Pentecost 2025: Pentecost, Facts, Forthright Delivery And Your Future. Series

Pentecost, facts, forthright delivery and your future.

Reading: Acts 2:1-22

I will part way through, about half way through this message bring a narrative message from one of those present on the day of Pentecost. I will put on a hat at that time.

The feast of Pentecost is described in Acts, well the one that happened 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection, remembering that Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection occurred at Passover. Pentecost was a regular event for the Jewish people with Men travelling to Jerusalem to celebrate the day, in and around the temple, from all over the world, remember that Israel is between the continents of Europe, Africa and Asia. The name Pentecost itself comes from the Greek word Pentekostos, meaning 50 days. In the book of Leviticus, we hear how the Feast of Weeks or Shavuot as it was called back in the day is to be celebrated. The feast occurred post-harvest and was a time when offerings and sacrifices for sin were made to The Lord. The feast had continued from the time of Moses until that time. It continues in Jewish communities and families today.

Shavuot is a two-day Jewish holiday (this year June 1-3) that commemorates the date when God gave the Torah to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai. (What Is Shavuot? - Chabad.org)

So back to the day, today itself, it is also called Whit-Sunday or White Sunday, in keeping with the theme of ‘baptism in the Holy Spirit’ it is traditionally a day in which new members of some churches are baptised. No, we don’t 😊

The gift of speaking in tongues was given to the disciples who were gathered together in one place, Luke tells us that: “Suddenly a sound like to blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as The Spirit enabled them.” Why did this occur, Luke tells us that there were God fearing Jews from every nation under heaven present. Sceptics might see this as a Biblical error, of course there were no people from some parts of the Earth, North and South America and Oceania would not have been represented. But Jews from every nation they were present in at the time, were in Jerusalem. After the Holy Spirit had impacted the disciples, people came to see what was happening and heard the disciples declaring the wonders of God in their own languages. I’d like to point out here that after my journey as a child through Sunday School and all those days listening to Sunday School teachers I had as a child not heard this, well maybe I had but could not remember it. When I started seeking after the things of God, the book of Acts pointed me to the power of God as he intervened in humanity. I was able to see that God intervened by the ministry of the disciples and power of The Holy Spirit. Having grown up in a church that shied away from the active involvement of The Holy Spirit, I came to realise His intervention in the early Church and His continuing intervention in the lives of believers both then in the early Church, as a 15-16 year old as I was then, and today in the lives of believers as they humble themselves and call out to God for his leading. Jesus had said prior to his ascension that he was sending The Holy Spirit and for those who were with him prior to his heading off the Heaven to wait in Jerusalem until He came. His words were, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with[a] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:4b-5)

The coming of The Holy Spirit fulfilled two Bible promises at that time the first is spoken of by Paul at 9.00am that day. He quotes the prophet Joel’s writing from 201-301 BC when he says:

“And afterward,

I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

your old men will dream dreams,

your young men will see visions.” (Joel 2:28-32) And more.

From Luke’s gospel, this is Jesus speaking like he did in Luke’s recounting of the Acts of the Apostles:

“And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.” (Luke 24:49 NLT)

Here’s a change of tack: The time of day the Holy Spirit came, I want to bring up something significant about the time here, the timing being a good reason that Paul was able to say that the disciples were not drunk, to early to have been drinking. ”Nine o’clock in the Morning’ is also a book by Episcopalian priest Dennis Bennett every Christian should read if they want to know more about living in the presence of God and witnessing His power through The Holy Spirit in their lives.