4 While he was with them, he declared, Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait there for what my Father promised, which you heard about from me. Thus, whether it was the selection of leaders or making important doctrinal distinctions, the Holy Spirit played a key role from Pentecost on. The same Jesus who's been taken up will come in a like manner as you saw Him go into heaven." 24 Then they prayed, Lord, you know the hearts of all. It is the Spirit of God working through weak and even foolish (in the eyes of the world) men that reveals the power of God, and brings glory to Him, not us: 26 Think about the circumstances of your call, brothers and sisters. Put another way, the same Holy Spirit who empowered Jesus as He gave the Great Commission is the One who will empower the apostles (and the church) to carry out this command. 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 . Why does Luke spend as much time (12 verses) describing this one event as he does depicting the 40 days of our Lords appearances on the earth (11 verses)? No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who were redeemed from the earth. And I sat, and I sat, and I thought somebody will come along and tell me what to do. 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 it just caused them to proverbially tear their clothes and rush at them and ultimately to the point of Stephen and they stoned him. People should see God in the firstfruits. The apostles then found themselves speaking in foreign languages, inspired by the Holy Spirit. But isnt Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit really a matter of authority, a legitimate matter of authority? What is Pentecost? Why Does It Matter? - Mark D. Roberts 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. Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i More, concerning righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, For it seemed best to the Holy Spirit and to us, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 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). 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. After Pentecost: Every believer has received the Holy Spirit. The "before" and "after" theme is found frequently in the media. 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. And then it came to an end, it came to a close. One of the popular themes in contemporary advertising is that of before and after. There are the weight loss programs, which exhibit the most unflattering photo they can find to present as before their program was attempted. 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. 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. "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 ). The Feast of the Ascension ranks with Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost in the universality of its observance among Christians. In Eastern branches of Christianity, the Day of Pentecost is one of the Great Feasts. What Happened at Pentecost, and Why Does It Matter? - Truth For Life This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. From Psalm 69, they recognized that Judas betrayal was part of the divine plan. The Day of Pentecost Explained The Book of Acts - Pentecost But all of this in the midst of a troubled, terrified, frightened mindset that they were having to work through, during these days between the resurrection and Pentecost. We are told in verse 2 that Jesus gave orders by the Holy Spirit. Pentecost was the occasion which God chose to bestow this power on His apostles. From this, we can infer that Jesus unbelieving brothers (John 7:5) had come to believe in Jesus, no doubt largely due to His resurrection. Before the church could begin Jesus had to die, rise again, and then ascend into heaven. 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. . Having said this, our Lord ascended into heaven. 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. It's an informed sermon. And therein, lies a key to the understanding of what had taken place with these individuals here. So the Word of God is what Jesus took and explained, it is what the Church went to, to explain what was happening, and then, it is the Spirit of God. "And He said to them, 'Thus it is written, thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer, to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and the remissions of sins would be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem, and you are witnesses of these things. What is so important about the selection of Matthias that deserves this kind of editorial space? And it is also the mission of the Church, we see right here, it has begun. 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. Trials hit us that will shake our faith, test our faith. 3. Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13) | Bible.org 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. In Acts 13 while those at the church in Antioch were fasting, the Holy Spirit indicated that Barnabas and Saul should be set apart and sent out as missionaries. First, there was an unmistakable "sound like a mighty rushing wind" that "filled the entire house" where the believers had gathered. I have my own Star Trekkian-type of way to imagine how Jesus ascended. It was a mighty, powerful machine, the most powerful that the world in that day had ever seen. 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. This is implied in Acts 1:3, but it is clear in particular instances, such as when Jesus appeared to the disciples who went fishing with Peter in John 21. If you keep yourselves from doing these things, you will do well. Not completely unraveled, but the doubt and the disbelief has an impact. Ministers in church often wear robes with red in the design as a symbol of the flames in which the Holy Spirit came to earth. 9 For if there was glory in the ministry that produced condemnation, how much more does the ministry that produces righteousness excel in glory! And then they had seen that He was resurrected. Well, the real answer is for you and I, the same things that are going through your mind right now, and my mind. 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. The. Makeover programs turn proverbial ugly ducklings into swans. Acts 2 states early Christians were "filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them . And not for the reality that the 1st century world would have known and experienced, that other dimension. Luke chapter 24. Did they doubt themselves? When is Whitsun 2023? Why Pentecost is celebrated in the UK Think about that among our own relationships with each other. Did they doubt what they were seeing? Finally, verses 15-26 are the account of the selection of Matthias as the twelfth apostle, a replacement for Judas. But they were frightened and they thought that they had seen a spirit. Barnabas and Saul arrived at the island of Cyprus and had traveled as far as Paphos. 11 Now look, the hand of the Lord is against you, and you will be blind, unable to see the sun for a time! Immediately mistiness and darkness came over him, and he went around seeking people to lead him by the hand. And I didn't know how to make a connection. Our Lord gave His apostles the Great Commission, appointing them as witnesses of His resurrection, and as His ambassadors, to proclaim the gospel to all the world. About 10 days earlier, Christ had finally ascended for the final time and they were left alone. The apostles did as the angels implied; they returned to Jerusalem to wait. The Bible teaches the following concerning how the Holy Spirit was involved with the formation and the functioning of the church. 12 Then when the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, because he was greatly astounded at the teaching about the Lord. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. This unique feast occurred 7 weeks after Passover (49 days), culminating with the actual feast on day 50 (hence, the New Testament term "Pentecost"). The search for Judas replacement was prompted, at least in part, by the consideration of some Old Testament Scriptures (Psalm 69:25; 109:8). And I was going to go out to California, my first trip to California, visit my brother for about three weeks. 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. Now all of a sudden, as Peter steps forward, and of course, you know the story of Peter. So there was still this not fully developed confidence and faith in what had happened, and so He goes even further and asks for some food. Apostle Peter Biography: Timeline, Life, and Death 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. Far more people than they could have ever imagined and Peter gets up and gives the sermon of his life. There were several festivals, celebrations, or observances that took place before Pentecost. Pentecost and the Apostles - BBC Teach - BBC School Radio And you can begin to imagine how this dynamic begins to must have been being set up within the disciples, because when you begin to doubt one another, you begin to lose trust. I've got to find out where that next bus leaves, and what time." And we can have the power to believe that, and to grow together and develop together as a bride of Christ, and accomplish His work and His purpose and His will. In days gone by, I have sided with those who found the selection of Matthias as an example of fleshly action hastily taken. 13 When they had entered Jerusalem, they went to the upstairs room where they were staying. We're no different than them. (I wonder if they were waiting for that cloud to move out of their line of sight. Go, therefore, make disciples of nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded, and lo, I am with you, always, even to the end of the age.'" In Ephesians 2, Paul contrasts the Gentiles in their unbelief with the Gentiles as saints, now a part of the church. 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. Jesus Christ was born to be a King, and He will return as the King of Kings in the Kingdom of God. I don't think it was an intergalactic tour that He was on to get to the third heaven. But she said, "Go ahead Ruth, you go home too," and Ruth says, "Your God will be my God, wherever you go, I will go." Before long (Acts 5:3-4), the Holy Spirit will be identified as God. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. Some say that they wound up in the temple precincts; could very well be. Why, then, does Luke include these verses? So there is going to be a gap. Acts 2:17-18 KJV [17 . 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. And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.". Our Lord saw to it that these witnesses had more than enough evidence of His resurrection, and added to this was the witness of the Spirit to the resurrection: 7 But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I am going away. So that when they came to that morning of Pentecost and this mighty event takes place, they were ready then to move into the experience provided, and that extra dimension of power that the Spirit of God would give them and did give to them, and Peter takes the lead to give the sermon of his life. 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. The Holy Spirit is the third part of the Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - which is. Our text has much to teach us, which is why Luke designed this chapter as his introduction to the Book of Acts. This same Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come back in the same way you saw him go into heaven (Acts 1:9-11). Pentecost is the festival when Christians celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit. It's an encouraging sermon, it's very pointed and direct, that includes a dramatic call to repentance. He understood that, and again, He is just laying it out that they were troubled and there was doubt. 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. Life, that a doubt every once in a while creeps in, sometimes an unbelief, fear, bonds of trust might be tested. There they encountered the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. Farewell (Acts 15:28-29, emphasis mine). Because they were seeing Christ risen and they saw Him in a bodily form, but then they were attributing something different to that. As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped corruption that is in the world through lust." But that was a life lesson that I had to learn. What Really Happened at Pentecost? - Christianity.com So He begins to teach them from the Scriptures that they might understand, and that they might comprehend what He was and how He had fulfilled everything that they would have understood to one degree, and then even more they had begun to develop a fuller understanding of the prophecies of Isaiah, or Joel, or Jeremiah, or Ezekiel, the statements about the Messiah. 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. 27 But God chose what the world thinks foolish to shame the wise, and God chose what the world thinks weak to shame the strong. What I would like to underscore is the role of the Holy Spirit in our Lords giving of the Great Commission. 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). 4 Now we have such confidence in God through Christ. The Greek word means "fifty" and refers to the fifty days that have elapsed since the wave offering of Passover. Ascension and Pentecost - The liturgical year - BBC Bitesize We will handle them by the Word of God and the Spirit of God. It goes on, verse 12, "After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country." It appears to me that this upper room may well be a place well known to the apostles, perhaps a room owned by someone close to Jesus. 5In this regard, it is similar to the words of the two angels to the women at the tomb, as seen in Luke 24:4-7. And so two things create this vision and this mission. And so Luke's account brings this together. 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 understood their problem, in verse 38, "He said to them, 'Why are you troubled and why do doubts arise in your hearts?'" And one set upon each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance." But on that morning as they gathered, made their preparations, put on their clothes, walked to the location where they all were gathered, and they were about 120 disciples as chapter 1 of Acts tells us, they no doubt had a lot on their mind. These were redeemed from among men being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. That He had to rebuke them and teach them. Let me explain why I have reached this conclusion. The coming of the Spirit is described as: (1) the promise of the Father (verse 4); (2) that which the apostles heard from Jesus (verse 4); and, (3) that which John the Baptist foretold (verse 5). I began this lesson by suggesting that it is an example of a before and after presentation. They'd likely not seen it. He was seen by them over a forty-day period and spoke about matters concerning the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3). They had been told to be there, to wait in Jerusalem until that day. In addition, anyone who wants to share the Bible with others can print unlimited copies and give them away free to others. Let us seek to answer this question by observing what happened. He was seen by them over a forty-day period and spoke about matters concerning the kingdom of God. That's been the hallmark of our feature. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. What was on their mind? As I was sitting there gazing around, nobody came. Fourth, the Holy Spirit is portrayed as the Author of the Old Testament Scriptures.He is the One who inspired the words of David in the psalms: 16 Brothers, the scripture had to be fulfilled that the Holy Spirit foretold through David concerning Judaswho became the guide for those who arrested Jesus (Acts 1:16). But on that 50th day, from the morning after Christ's resurrection, a lot had happened. Transcript Darris McNeely Beyond Today Presenter 2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. And those days you didn't fear getting on a Greyhound bus, and you could go all over the country on a very cheap pass. When I was 15 years old, I got on a bus from my little hometown of Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Christians celebrate Pentecost 50 days after Easter Sunday to commemorate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Christ's disciples.. It is the day, 40 days after the Resurrection, when Jesus returns to his Father. He enjoys hunting, travel and reading and spending time with his grandchildren. 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. The church, the body of Christ, began on the Day of Pentecost by the work of the Holy Spirit. 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. 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? If you go back to Matthew chapter 28, chapter 28 and verse 16, let's just read a few of the accounts of that period following the resurrection, that the Gospel accounts tell us and there's more there. 19 This became known to all who lived in Jerusalem, so that in their own language they called that field Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his house become deserted, and let there be no one to live in it, and Let another take his position of responsibility. 21 Thus one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time the Lord Jesus associated with us, 22 beginning from his baptism by John until the day he was taken up from usone of these must become a witness of his resurrection together with us. 23 So they proposed two candidates: Joseph called Barsabbas (also called Justus) and Matthias. 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. Bible Chronology - The Day of Pentecost 19952023 All correspondence and questions should be sent to info@ucg.org. Pentecost is celebrated 50 days after Easter and is when Christians remember the gift of the Holy Spirit. Christ did not leave His disciples as orphans. As the first volume ends with the Great Commission, the second volume begins with it (verse 8). Lukes Great Commission (unlike those in the Gospel of Matthew, Mark, and John) was given just prior to His ascension. 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. Thank you Mr. McNeely , for making Christ more real. They need to see within us, Jesus Christ. ), and the Holy Spirit (1:2, 5, 8, 16). 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. "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. Jesus persuades them to leave what they are doing to travel with him and help to share . A further matter of interest is that during this 40-day period, our Lord spoke with the apostles concerning the things pertaining to the kingdom of God (1:3). 7 Days after the Ascension of Jesus. And they chose Matthias by casting lots. The elixir, the antidote to our faith, to every one of our problems, if we could see a miracle; and we like signs, but miracles, well, they're a little harder to come up with. And when they saw Him they worshiped him. It was a gentle rebuke, if a rebuke at all. These were not terrified, doubtful people. It is available on the Internet at:www.netbible.org. Shavuot, also called Pentecost, in full ag Shavuot, ("Festival of the Weeks"), second of the three Pilgrim Festivals of the Jewish religious calendar. This truth is buttressed by John 14-16, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, and 2 Peter 1:20-21. Luke begins by informing his readers that the Book of Acts is the second volume of his account of the life and ministry of Jesus. It isnt about us, my friend; it is about God. 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. And God will expose sin, ours to ourselves, sometimes to others. The apostles were all Galileans (see Acts 1:11; 2:7; see also Matthew 26:73), so they could not stay in their own homes. Because Ruth saw in Naomi, God, an example that she wanted to be a part of. We give ourselves to that devotion, to that devoted study and the process of taking on the nature of God. 12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called the Mount of Olives (which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath days journey away). And what was the key to that? The ministry has had those two themes for the past two conferences. This makes sense, given both their impulsiveness and their lack of faith. What Is Pentecost in the Bible & Why Is It Important? - Word by Word Related Topics: Bibliology (The Written Word), Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. So, let's continue our Book of Acts Bible Study. Ben Hadad, the king of Syria, was threatening war against Israel and its King, Ahab. 13 ThenPaul and his companionsput out to sea from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia, but John left them and returned to Jerusalem (Acts 13:9-13, emphasis mine). Apparently, two angelic figures appeared to them as the disciples were kind of watching Christ go. Let's go into Luke's account. And so they didn't really think about that, and yet all of a sudden it came upon them. It goes on, "Jesus came and He spoke to them saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Simply because there were 10 days of waiting, watching, and praying before Something Big happened to the church. Peter and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James were there. That's an important trait for a firstfruit, for a firstfruit to have in their life, and in their approach to life. What is the day of Pentecost? | GotQuestions.org 5 Now this secret was not disclosed to people in former generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, 6 namely, that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:4-6, emphasis mine). 3 To the same apostles also, after his suffering, he presented himself alive with many convincing proofs. Acts 1, consistent with the rest of the Book of Acts, reminds us that it is not about us; it is about God. They came together, in verse 1 of chapter 2, "On the day of Pentecost when it was fully come, they were with one accord in one place. As I read the early verses of chapter one, I am also impressed with the realization that Luke provides us with some powerful evidences of the resurrection of our Lord from the dead: To the same apostles also, after his suffering, he presented himself alive with many convincing proofs. Not many were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were born to a privileged position. Third, Luke makes it emphatically clear that the power to carry out the Great Commission is the power that the Holy Spirit will bestow (1:4-5, 8). They call attention to references tothe twelveafter this (Acts 6:2; 1 Corinthians 15:5). Jesus waited 40 days from the time of His resurrection till the day of His ascension into heaven. I like that phrase. "Behold, He said, My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself.