When I think of the word, Pentecost I think of an Island that was discovered on that day in 1768 that is now one of the Islands of Vanuatu that I have flown over and that is the home of the original Bungy jump.
Pentecost as a historical Jewish festival goes by a few different names that have significance to the Hebrew people.
"The name "Feast of Weeks" was given because God commanded the Jews in Leviticus 23:15-16, to count seven full weeks (or 49 days) beginning on the second day of Passover, and then present offerings of new grain to the Lord as a lasting ordinance. The word Pentecost comes from the Greek word meaning "fifty."
Initially, Shavuot another name for Pentecost was a festival for expressing thankfulness to the Lord for the blessing of the harvest. And because it occurred at the conclusion of the Passover, it acquired the name "Latter Firstfruits." The celebration is also tied to the giving of the Ten Commandments and has the name Matin Torah or "giving of the Law." Jews believe that it was precisely at this time that God gave the Torah to the people through Moses on Mount Sinai." https://www.learnreligions.com/feast-of-pentecost-700186
The celebration of Passover involved the Slaying and eating of a lamb, along with herbs and bread made without yeast in every Jewish household. This was done to remember Israel’s deliverance from Egypt.
The Feast of Firstfruits involved, the first of the barley harvest being presented at the temple as a wave offering, called a wave offering because it was waved by the priest, to recognise the Lord’s bounty in the land. A kind of harvest festival.
Pentecost or the Festival of Weeks was celebrated as a festival of joy, as a time of showing joy and thanksgiving for the Lord's abundant harvest and most importantly his giving of the law.
If we look at Jesus' parallel path to these festivals, we see the Passover festival as being Jesus' death as the Lamb of God. His sacrifice for all of mankind.
The festival of Firstfruits as being Jesus' resurrection from the dead, as the first fruits of those of us who will be raised from the dead at the end of the age. It is likely that as Jesus was raised from the dead the priests would have been engaged in the first fruits ceremony for that year. Paul even writes, “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.” (I Corinthians 15:20)
The feast of Pentecost is celebrated as being the formation of the Church by God through the giving by God of the Holy Spirit. This involved igniting people into action for the sake of God’s Kingdom.
How did this occur, The disciples those followers of Jesus, they were gathered in one place.
Also at Pentecost, there was a gathering of Jews from all over the Mediterranean and the Middle East they were also present in Jerusalem, people from what we in modern terms would call Rome, Crete, Turkey, Egypt, Arabia, Libya, Iran, and Syria. The known world at that time was represented.
This was a big day in Christianity.
This was kick-off day for the church.
There were no buildings there were no structures in place, no leaders meetings, programs, no Corps reviews, bills to pay or gardens to keep weeded or PMF accounts, or DHQ structures. The Church was brand spanking new!
There were however the scriptures of the Old Testament and there was the witness of the life of Christ. A life that testified to and evidenced the truth of God‘s presence with the Jewish people.
The Messiah, “God with us”, had come, he had now died, his resurrection had taken place; he had now returned to heaven and was seated at the right hand of the Father.
The things he had said would happen, and as recorded in the gospels the Holy Spirit would now come.
In John 16:5-11 we read and these are the words of Jesus.
5 “Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. 7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10 in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
You see that the Holy Spirit was sent so that Jesus would be glorified in the lives and witness of believers. (SBI)
Jesus had lived and died, a life that testified to and evidenced the truth of God‘s presence with the Jewish people, he rose from the dead, the Holy Spirit came so that all believers in Christ would be one, that the Jewish and the Gentiles, the non-Jewish believers would be one people, a people living in a right relationship with God, through the Holy Spirits counsel, that we may give witness that we had been set free from our burden of sin, that we may no longer be condemned.
This is evidenced in the fruits of the Holy Spirit in our lives and the gifts of the Holy Spirit being in the Church. The Holy Spirit was sent so that Jesus would be glorified in the lives and witness of believers. (SBI) It is also important that we recognise that The Holy Spirit is the deposit of eternal life the guarantee of all that is to come. I refer to Ephesian 1:14 and 2 Corinthians 1:22.
The Holy Spirit is the evidence of God’s power from heaven working in the church and in the individual lives of believers. Change occurs when we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Scary stuff eh? Or exciting stuff? We can ask the question of ourselves do I to be impacted by the creator of the universe, to bring others to the knowledge of him and his gift of life eternal, set free from sin and condemnation?
The early church were a people who were ignited by the Spirit of God, an example of this is that in one day, this day of Pentecost three thousand were added to their number they started the day with one hundred and twenty. That’s not just being ignited that’s a full-on scrub fire.
Think of it this way on an average Sunday we may have about 60 people at a service, imagine if by the end of the day - given that they started at 9.00 am and we start at 11 we had another 1000 new believers at each of our Corps.
A couple of questions to address and challenge our thinking:
(1) In our lives today are we open to God igniting us and impacting us in such a mighty way so that he is seen so that Jesus is glorified through the witness of our lives?
Why is it that sometimes we hesitate to allow God to work through us?
The impact of the Holy Spirit on the early Church was massive it was beyond anything ever experienced at that time, remember they had no television; they had no radio, no science fiction. The Spirit of God was totally awesome and they would have been awestruck by his presence.
Suddenly what Jesus had promised happened, the Holy Spirit came like the sound of a violent wind from heaven that filled the whole house, tongues of fire separated and came to rest on all of them, they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. These tongues were understood by those who were there with them, these were their own languages being spoken, and they were only strange to those speaking them. Those God-fearing Jewish people from all over the known world heard Jesus followers declaring the wonders of God in their own languages.
You see the Holy Spirit was sent so that Jesus would be glorified in the lives and witness of believers. (SBI)
Just imagine the impact on those God-fearing people on hearing the words of the disciples; in their own language, declaring God’s praises. When they went home back to their own nations the importance of the news they must have taken with them. There must have been some interesting conversations down at the local synagogue in Rome, or Corinth or Athens. You can just imagine “guess what happened while we were at the Passover Festival in Jerusalem?” “You don’t say” or “yeah right, pull the other leg it’s got bells on.”
The witness of these travelers to Jerusalem must have had quite an impact.
(2) Today the good news of Jesus Christ is available to people through our witness as Spirit-filled believers.
Is it surprising that we in our humanness are fearful of what God might do in our lives if we are open to his impacting us? You see the Holy Spirit challenges our comfort zones, stretches our imaginations, impacts us for acts of faith, and redirects us for the sake of the Kingdom of God, the Spirit of God let loose in our lives changes us for good and our impact is them felt far and wide in and beyond our communities. Why because living a life filled with the Holy Spirit is counter-cultural.
If we look at the second chapter of Acts this is probably for many the greatest example of God impacting the church. God still impacts the church in a mighty way when people are open to him.
People are called by God through his Holy Spirit to a great many ministries.
This witnesses’ to others who are either believers or not: this may be God’s calling individuals to:
• full or part-time service, even an admin position
• A ministry of prayer, maybe even in strange tongues
• A use of spiritual gifting for healing, prophesy, revelation, discernment, of course in an orderly way within the church
• Gifts of Helps, service, and hospitality for and to others. During this time we have an opportunity to reach out in service to our communities more than ever before while there is a need to give food to the hungry and comfort to the lonely. This will continue for some time as the economy and society recover from the damage done by this virus and Tropical Cyclone Harold here in Fiji.
• Asking your neighbor or school friend over for a cup of tea or fellowship once the restrictions are lifted and telling them what you get up too on a Sunday morning
• Responding to those in need when you see a need.
God testified and is able still to testify by signs and wonders, various miracles, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit that are distributed according to his will. (Hebrews 2: 3-4)
The Holy Spirit was sent so that Jesus would be glorified in the life and witness of believers (SBI) not just as a one-off concept; or one-off encounter with mankind, the Holy Spirit still comes into lives and effects change, we see this change in the fruits that he brings forth in peoples lives.
(3) What are the fruits of the Holy Spirit? The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. As we engage with God, as his Spirit and his word impact us these fruits become more and more a part of who we are.
I enjoy hearing when someone has a life-changing encounter with God and they give their life over to Jesus, comments like “they are a new person”, “they came home a changed person” or “mate you wouldn’t think he was the same man” or “there is something going on with her and I’m not sure what it is.”
The Holy Spirit is impacting and making a change in lives.
This is Kingdom building, life-changing and world-impacting, the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost to those early believers and companions of Jesus, what’s more, he comes today into the lives of all that would believe in Jesus Christ and confess him as Lord.
Sometimes with a roar of wind and at other times more gently; though always life-impacting and changing, The Holy Spirit was sent so that Jesus would be glorified in the life and witness of believers (SBI).
In fact, we are told in scripture to be “filled with the Spirit” (Eph 18) to witness effectively. Peter at times it is recorded in Acts was filled with the Holy Spirit at different times as he gave testimony to Christ’s work in his life. Saul was filled with the Holy Spirit when he received his sight back when Ananias laid hands on him. He was again filled with the Holy Spirit when he told off a Jewish sorcerer on Cyprus.
Initial Baptism in the Holy Spirit occurs once in a believer’s journey with Christ, the ongoing filling of the Holy Spirit occurs so that Jesus can be continually glorified the Holy Spirit was sent so that Jesus would be glorified in the lives and witness of believers (SBI).
To sum this all up and somebody summed it up well for me once; none of us are perfect vessels, so we need to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit.
This day, this Pentecost Sunday let us ask God to fill us to overflowing with his Spirit so that we can be the best witnesses we can be and that our impact on Fiji is one that battles the powers and principalities of darkness in the heavenly realms and brings many more into a life of citizens of God’s Kingdom.
Link to the service that the sermon was preached online. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ji4cKwldRU&t=877s
