the third heaven. Behold I send the promise of My Father upon you, but tarryor waitin the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high. That's a little-understood part of what was taking place. We can be certain that He will provide us with everything we need to carry out His command. But they were frightened and they thought that they had seen a spirit. Jesus Christ was born to be a King, and He will return as the King of Kings in the Kingdom of God. We, again, don't necessarily always pause and think about this, in these hours and days following Christ's resurrection. In the end, I think we must acknowledge that we must read between the lines a great deal to conclude that the replacement of Judas was wrong. You remember what Ruth said to Naomi when Naomi, in the book of Ruth, had lost her husband and children, and these two daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah, tried to follow her away from Moab, and Orpah decided to leave. The Great Commission was not only given to the apostles; it was given to the church. I've got to find out where that next bus leaves, and what time." It had been organized quite well and in that remote backwater of Judea, the Roman government kept things in order. When Jesus arose from the dead, He did not remain with them continually, as He once did. We all have signs, we take certain things as signs. The feast has been celebrated 40 days after Easter in both Eastern and Western Christianity since the 4th century. From this point on, with very few exceptions (Acts 14:14; 15:12, 25), it was always Paul and Barnabas, or Paul and Silas, orPaul and his companions.It was evidence of the Spirits working through Paul that seems to have triggered this exchange in roles of Paul and Barnabas. I kind of think that He kind of, you know, elevated, and rose, and they saw Him, and they saw Him and the clouds, and the clouds, and then all of a sudden just like that, [snaps fingers] He was gone, kind of like in a "Star Trek" just a flash of light. That Numbers 32 and verse 23, is correct. Volume 1 the Gospel of Luke is the description of all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after he had given orders by the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen(verse 1b-2a). A sermon for Pentecost - Durham Cathedral. 12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called the Mount of Olives (which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath days journey away). Because they were seeing Christ risen and they saw Him in a bodily form, but then they were attributing something different to that. The Feast of Weeks celebrated the end of the grain harvest. 7The apparent contradictions between this account and that of Matthew 27:3-10 are not insurmountable. While it is not plainly stated, it would seem that from a human point of view the events at Pentecost were partially a response to the prayers of these saints. If we can borrow a phrase that we've used over the last two years, two phrases, they labored in the Word and they lived in the Word. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matthew 28:18-20, emphasis mine). 1 Now there were these prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius the Cyrenian, Manaen (a close friend of Herod the tetrarch from childhood) and Saul. I was going to get on a Greyhound bus. A period of unity, one accord, fellowship, love for one another, treating people as equals, not in a completely socialistic manner that we understand from our modern context of socialism, or the welfare type of society. They didn't believe that He had risen, they didn't believe that they had been seen, that He had been seen, and therefore, then they would not believe these eyewitnesses. And they're seeing that, and it's the final time. Pentecost is one of the Great feasts in the Eastern Orthodox Church, a Solemnity in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, a Festival in the Lutheran Churches, and a Principal Feast in the Anglican Communion. It is the ideal to which every subsequent church period has wished to be able to emulate, including ours today. The last holy day season, the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread had seen the death of Jesus Christ, and then three days later He was resurrected and He had appeared to them. Prior to His death, the disciples were constantly with Jesus. John has another set of accounts, and then he kind of ends and he leaves it wide open. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so. And not for the reality that the 1st century world would have known and experienced, that other dimension. Pentecost is celebrated 50 days after Easter and is when Christians remember the gift of the Holy Spirit. 5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as if it were coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, 6 who made us adequate to be servants of a new covenant not based on the letter but on the Spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. It is celebrated on the Sunday 50 days after Easter (the name comes from the Greek pentekoste, "fiftieth"). The gospels and the book of Acts tell us that would-be zealots and messiahs had come and gone. And there wasn't a Jew in Jerusalem, not a rabbi, not a priest who'd ever understood Joel or the Psalms in that way, nor would they have ever dreamed of applying it to what had happened just weeks earlier, with the arrest, crucifixion, and death of this Man called Jesus of Nazareth. Verses 40 to 47 is a summary of one of the most remarkable periods of the church experience. I didn't know how to read a board to tell me these things. What were they standing there for, looking into the sky? It was a mighty, powerful machine, the most powerful that the world in that day had ever seen. And yet, they had not been able to completely separate the fact that now what they were part of was the real, the real thing, because Christ had died. He was seen by them over a forty-day period and spoke about matters concerning the kingdom of God. Now, when we turn over to Acts chapter 1, and we look at, kind of summing up of this as it is. 4 So Barnabas and Saul,sent out by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus (Acts 13:1-4, emphasis mine). He understood that, and again, He is just laying it out that they were troubled and there was doubt. The religious leaders were quick to take note of the limitations of the apostles, and yet had to reluctantly acknowledge something powerful about their ministry: 13 When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and discovered that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized these men had been with Jesus. Read more. As I got up this morning, prepared to come over here, go through the day, same things that will be in my mind tomorrow, and next Thursday, and a month from today. That's the famous road to Emmaus experienced from the book of Luke, "and they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either." He quotes Joel, he quotes Psalms and he gives interpretations upon those scriptures, here in chapter 1, no one had ever heard of before. 9 For if there was glory in the ministry that produced condemnation, how much more does the ministry that produces righteousness excel in glory! Jesus was coming back, just as they saw Him depart. Having said this, our Lord ascended into heaven. 30 He is the reason you have a relationship with Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:26-31). That's what this day is all about as a firstfruit. He boasted of his victory over Israel, and we read, The king of Israel replied, Tell him the one who puts on his battle gear should not boast like one who is taking it off (1 Kings 20:11).2, The point is that one should not boast before his victory, but should wait until after. It is the day, 40 days after the Resurrection, when Jesus returns to his Father. But it was a very intense period of time of Jesus appearing to them both in Galilee and Jerusalem, teaching them from the Scriptures, appearing to them in larger groups, perhaps even, more smaller groups, and in some of the ways they're talking like He did to Peter, on the Sea of Galilee, having meals with them. What is of particular interest is that this revelation came about through the Spirit.. We are going to be taking giant steps toward creating that kind of Church that we read about here in the book of Acts, that has been imbued with the power of the Holy Spirit, and changes are being made. This should come as no surprise because the Great Commission of Matthew also referred to all three members of the Godhead: 18 Then Jesus came up and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Before Pentecost: What Were They Thinking. Pentecost was unmistakable because of its three distinct phenomena, which served to make it perfectly clear that Jesus had indeed come to His people by His Spirit. 9. I do not think that verses 12-14 describe only the activity of the believers during the 10-day gap between our Lords ascension and Pentecost, however. 19952023 All correspondence and questions should be sent to info@ucg.org. My point here is that Luke links the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of our Lord in the Gospels to the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church in Acts. Long before modern advertising, the Bible had its own versions of "before" and "after." The Holy Spirit confirms the apostles testimony, especially their claim that they have seen Jesus Christ risen from the dead. Apparently, two angelic figures appeared to them as the disciples were kind of watching Christ go. PrivacyPolicyTerms ofUse. 1 Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. They will receive power through the Holy Spirit to be witnesses. Mark chapter 16, verse 9, now, "When He rose early on the first day of the week," speaking of Christ's resurrection. In 2 Corinthians 3 and 4, Paul makes the same point, showing how much more glorious the New Covenant is to the Old and that New Testament ministry is to the old, because of the Holy Spirit. When you read what Peter said about these prophecies from Joel and the Psalmstrust me, folks, Peter's sermon would not have passed doctrinal review by the Jewish doctrinal committee of that day. And it is in that, we reach the real nexus, the real critical point of our life before God, where we recognize that, with the Holy Spirit, we are taking on the very nature of God, the divine nature. It was the Roman soldiers that had carried out the death of Christ and had sealed the tomb and a Roman guard had been placed there. And then this dramatic miracle takes place, festive occasion. In his last face-to-face meeting with the Ephesian elders, Paul spoke to them about their responsibilities as shepherds. And this small group of people who had signed on to what they thought was a remarkable, gifted rabbi, and followed Him around and soon learned that they had fallen into something quite different than anything they could have ever imagined, as they witnessed miracles of loaves and fishes, and people being brought back to life, and dramatic healings. He had a lot to come back, he was at the back of the pack. He had a long way to come to be the one to stand up and to give the sermon on this day, but he did it. We are told in verse 2 that Jesus gave orders by the Holy Spirit. We can internalize that and think that through. That power would come in the form of the Holy Spirit. On the Day of Pentecost prophecy was fulfilled. The apostles were celebrating this festival when the Holy Spirit descended on them. As the passover feast celebrated the exodus of the Israelites from the slavery of Egypt, so Pentecost celebrated God's gift of the ten commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai. We have to live as well, knowing that there is a God, and to live our life that every day counts. And more specifically for this group that they would be witnesses of Jesus in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth being fulfilled. They immediately began telling others about Jesus. People need to see that Spirit within us. Not only the wording of verse 13, but also what we know of these 40 days, suggests that this is where the apostles had been staying since our Lords death. Jesus had already gone back to Heaven so the disciples and new believers of Jesus were waiting to receive the Holy Spirit because that's what Jesus told them would happen. Then what looks like tongues of fire rests on the followers of Jesus, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. He explained Pentecost to the people of Jerusalem. They thought that the body had been ferretted away by the disciples, someone had stolen it. Consider this question, with what we have just read: how could people filled with doubt, even a measure of unbelief, fear, general fear, intense fear, heightened fear, abject fearfear takes many different forms and guises; sometimes we can control our fear, sometimes it overcomes us and we're just shaking in our bootshow could a people dealing with all of these emotions during this 50-day period of time be expected to do what Jesus told them here in verse 8, they would do, when they have problems figuring it all out at that particular moment? And because both were working together, the mission and the vision, there was a remarkable picture being described here by Luke, of the Church at peace. Pentecost comes from a Jewish harvest festival called Shavuot. 6We can easily deduce this since Pentecost was 50 days after Passover. They had been told to be there, to wait in Jerusalem until that day. During the 50 days after Jesus' death, He had many interactions with his Disciples and followers, providing them with guidance and . I wonder if more people came to Jerusalem for Pentecost in that year because of what had happened 50 days earlier, plus three, and they had heard about that. They had come up against the two most powerful authorities of their day in their world. Furthermore, He no longer comes and goes but rather remains permanently. We take that for the story that it is, and the gift of tongues, and the speaking of tongues that the Scriptures talk about but we don't see that as what we need to be doing in practice or in faith, but it is a dramatic story. We are further told that the Great Commission was an order given to the apostles who Jesus Himself had chosen. But they saw Him for a period of time, and that's how I like to imagine it. People passing by at first thought that they must be drunk, but the apostle Peter told the crowd that the apostles were full of the Holy Spirit. Articles that are published in our magazine or scripting for our television programs goes through a very, very thorough review process. And God will expose sin, ours to ourselves, sometimes to others. In Eastern branches of Christianity, the Day of Pentecost is one of the Great Feasts. And yet Peter does, and he gives a bold sermon. There was doubt. "Also for this very reason, giving all diligence into your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, the divine nature. This was a healthy fear of respect and awe and wonder at now what had happened. The English word "Pentecost" is a transliteration of the Greek word pentekostos, which means "fifty.". And perhaps like you and I would today, we might look at it as a little bit odd. The church acknowledged the leading of the Spirit and laid their hands on these men, and then sent them off. What we read about back in Matthew 28:19 of the gospel being taken to the world. Then I finally figured out, "Oh, I got to do this myself. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who were redeemed from the earth. The Holy Spirit will come upon you shortly to empower you to carry out this task, so wait in Jerusalem until you receive this power.. Pentecost occurred 50 days after Easter Sunday or 50 days after Jesus rose from the dead. But by doing so, when you read the account, you understand that they knew the Scripture, and they applied Scripture to their choice and their decision to replace Judas. And they chose Matthias by casting lots. The Apostle Peter may have been the most outspoken of the twelve apostles in Jesus' ministry on earth. A Church that was grounded in the Word of God. And then even when we see in the days after Jesus' final ascension, a roughly 10-day period, when they came to make a decision to replace Judas, they read Scripture, they applied it properly, God blessed the decision. They were with Him and they asked Him in verse 6, "Lord, will You at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel?" We're no different than them. Related Topics: Bibliology (The Written Word), Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. Q. 9 But Saul (also known as Paul),filled with the Holy Spirit, stared straight at him 10 and said, You who are full of all deceit and all wrongdoing, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousnesswill you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? As we have received the gift of God's Spirit, as those on that first day of Pentecost received the gift of the Holy Spirit were brought into the Church, they became, and so are we, partakers of the divine nature. 14 And because they saw the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say against this (Acts 4:13-14). Four fishermen - Peter, Andrew, James and John - are landing their catch when they are approached by Jesus. And so they didn't really think about that, and yet all of a sudden it came upon them. It is. It would further seem that this is the room where the apostles had been staying the previous 40 days. Find the date for Pentecost 2014 in the multifaith calendar. Trials hit us that will shake our faith, test our faith. You know, before we ever get to that rushing wind that came in, it's good to think about this question, because it has a direct application to you and I today. It is the Word of God and it is the Spirit of God that did it for them, and will do it for you and for I today as we live our lives, as we go about our lives. Labor in the Word, meaning to read the Word, and to learn it, and to soak it in and drink it in; and to live the Word, this past year. It goes on, verse 12, "After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country." We will handle them by the Word of God and the Spirit of God. Maybe they had their hands in their pockets kind of like this, thinking, "Wow, that was neat. I have my own Star Trekkian-type of way to imagine how Jesus ascended. 9He does not forbid taking any action until Pentecost; He merely forbids the apostles to leave Jerusalem (in carrying out the Great Commission) until after Pentecost. We can accomplish the work of God, and we can then be the firstfruits who follow the Lamb and who know their God and do mighty deeds and mighty exploits. Who wouldnt want to look like that? Church services on this day are marked by red robes and banners signifying the fiery winds of the Holy Spirit. The Cross And Christs Suffering For Sins (1 Peter 3:18-22), 6. 1. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. Jesus waited 40 days from the time of His resurrection till the day of His ascension into heaven. We can deal with them. He was the one who was the leader of that doubt and fear and terrified approach, because he denied Christ three times, and he had to be pointedly taught by Jesus. So it's something for us to examine in our own way, see how much of that is being demonstrated in our life. Pentecost will instead be fulfilled at the Rapture of the Body of Christ The Mystery Age - One New Man, the Church, the Bride of Christ During the period until Israel does accept Jesus as Messiah to bring about His return, the time of preparation of a bride for Christ has been extended and the mission to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ continues. At the end of the 40 days, Jesus was taken up into heaven. This makes sense, given both their impulsiveness and their lack of faith. The Feast of the Ascension ranks with Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost in the universality of its observance among Christians. As we came here this morning, to services, and as we gathered here this morning ourselves, there is a very important lesson for us to learn as well. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in the breaking of bread and in prayers. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other languages as the Spirit . 2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. If you keep yourselves from doing these things, you will do well. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Hymns sung at Pentecost take the Holy Spirit as their theme, and include: The symbols of Pentecost are those of the Holy Spirit and include flames, wind, the breath of God and a dove. And we can be about the work that we see that the Church did then and has always done, of taking the message of salvation and of repentance to life, to people who need that message. But some doubted." Acts 1 is the before section of this great book. Well, the real answer is for you and I, the same things that are going through your mind right now, and my mind. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind and it filled the whole house where they were sitting, and it appeared to them, divided tongues as of fire. And therein, lies a key to the understanding of what had taken place with these individuals here. In the Old Testament Pentecost was the feast which occurred fifty days after Passover. And allows us to then grow, because the next few verses here of 2 Peter speaks to a process of spiritual empowerment and growth and development.