PENTECOST
Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like a violent wind blowing came from heaven and filled the entire house where they were sitting. And tongues spreading out like a fire appeared to them and came to rest on each one of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:1-4 (New English Translation)
PENTECOST EXPLAINED
“Pentecost” designates the 50th day after Passover and has been observed by the Jews for more than 3000 years; a Feast Day usually called “Feast of Weeks” or “Feast of Harvest”. Many Jews regard Pentecost as the day Moses received the Law on Mt. Sinai which they calculated as having been the 50th day after the Exodus.
To Christians, Pentecost refers to the down-pouring of the Holy Spirit upon the early church in Jerusalem as recorded in Acts, chapter two. Pentecost was an experience. It is not a denomination; it is not Pentecostalism; it is not the holiness movement; it is not a doctrinal system of beliefs. It is an experience every child of God can receive according to Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost. "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." (Acts 2:39 NKJV).
To better understand this marvelous out-pouring from God of His Holy Spirit we need to keep in mind the three office-works of the Holy Spirit. The first office-work of the Holy Spirit is that of Convictor. Jesus told His disciples in John 16:7-11, "Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.” In accomplishing this work, the Holy Spirit comes unto the individual.
The second office-work of the Holy Spirit is that of Indweller. In this capacity, He performs several functions. One is that He confirms our relationship to the Father. Galatians 4:6 says, "And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!"
Another function is the sealing of the believer. Ephesians 2:13-14 says, “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” To accomplish these works, the Holy Spirit comes into the believer.
It is the third office-work of the Holy Spirit that Pentecost is all about. We shall see that the glorious power that was manifested on Pentecost came as a result of the Holy Spirit coming upon the early church. But let us approach Pentecost as it scripturally progresses from prophecy to promise to experience.
PENTECOST PROPHESIED
"And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.” (Joel 2:28-29)
In his sermon on the day of Pentecost, as recorded in Acts 2:14-36, Peter declared that the events of that day were a fulfillment of the prophecy that was uttered Joel more than 800 years earlier.
PENTECOST PROMISED
"Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high." Luke 24:49.
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:8
Our Lord was not referring to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of His disciples. That presence of the Holy Spirit was given in the evening hours of the first Easter. The account of this is found in John 20:19-23.
Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you." When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."
PENTECOST EXPERIENCED
1. Where it happened: “…Jerusalem, in an upper room” (Acts 1:13)
2. Those involved: “about a hundred and twenty” (Acts 1:15)
3. Their demeanor: “all with one accord in one place.” (Acts 2:1)
4. What occurred: “a rushing mighty wind filled the whole house” (v. 2)
It should be no surprise that wind symbolizes the Holy Spirit. Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ’You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." (John 3:5-8).
5. What they saw: “And there appeared to them tongues spreading out like a fire, and one sat upon each of them” (v.3).
Again, we should not be surprised that “fire” is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. To confirm this we need only read the utterance of John the Baptist recorded in Mathew 3:11. "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
6. Their participation: “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them..” (v. 4)
The Scripture makes it quite clear that these were not “unknown” tongues (languages). The one hundred and twenty disciples spoke in languages that were unknown to them but known to those who came to hear. Consider the Bible account:
7. Those who heard and what they heard: And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and was confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, "Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs--we hear them speaking in our own tongues (languages) the wonderful works of God." So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "Whatever could this mean?" Others mocking said, "They are full of new wine." Acts 2:5-13
8. Peter preached to the assembled multitude: Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." (Acts 2:38-39)
9. The glorious result of Pentecost: “about three thousand souls were added to them.” (Acts 2:41)
10. The blessings continued: And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. (Acts 2:42)
CONCLUSION
The power of a personal Pentecost is available throughout the Church Age according to Acts 2:39. Our Lord Jesus tells us that this power comes through prayer. "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" Luke 11:9-13.
When we were unbelievers, we did not ask the Holy Spirit to come unto us to convict us of sin. That was a sovereign act of God. When we were born again, we did not ask the Holy Spirit to come into us to seal us until the day of redemption. That too, was a sovereign act of God. But Jesus said, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"
For us to experience this anointing or baptism of the Holy Spirit we must ask the Father for it. In this verse, the Greek word áἰôέù is present active meaning to “ask and continue asking”. Ask for what? Ask for the anointing or baptism of the Holy Spirit until the fullness comes. This anointing or baptism of the Holy Spirit is not an emotional toy to make us “feel good” but it is an endowment for service. On the Day of Pentecost there were 120 disciples who were baptized with the Holy Spirit and proclaimed the gospel in a tongue (language) unknown to themselves but known and comprehended by the multitude that represented every nation on earth (Acts 2:5).
Therefore beloved, let us ask and keep on asking until the fullness comes!
AMEN.
