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The Holy Spirit and the Day of Pentecost
Held 50 days after Passover (Lev.23:15-21), Pentecost was also called the feast of weeks and feast of harvests. It is one of the major annual feast (Deuteronomy 16:16), a festival of Thanksgiving for the harvest crops. Jesus was crucified at the Passover, and he ascended to heaven 40 days after his resurrection. The Holy Spirit came 50 days after his resurrection, 10 days after his ascension. The term “fully come” implies the arriving of a period or point of time. As the believers were assembled in the upper room suddenly God gives signs of sound and sight. Their divine origin and supernatural character is clear. Both of these events were attention getters. The miracles were to communicate and convince the people by signs and wonders that what they were witnessing was of God. It is important at this point for us to understand that only the twelve spoke in tongues (known languages). This is confined by the Holy Scriptures. In chapter one verse 11 the Apostles are referred to as “ye men of Galilee” by the angels, again in verse 7 of this chapter the Apostles are referred to as speaking Galileans, but most important it is these twelve Galileans that Jesus selected to carry the gospel message to the world. What better place and time than on the day of Pentecost, where there would be hundred of thousands of Jews and Proselytes in attendance to hear the gospel message. Remember, they were told to start in Jerusalem.
The Jews and Proselytes from these difference nations were people from the dispersion vss.9-12 (James 1:1; 1 Peter.1:1). The Apostles literally spoke in other languages that the people present fully understood what they were saying (vss.6-7). This was not some form of gibberish that is spoken in some churches today. Paul said that tongues would cease (1.cor.13:8). This speaking was known languages, a miraculous attention getter. These signs were so supernatural; the people accused them of being drunk. Seizing the moment in the midst of the crowd’s bewilderment and confusion, Peter stands up with the eleven to address the crowd. Being filled with the Spirit (vs.4) Peter addresses the crowd with a formal address by addressing his brethren as men of “Judea” and “men of Israel”. Peter’s sermon will explain the events of Pentecost as God’s saving events. Peter addresses the statement of vs.13, in that they were not drunk because it was of the third hour of the day (9am), and that they did not drink at the first morning service.
Peter informed the crowd that what they had witnessed was a demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit prophesied by the prophet Joel in the scriptures (Joel 2:28-32). The disciples of Jesus, inspired by the Holy Spirit, had dreamed dreams and seen visions, and they could not help prophesying. Visions and dreams was God’s means of communication with those whom He called for His service (10:1-3; 10:9-17; 21:9). At the death of Christ, the day had suddenly become night, an earthquake had struck Jerusalem, the veil in the temple had been rent in two, and the graves had given up their dead (Matt.27:51-53). Peter told them that this Jesus, who had demonstrated that God approved Him by miracles and wonders, had been arrested and convicted by the very same people whom He was preaching to, and they caused Him to be crucified by the hands of the wicked gentiles (Roman authority). They killed their own Messiah. But God raised Jesus from the dead, as King David himself had prophesied. What read like a statement by David about himself (psalm.16:8-11) Peter interpreted as David’s description of what would happen to the messiah. Peter told the crowd that David could not have been talking of himself, because David had died and been buried and his tomb was visible to them in Jerusalem. It was He (Jesus) whom God raised up to sit at God’s right hand in glory, and God would not let His soul rest in hell. Peter closed his sermon out by proclaiming that the Person, whom they crucified, was designated by God as their lord and Messiah. Peter’s words had convinced them of the truth of what he had said and also convicted them of their sins. The people response was quick and immediate. They asked the most compelling question in Christendom “what should we do”. They wanted to be told how to amend their lives and become acceptable to God, they wanted to know how they could be saved.
Peter informed them the only way, was for them to repent of what they had done, and to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. They would receive a double gift: their sins would be forgiven, and they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Three thousand were converted on the day of Pentecost as a result of Peter’s sermon. As they took their place as new member of the emerging church, the pattern of organization of the believing community began to gradually to take shape. The kingdom church that Christ spoke of in the gospel account was now a reality. The church was a place of fellowship where members shared a common meal as often as they could and where, as part of the worship, they ate bread and drank wine ceremoniously in remembrance of their Lord’s death. They did not break with the Jewish past, they still worshiped in the temple, but they also met in people's homes that they might gain more insight into the Apostles’ doctrine. As the church unfolds, new converts were added daily.
Questions/Answers: 1. What is a Proselyte?
A Gentile who converted to Judaism.
2. What is another name for the Holy Spirit?
The Comforter (see John.14:16, 26).
3. What does the word church means?
The New Testament was written in Greek. The Greek word is “Ekklesia” which means “a called out assembly of people”. It is sometimes called an assembly or congregation (see acts.1:4; 11:26; 15:25).
Held 50 days after Passover (Lev.23:15-21), Pentecost was also called the feast of weeks and feast of harvests. It is one of the major annual feast (Deuteronomy 16:16), a festival of Thanksgiving for the harvest crops. Jesus was crucified at the Passover, and he ascended to heaven 40 days after his resurrection. The Holy Spirit came 50 days after his resurrection, 10 days after his ascension. The term “fully come” implies the arriving of a period or point of time. As the believers were assembled in the upper room suddenly God gives signs of sound and sight. Their divine origin and supernatural character is clear. Both of these events were attention getters. The miracles were to communicate and convince the people by signs and wonders that what they were witnessing was of God. It is important at this point for us to understand that only the twelve spoke in tongues (known languages). This is confined by the Holy Scriptures. In chapter one verse 11 the Apostles are referred to as “ye men of Galilee” by the angels, again in verse 7 of this chapter the Apostles are referred to as speaking Galileans, but most important it is these twelve Galileans that Jesus selected to carry the gospel message to the world. What better place and time than on the day of Pentecost, where there would be hundred of thousands of Jews and Proselytes in attendance to hear the gospel message. Remember, they were told to start in Jerusalem.
The Jews and Proselytes from these difference nations were people from the dispersion vss.9-12 (James 1:1; 1 Peter.1:1). The Apostles literally spoke in other languages that the people present fully understood what they were saying (vss.6-7). This was not some form of gibberish that is spoken in some churches today. Paul said that tongues would cease (1.cor.13:8). This speaking was known languages, a miraculous attention getter. These signs were so supernatural; the people accused them of being drunk. Seizing the moment in the midst of the crowd’s bewilderment and confusion, Peter stands up with the eleven to address the crowd. Being filled with the Spirit (vs.4) Peter addresses the crowd with a formal address by addressing his brethren as men of “Judea” and “men of Israel”. Peter’s sermon will explain the events of Pentecost as God’s saving events. Peter addresses the statement of vs.13, in that they were not drunk because it was of the third hour of the day (9am), and that they did not drink at the first morning service.
Peter informed the crowd that what they had witnessed was a demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit prophesied by the prophet Joel in the scriptures (Joel 2:28-32). The disciples of Jesus, inspired by the Holy Spirit, had dreamed dreams and seen visions, and they could not help prophesying. Visions and dreams was God’s means of communication with those whom He called for His service (10:1-3; 10:9-17; 21:9). At the death of Christ, the day had suddenly become night, an earthquake had struck Jerusalem, the veil in the temple had been rent in two, and the graves had given up their dead (Matt.27:51-53). Peter told them that this Jesus, who had demonstrated that God approved Him by miracles and wonders, had been arrested and convicted by the very same people whom He was preaching to, and they caused Him to be crucified by the hands of the wicked gentiles (Roman authority). They killed their own Messiah. But God raised Jesus from the dead, as King David himself had prophesied. What read like a statement by David about himself (psalm.16:8-11) Peter interpreted as David’s description of what would happen to the messiah. Peter told the crowd that David could not have been talking of himself, because David had died and been buried and his tomb was visible to them in Jerusalem. It was He (Jesus) whom God raised up to sit at God’s right hand in glory, and God would not let His soul rest in hell. Peter closed his sermon out by proclaiming that the Person, whom they crucified, was designated by God as their lord and Messiah. Peter’s words had convinced them of the truth of what he had said and also convicted them of their sins. The people response was quick and immediate. They asked the most compelling question in Christendom “what should we do”. They wanted to be told how to amend their lives and become acceptable to God, they wanted to know how they could be saved.
Peter informed them the only way, was for them to repent of what they had done, and to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. They would receive a double gift: their sins would be forgiven, and they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Three thousand were converted on the day of Pentecost as a result of Peter’s sermon. As they took their place as new member of the emerging church, the pattern of organization of the believing community began to gradually to take shape. The kingdom church that Christ spoke of in the gospel account was now a reality. The church was a place of fellowship where members shared a common meal as often as they could and where, as part of the worship, they ate bread and drank wine ceremoniously in remembrance of their Lord’s death. They did not break with the Jewish past, they still worshiped in the temple, but they also met in people's homes that they might gain more insight into the Apostles’ doctrine. As the church unfolds, new converts were added daily.
Questions/Answers: 1. What is a Proselyte?
A Gentile who converted to Judaism.
2. What is another name for the Holy Spirit?
The Comforter (see John.14:16, 26).
3. What does the word church means?
The New Testament was written in Greek. The Greek word is “Ekklesia” which means “a called out assembly of people”. It is sometimes called an assembly or congregation (see acts.1:4; 11:26; 15:25).
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