It is celebrated on the Sunday 50 days after Easter (the name comes from the Greek pentekoste, "fiftieth"). Who wouldnt want to look like that? As I was sitting there gazing around, nobody came. Acts 2:1-13 records the events of this Pentecost, about 10 days after Jesus' ascension. And that power would be what would begin to banish the fear, the troubling, doubt, that they had, coupled with the Word of God that they were to have. Thank you Mr. McNeely , for making Christ more real. He explained Pentecost to the people of Jerusalem. Let us eagerly look forward to the changes Pentecost will bring for the better.. But then two angels appeared and they said to them, in verse 11, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing into heaven? Show us which one of these two you have chosen 25 to assume the task of this service and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place. 26 Then they cast lots for them, and the one chosen was Matthias; so he was counted with the eleven apostles (Acts 1:15-26). We all have signs, we take certain things as signs. People should see God in the firstfruits. Things will only get better from here. Because Easter is a moveable feast without a fixed date, and Pentecost. What do we do now? 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. The apostles stayed in Jerusalem, as instructed, and they devoted themselves to prayer, along with those who were closely associated with Jesus in His earthly ministry. in 1971. They had not been a part of anything like that before. Read more. Well, that's a sign that I should go here, take this job, do this or do that. But miracles, well, that just takes a little bit more work, but they were here in the midst of a very large miracle. Verses 15-26 immediately precede Pentecost, but do not appear to have any profound impact on the apostles or on the community of believers. 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? . Second, we learn that the Great Commission, which our Lord commanded His apostles, was given through the Holy Spirit (1:2). Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so. Pentecost is a Christian holy day that celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit 50 days after Easter. In the context of Acts (and the Epistles), we should see that the Holy Spirit is a significant part of the enablement we need. What is of particular interest is that this revelation came about through the Spirit.. What we are seeing here is again, the power of the Word of God. It goes on, "When He had spoken these things," in verse 9, "they watched and He was taken up in a cloud, received Him out of their sight. The NEW ENGLISH TRANSLATION, also known as THE NET BIBLE, is a completely new translation of the Bible, not a revision or an update of a previous English version. The second power that they'd run up against was that of the Jewish authorities. These accounts of like what we have read in the gospels and others for a 40-day period. And they're seeing that, and it's the final time. Its commencement is found in the Gospels. And then there came a time, in verse 4, where they were assembled together with Him and He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem but to wait for the promise of the Father, which He said, "You have heard from Me, for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.". Not completely unraveled, but the doubt and the disbelief has an impact. We should also observe that among this group were the brothers of our Lord (Acts 1:14). 7 Days after the Ascension of Jesus. They had a very life is now, living in the present mindset that this was all going to happen in their lifetime, which is something that pertains to every group of people from that time forward, that looking for the appearance of the Kingdom, the return of Christ. And a voice from heaven like many waters, and the voice of thunder, and the sound of harpers playing their harps, they sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures and the elders. The Cross And Unjust Suffering (1 Peter 2:19-25). Not only did Jesus give them 40 days of continual confirmation of His resurrection; He also gave them His Spirit, who likewise bears witness to the resurrection through them. What is Pentecost? And then going on here, in verse 44, "He said to them, 'These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses, and the prophets, and the Psalms concerning Me.' The betrayal of our Lord was no accident, and it did not catch God off guard. We give ourselves to that devotion, to that devoted study and the process of taking on the nature of God. There they encountered the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. All the gods of doubtand I say gods with a little g, because doubt, and guilt, and fear can really separate us from Godthe gods of doubt, and fear, and unbelief have all been shredded by Jesus Christ. The. Then follows a marvelous after photo, which displays a beautiful person, so different from the before photo. It is also called Whitsun, but does not necessarily coincide with the Whitsun Bank Holiday in the UK. And it is also the mission of the Church, we see right here, it has begun. John had earlier said of Jesus. But as Christ begins to give them the teaching from the Scriptures, of how He had fulfilled literally, in every way, the scriptures about the Messiah. 3. Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13) | Bible.org He made it clear that the Holy Spirit played a key role in their appointment. Somewhere along the line, the apostles were enlightened by our Lord concerning the mystery of the church. The Feast of Weeks celebrated the end of the grain harvest. What's the next step?" Think about that among our own relationships with each other. If we can make that decision and live with that reality that there is a God who lives, and before Him we stand every single day of our life and every major decision, every small decision of character, and the decisions that we make in the privacy of our own mind, and in our own actions that not everyone knows about, not even our mate, all are in accordance with righteousness and a desire for righteousness. Lukes account of our Lords ascension is brief, but informative: 9 After he had said this, while they were watching, he was lifted up and a cloud hid him from their sight. Some say that they wound up in the temple precincts; could very well be. Then I finally figured out, "Oh, I got to do this myself. The publication of this material is a grace ministry of Community Bible Chapel. It is not my purpose here to allow these matters to sidetrack our consideration of the argument of this text. It's an informed sermon. We see this confirmed in Acts 5: And we are witnesses of these events, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him (Acts 5:32). The Bible teaches the following concerning how the Holy Spirit was involved with the formation and the functioning of the church. There is a theme which dominates the 40-day period between the resurrection and ascension of our Lord. I didn't know how to read a board to tell me these things. Some Christian denominations consider it the birthday of the Christian church and celebrate it as such. When the apostles3press Jesus to tell them the time when the kingdom of God will be established, Jesus graciously refuses by informing them that this information is outside their authority there is no need to know so far as they are concerned. The apostles were celebrating this festival when the Holy Spirit descended on them. 3 To the same apostles also, after his suffering, he presented himself alive with many convincing proofs. They saw it in different ways and understood it completely different from anything from our frame of reference and they were ascribing, would have been ascribing then even to Jesus something that was not of God, which in itself can be a problem. . I think there are two things that are clear, and that should dominate our thinking. Did they doubt themselves? And when they reached their decision, they made it clear that their decision was guided by the Holy Spirit. It is regarded as the birthday of the Christian church. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. This truth is buttressed by John 14-16, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, and 2 Peter 1:20-21. Let's go into Luke's account. 2. Preparation for Pentecost (Acts 1:1-26) | Bible.org 8 Last of all, as though to one born at the wrong time, he appeared to me also. This is Peter's first sermon since Jesus left for heaven. That's been the hallmark of our feature. During the Temple period, the first fruits of the harvest were brought to the Temple, and two loaves of bread made from the new wheat were offered . Pentecostal Christians believe in the direct experience of the Holy Spirit by believers during all of their services. 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. And then it came to an end, it came to a close. I must tell you that the most problematic passage in Acts 1 is the final paragraph which describes the selection of Matthias as the twelfth apostle. First, I note the wording of the first part of verse 13: When they had entered Jerusalem, they went to the upstairs roomwhere they were staying(Acts 1:13a, emphasis mine). Pentecost is the festival when Christians celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit. What Is the Work of the Holy Spirit in Relation to the Formation and The decision to proceed with the process of replacing Judas was seen as obedience to Psalm 109:8, thus leading to its fulfillment. 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. ), Two angels suddenly appear near them. That Numbers 32 and verse 23, is correct. He spent days and days, and weeks and weeks doing that, bringing new dimension of understanding to the Scriptures that they had never had. The Roots of Pentecost . The Jewish authorities of their day had a very thorough doctrinal review process and Peter's would not have passed, which is why they ran smack in trouble with the Jewish leadership from this point forward because they were applying new meaning to old Scriptures that no Jew had ever heard before. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other languages as the Spirit . I would suspect that it may have been during that 40-day interval between our Lords resurrection and His ascension. Mark chapter 16, verse 9, now, "When He rose early on the first day of the week," speaking of Christ's resurrection. That's how I imagine it and He was home, He was back at, He was at the third heaven. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and other disciples following the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ (Acts of the Apostles, chapter 2), and it marks the . And it just caused them to proverbially tear their clothes and rush at them and ultimately to the point of Stephen and they stoned him. Our Lords last words sum up the focus of the first 11 verses of Acts: They are to be His witnesses, beginning in Jerusalem and ending in the remotest part(s) of the earth. ", A church begins to develop. Jesus waited 40 days from the time of His resurrection till the day of His ascension into heaven. Verses 1-11 describe what happened during that 40-day period between our Lords resurrection and His ascension. 1Copyright 2005 by Community Bible Chapel, 418 E. Main Street, Richardson, TX 75081. They gave him a piece of broiled fish and honey comb, He takes it and he sits down and eats in their presence. 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. 2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. First few verses of Acts chapter 1, beginning in verse 3, Luke in his prologue to the account as he writes to this man named Theophilus, about all that had been done by Jesus until the day in which He was taken up through the Holy Spirit and had given commandments to the apostles, whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during 40 days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God., So Luke gives us an explicit reference point that this went on. 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. What Happened on the Day of Pentecost with Respect to the Holy Spirit When is Whitsun 2023? Why Pentecost is celebrated in the UK He was seen by them over a forty-day period and spoke about matters concerning the kingdom of God. Verse 41, "But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, 'Have you any food?'" Darris is the Associate Media Producer for the Church. Peter was the first one to preach on the day of Pentecost after the coming of the Holy Spirit and he was the first one to proclaim Christ to a . All of these qualities are to the divine nature, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness, love. I began this lesson by suggesting that it is an example of a before and after presentation. And so I made a certain few inquiries, I got on the bus, didn't miss it. In verse 38, after everyone has calmed down, they realize theyve been involved and they were responsible for the death of Jesus. These were not terrified, doubtful people. 2Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the NET Bible. Long before modern advertising, the Bible had its own versions of before and after. In Genesis, we have a picture of man before the fall and after. In the Book of Judges, we have Gideon as a fearful and reticent man (before), and then we have Gideon after as the brave warrior. Anyone is at liberty to use this lesson for educational purposes only, with or without credit. He seals us in Christproof of the promise that we are forever in God's presence ( Ephesians 1:13-14 ). "What do we do?" Church services on this day are marked by red robes and banners signifying the fiery winds of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost: Everything you need to know | Catholic News Agency 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. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and . What happened after the Resurrection? - Grapevine Studies Why are you standing around gazing? They were kind of like this, and like this. Peter says, "Repent, believe, be baptized, you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." We can deal with them. The vision of the Church was coming together and the mission of the Church was being accomplished. And He leaves them on the Mount of Olives, which is a very, very significant geographic feature there on the east of Jerusalem across from the city, and through the Kidron Valley and up on this Mount called Olives. And I was going to go out to California, my first trip to California, visit my brother for about three weeks. He was just [snaps fingers] gone, He was there. The bonds of trust among the disciples were beginning to be frayed. From Psalm 69, they recognized that Judas betrayal was part of the divine plan. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. Like others, I have called attention to the fact that after this account, the name of Matthias is never found again in the New Testament.8I also called attention to the fact that Jesus told His apostles to wait until the coming of the Spirit.9. This process will never be seen again in the rest of the New Testament. During those 40 days, He provided them with many convincing proofs that He had indeed risen from the dead. Before Pentecost: What Were They Thinking. They had come up against the two most powerful authorities of their day in their world. Though the emperor, a man named Tiberius, had been holed up on an island called Capri or Capri for a number of years in absentia, the empire was running quite well on its own. The Chapel believes the material presented herein to be true to the teaching of Scripture, and desires to further, not restrict, its potential use as an aid in the study of Gods Word. These are the ones who are not defiled with women, they are virgins, spiritual virgins. Pentecost: The Descent of the Holy Spirit - Orthodox Church in America It's always fun to try to imagine how this happened. 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. These events happened in the book of Acts within the Bible and proved a major turning point in the New Testament. Number one was the Roman Empire. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who were redeemed from the earth. And second, the replacement of Judas is carried out in a way that is very Old Testament.. This was just three and a half years, and in really a few weeks, seven weeks and a day of intense thought, emotion, that they had to grapple with and deal with as they came into the presence of one another on the morning of Pentecost. "And fear came upon every soul," and this was a different type of fear. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. 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. It is rooted in the Word of God. It had been organized quite well and in that remote backwater of Judea, the Roman government kept things in order. What Happened at Pentecost, and Why Does It Matter? - Truth For Life This is the threefold commission that is given to this group of disciples where they are to be witnesses of Him in the city of Jerusalem, and Judea, and Samariathe wider region of the country, look at it as kind of the wider counties of the country of Israel at the timeand then ultimately, to the end of the earth, to take the Gospel and to be a witness of God, to do this. They sold their possessions, they divided among them, they shared among those who had need. They also point out that Lukes account depicts this selection in a favorable light, and that nothing negative is said about the action taken here. Let us never consider going back to the old. A firstfruit is one who follows Christ. 9 For if there was glory in the ministry that produced condemnation, how much more does the ministry that produces righteousness excel in glory! When I was 15 years old, I got on a bus from my little hometown of Cape Girardeau, Missouri. First, there was an unmistakable "sound like a mighty rushing wind" that "filled the entire house" where the believers had gathered. Jesus began to teach them, we read, from the Law of Moses, from the prophets, the Scriptures about Him, to explain to them what had happened. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Peter was quoting Scripture and applying it to something that had happened and that is Jesus, His death and His resurrection. But the Holy Spirit enabled Paul to see what this false prophet was doing and prompted him to pronounce a curse on Bar-Jesus. Pentecost: The Coming of the Holy Spirit - Bible Story & Meaning Furthermore, He no longer comes and goes but rather remains permanently. 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. When I got off the bus from my hometown, I was in this large room, this large terminal, it was as larger, even larger than this room here, which for me, from my small town was a pretty big thing to walk into, and I did, first time I had ever traveled. 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. If we can learn to take on the divine nature and drink that in, in our lives, then we can banish doubt, uncertainty, and fear, unbelief, that will creep in at various times as we go through our lives, and stages in the developments of life. The apostles were witnesses of our Lords resurrection (1:8, 22; 2:32; 3:15; 5:32; 10:39-41; 13:30-31). There's a lot of information in the details that we are given in chapter 28 verse 16. 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. From this point, they had only 10 days. They immediately began telling others about Jesus. There were several festivals, celebrations, or observances that took place before Pentecost. But let's go back, let's look at a few of these scriptures in a little bit more detail and see exactly what had been taking place among the disciples during this period of time, that brought them to that morning of Pentecost. We've just read it. The Word of God. 28 Watch out for yourselves and for all the flockof which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son (Acts 20:28, emphasis mine). After seeing how God works through His Spirit in Acts 2 and beyond, who would ever want to go back to the old? 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). The search for Judas replacement was prompted, at least in part, by the consideration of some Old Testament Scriptures (Psalm 69:25; 109:8). The church, the body of Christ, began on the Day of Pentecost by the work of the Holy Spirit. I was going to get on a Greyhound bus. What Really Happened at Pentecost? - Christianity.com I don't think it was an intergalactic tour that He was on to get to the third heaven. Four fishermen - Peter, Andrew, James and John - are landing their catch when they are approached by Jesus. What was on their mind? At the end of John, you remember, John says, there were so many other things that He did in his life and no doubt probably part of that 40-day period that it would take volumes to teach it, and to record it during this period. They determined that others needed to be appointed to oversee this ministry. 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. For if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you. 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. That is what we shall seek to discover in our study. Sunday Before Pentecost - 1517 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. In verses 12-14, Luke tells us what the apostles were doing while they waited. That's what He did. Ben Hadad, the king of Syria, was threatening war against Israel and its King, Ahab. Pentecost is regarded as the birthday of the Christian church. But they were terrified, and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit." 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. As the writer to the Hebrews constantly emphasized, the New Covenant is vastly superior to the Old. Somebody will tap me on the shoulder and tell me what to do next, but you know what? 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.. With a UCG.org account you will be able to save items to read and study later! It wasn't there and so a lot had happened in that 50-day period that brought them to that morning of Pentecost. Others have sought to justify this action on the part of the apostles. The Day of Pentecost Explained The Book of Acts - Pentecost