PENTECOST: THE BIRTH OF THE CHURCH
Acts 2:1-4
Years ago there was a Television show called “How It’s Made”; this program illustrated how certain products from everyday life are manufactured. I always found it fascinating to watch how these items were transitioned from raw materials into finished products. I also enjoy watching biographies of historical figures. I love to learn how these people lived, where they were from and how they rose to power.
Perhaps that is why I am so intrigued by the events that are recorded the book of Acts. This book shows us about the wonderful works of the Holy Spirit. Here in Chapter 2 we are given a detailed description of His arrival and it describes for us the birth of Christ’s Church. Today, I would like to walk through these scriptures and preach on the subject “Pentecost: The Birth Of The Church”.
- In the first four verses of Acts 2 we will see:
1. The Preparations Of God’s People On The Day Of Pentecost
2. The Promise That Was Fulfilled On The Day Of Pentecost
3. The Power That Was Experienced On The Day Of Pentecost
- Let’s begin in verse 1 and consider:
I. THE PREPARATIONS OF GOD’S PEOPLE
ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST
v1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Pentecost was a feast that was held fifty days after Passover. It was also called the “Feast Of Weeks”; and it was one of three major annual feasts. Jesus was crucified at Passover, He was resurrected three days later and for 40 days He spent time instructing His Disciples. Forty days after His resurrection, Jesus ascended to Heaven. Before His departure, He commanded His followers to wait in Jerusalem for the arrival of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 1:4 And being assembled together with them, (Jesus) commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
Jesus did not give His followers a specific timeline; He simply instructed them to wait. They did not know the exact moment that Holy Spirit would descend but they obeyed and waited in Jerusalem just as He said. For several days they were faithfully obeying, fervently praying and anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Holy Spirit of God. Then, ten days after the ascension of Christ, the Holy Spirit came upon them.
Because it was Pentecost, Jews from many nations were in Jerusalem to observe this festival. We will see later in this chapter that Peter’s great sermon was delivered in front of a large international audience. Those people came to Jerusalem to observe a Jewish festival not knowing that their lives would be changed forever. These “devout Jews” would become some of the first converts to Christianity.
Without a doubt, Pentecost was a divine work of God, but we cannot overlook the importance of the preparations that His people had made beforehand. Because he listened and obeyed the command of His Master, Peter was used by God to reach thousands of people on the day of Pentecost. Furthermore, the people that God used him to reach, in turn reached multitudes more. This shows us how our obedience to the Lord can have a positive impact on His Kingdom. As we have seen over the last couple of weeks, you may be someone whom God has chosen to use behind the scenes, but He may use you to reach someone who in turn will reach many others with the Gospel.
On the Day of Pentecost, God’s people were obedient, they were unified and they were assembled. This would be one of the greatest days in the history of the Church. Prophecy would be fulfilled and the Holy Spirit’s power would be revealed. Thousands of people repented and trusted in Christ as Lord and Savior. There were many amazing things that occurred on that day.
We should have the same mindset as those faithful Christians in the early Church. We should be obedient to the Lord, unified in prayer and anticipating Him to move in a mighty way every time we walk in these doors. We should be afraid to miss a single gathering of this assembly because we don’t want to miss out on what God is going to do in this place. It is important for us to realize that the same Holy Spirit that moved at Pentecost moves in our midst today. I fully believe that God desires to do something amazing in this church, He is willing and able but at the same time there are some things that He requires from us. We must be prepared for Him to move. Like the people preparing for Pentecost we must be obedient to Jesus’ command; we must wait patiently, pray fervently and trust that He will move among us.
- The Apostles and other followers of Jesus made the proper preparations and then after ten days, the promise that Jesus had given to them was fulfilled. Notice:
II. THE PROMISE THAT WAS FULFILLED ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST
v2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.
This promise was not a new one, God had promised this day long before Jesus mentioned it to His Disciples. The Prophet Joel had prophesied that God would one day pour out His Spirit. The Holy Spirit was also a subject of John The Baptist’s preaching. He said in Luke 3:16 "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
On the day of Pentecost, the prophecies and the promises concerning the Holy Spirit were fulfilled. When the Holy Spirit descended, the people heard an amazing sound, the saw some amazing sights and they experienced His power. Luke says that the “sound was like a mighty rushing wind”. This sound came from Heaven and it filled the whole house where they were assembled. Verse 3 goes on to say that “there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.”
After giving the Law to Moses, who would in turn declare it to the People of Israel, God confirmed its validity by sending fire from Heaven. At Pentecost, God confirmed the validity of the Holy Spirit’s ministry by sending fire. When this fire came down from Heaven, it symbolized the fact that God’s presence and power is available to all who believe in Him. This fire appeared in the form of “divided tongues, as of fire”. These were not literal flames of fire but supernatural indicators that were “like fire”, that God had sent the Holy Spirit upon each believer. When the Holy Spirit fell on God’s people, the devout Jews who were in Jerusalem to observe the feast came to see what was happening. When they arrived they were perplexed as to why they could understand them speak in their own language.
v4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language.
- Jesus had promised that His followers would experience the power of the Holy Spirit and that is exactly what happened. Let’s consider that thought for a few moments. Look with me to verse 4 as we examine:
III. THE POWER THAT WAS EXPERIENCED ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST
v4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
The power of the Holy Spirit was not reserved for the Apostles only; Luke tells us that “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit”. This means that the Apostles and the other 120 followers of Christ all experienced the power of the Holy Spirit. All believers are indwelt with the Holy Spirit of God. We often refer to this as the “baptism of the Spirit”. This baptism is a one-time act by which God places Believers in to His Church. Though we have been baptized in the Spirit, we are also able to filled with the Spirit. The filling of the Spirit speaks of a Spirit controlled life. This is the life that every believer should enjoy daily. (Ephesians 5:18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit)
When God’s people were filled with the Spirit, they spoke the Word of God boldly and even in other languages. The Disciples were moved by the Spirit of God and began to speak in other languages. The context of this passage indicates that they were given the miraculous power to speak actual foreign languages which they had never studied. They were not speaking gibberish but rather genuine languages that were used in other parts of the world. These languages were those used by the people who were gathered in Jerusalem for the festival of weeks. God used this gift of tongues to bear witness to the truth of the message that the Apostles preached. This gift of tongues also signified that God would call people unto Himself from ALL nations. The gift of tongues was an indicator of a much greater work that God was doing in the lives of His people.
Up until this point, God had been with His people, now He would reside inside of them. These Apostles had spent years walking with Jesus, now as He had promised, He would abide in them. Jesus existed long before His birth in Bethlehem; the Bible tells us that He was present from the beginning.
The same is true for the Holy Spirit, He existed long before Pentecost; He is just as eternal as the Father and the Son. There are several instances before Pentecost where the Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit came upon God’s people. In Psalm 51 David asked God not to remove His Holy Spirit from Him. When the Disciples went out and preached during the earthly ministry of Jesus, they did so in the power of the Holy Spirit. Now, beginning at Pentecost and beyond, the Holy Spirit would abide within them permanently.
We have the same privilege as those who were present on the day of Pentecost. Those Believers were indwelt by the Holy Spirit and they were filled with Him as well. We are indwelt with the Holy Spirit the moment that we are saved; furthermore we are able to live our lives “filled with the Spirit”. For this to happen, we must spend time in God’s Word, we must spend time with Him in prayer and we must live in obedience to His command. Paul said “by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13). Because of this, we are a part of the Church, Christ’s Body.
At Pentecost, God made His presence known in a mighty way. Those who were present heard a violent rushing wind, they saw tongues of fire and they experienced the miraculous gift of tongues. They were able to experience these things and receive the promise of the Holy Spirit because they made the proper preparations. They obeyed fully, they gathered expectantly; they prayed fervently, and they waited patiently. In God’s perfect timing, the Spirt fell and the Church was born.
If we will obey God completely, gather faithfully, pray fervently, and wait patiently we too can experience the power of the Holy Spirit. After Pentecost, God used this group of people to advance His Kingdom. That must be our focus as well! We cannot expect God’s spirit to move among us for any other reason. I believe that He is ready, willing and able to do a great work in and through our assembly, but we must be at a point where His glory and the advancement of His Kingdom is our only goal. I pray that you desire to be a part of such a work.
Some of you are not ready to experience these things because you are not yet a part of Christ’s Church. There is good news for you as well! After the Holy Spirit fell and Peter delivered a message from God, the people in attendance were “cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" The people wanted to know how to properly respond to the Gospel message. Peter told them to "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.” He went on to say “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." This promise applies to you, you have the opportunity to be born again if you will repent and believe in Jesus Christ. Look to Him for salvation and forgiveness of your sins. Then, you can be saved and claim the promise that the Holy Spirit will indwell you just as He did those thousands who were saved at Pentecost. I am in awe of God’s work at Pentecost and I am forever grateful for “The Birth Of The Church”.
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