They gave him a piece of broiled fish and honey comb, He takes it and he sits down and eats in their presence. Farewell (Acts 15:28-29, emphasis mine). The apostles were celebrating this festival when the Holy Spirit descended on them. Let us consider what some of these lessons might be. ), Two angels suddenly appear near them. "He appeared first to Mary Magdalene out of whom He had cast seven demons. What did they do during that 10 days? Every generation of God's people have done that. We will handle them by the Word of God and the Spirit of God. We get on to verse 40, the wrap-up: "With many other words, he testified and exhorted them saying, Be saved from this perverse generation, that those who were, who gladly received his word were baptized; about 3,000 souls were added to them. Let me explain why I have reached this conclusion. That is how the mission of the Church is done and that is how then that vision of a community, of a Church, of a people who are rooted in the Word of God, who actually do care for one another, is accomplished; by no other means, by no other means. Because Ruth saw in Naomi, God, an example that she wanted to be a part of. This truth is buttressed by John 14-16, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, and 2 Peter 1:20-21. Not only the wording of verse 13, but also what we know of these 40 days, suggests that this is where the apostles had been staying since our Lords death. Other scholars have tackled this problem and have proposed solutions. Jesus promised authority within the boundaries of what God purposed, because the coming of the Spirit was the promise of the Father (verse 4). Like others, I have pointed to Paul as the most likely candidate for Judas replacement. Send inquiries regarding the operation of this Web site to webmaster@ucg.org. That's a little-understood part of what was taking place. And this express bus took Route 66 out of St. Louis all the way to Los Angeles, my first time to get on that fabled highway, Route 66. While it is not plainly stated, it would seem that from a human point of view the events at Pentecost were partially a response to the prayers of these saints. Mark chapter 16, verse 9, now, "When He rose early on the first day of the week," speaking of Christ's resurrection. I would suspect that it may have been during that 40-day interval between our Lords resurrection and His ascension. Peter was quoting Scripture and applying it to something that had happened and that is Jesus, His death and His resurrection. Unmistakable. In verses 12-14, Luke tells us what the apostles were doing while they waited. This unique feast occurred 7 weeks after Passover (49 days), culminating with the actual feast on day 50 (hence, the New Testament term "Pentecost"). 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. It sounded like a very strong wind, and it looked like tongues of fire. The inference is, Dont just stand here; get going!5. I believe that among the many things we see in these early verses, we find that the Holy Spirits ministry in Acts a dominant theme in this book is linked to His ministry through the person of our Lord. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matthew 28:18-20, emphasis mine). We can be certain that He will provide us with everything we need to carry out His command. That is what caused people to see something in those disciples and to want to be a part of it. By inference, this second volume is the account of all that Jesus continued to do and to teach, through His apostles. Even though they had seen miracles, again, another indication to us always to remember that miracles are important, miracles can be faith-builders, but miracles by themselves will not do it all. 4 Now we have such confidence in God through Christ. Having said this, our Lord ascended into heaven. Let us eagerly look forward to the changes Pentecost will bring for the better.. 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. Indeed, Acts 2:1 literally reads, "As the Day of Pentecost was being fulfilled." What was fulfilled was the prophecy given by both Jesus and John the Baptist concerning the coming of the Holy Spirit. We are told in verse 2 that Jesus gave orders by the Holy Spirit. Acts is the record of how our Lord is fulfilling the Great Commission by using weak and fallible men. 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. Our sins will find us out. That's what this day is all about as a firstfruit. Pentecost is the festival when Christians celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit. We are further told that the Great Commission was an order given to the apostles who Jesus Himself had chosen. And then it came to an end, it came to a close. 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. How do we handle them? Based upon Pauls words in Ephesians 3, I am inclined to assume what a portion of this conversation may have been: 4 When reading this, you will be able to understand my insight into this secret of Christ. Jesus had already gone back to Heaven so the disciples and new believers of Jesus were waiting to receive the Holy Spirit because that's what Jesus told them would happen. If we can make that decision and live with that reality that there is a God who lives, and before Him we stand every single day of our life and every major decision, every small decision of character, and the decisions that we make in the privacy of our own mind, and in our own actions that not everyone knows about, not even our mate, all are in accordance with righteousness and a desire for righteousness. I kind of think that He kind of, you know, elevated, and rose, and they saw Him, and they saw Him and the clouds, and the clouds, and then all of a sudden just like that, [snaps fingers] He was gone, kind of like in a "Star Trek" just a flash of light. But it was a very intense period of time of Jesus appearing to them both in Galilee and Jerusalem, teaching them from the Scriptures, appearing to them in larger groups, perhaps even, more smaller groups, and in some of the ways they're talking like He did to Peter, on the Sea of Galilee, having meals with them. Pentecost was the celebration of the beginning of the early wheat harvest, which meant that Pentecost always fell sometime during the middle of the month of May or sometimes in early June. 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. As the writer to the Hebrews constantly emphasized, the New Covenant is vastly superior to the Old. Four fishermen - Peter, Andrew, James and John - are landing their catch when they are approached by Jesus. Thus, whether it was the selection of leaders or making important doctrinal distinctions, the Holy Spirit played a key role from Pentecost on. She went and told those who had been with Him as they mourned and wept." Somewhere along the line, the apostles were enlightened by our Lord concerning the mystery of the church. 2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Up until this point, Paul (known as Saul until now) was clearly Barnabas assistant. 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. And so I made a certain few inquiries, I got on the bus, didn't miss it. 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. What we are seeing here is again, the power of the Word of God. ), and the Holy Spirit (1:2, 5, 8, 16). After Pentecost, the selection of leadership (as well as the seeking of divine guidance) is heavily dependent upon the presence and power of the Holy Spirit: But carefully select from among you, brothers, seven men who are well-attested,full of the Spiritand of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this necessary task (Acts 6:3, emphasis mine). It would further seem that this is the room where the apostles had been staying the previous 40 days. I don't think it was an intergalactic tour that He was on to get to the third heaven. 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. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matthew 28:18-20, emphasis mine). It was completed by more than twenty biblical scholars who worked directly from the best currently available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. Let us seek to answer this question by observing what happened. He also is a residentfaculty member at the Ambassador Bible Center teaching Acts, Fundamentals of Belief and World News and Prophecy. 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. As we came here this morning, to services, and as we gathered here this morning ourselves, there is a very important lesson for us to learn as well. And He opened their understanding that they might comprehend the Scriptures.". It isnt about us, my friend; it is about God. And more specifically for this group that they would be witnesses of Jesus in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth being fulfilled. Somebody will tap me on the shoulder and tell me what to do next, but you know what? I think it was because Jesus had revealed the mystery of the church to them. Not many were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were born to a privileged position. I believe that this upper room became headquarters for them during the entire 50-day period after our Lords resurrection. That He had to rebuke them and teach them. 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. Hymns sung at Pentecost take the Holy Spirit as their theme, and include: The symbols of Pentecost are those of the Holy Spirit and include flames, wind, the breath of God and a dove. These were redeemed from among men being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. What do I do about calling a priest father at my Catholic University? 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God (1 Corinthians 15:3-9). The Great Commission was not only given to the apostles; it was given to the church. 1. Back in Mark's account, chapter 16 of Mark, we see that the same thing lingered among the wide group of people there. The last holy day season, the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread had seen the death of Jesus Christ, and then three days later He was resurrected and He had appeared to them. Though the emperor, a man named Tiberius, had been holed up on an island called Capri or Capri for a number of years in absentia, the empire was running quite well on its own. It seems to me that these loyal followers of Jesus are at their finest in verses 12-14. We give ourselves to that devotion, to that devoted study and the process of taking on the nature of God. What Happened at Pentecost? During the Temple period, the first fruits of the harvest were brought to the Temple, and two loaves of bread made from the new wheat were offered . 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. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. He understood that, and again, He is just laying it out that they were troubled and there was doubt. And you have to understand that and realize that, that's what they were doing during that period of time as well. I was standing there gazing, not quite knowing what to do. What was the doubt that was nagging away at them even as they saw Him, and even worshiped Him, knowing that they as they did know that He had died, and yet there was doubt? And Peter thence begins to quote Scripture. As we have received the gift of God's Spirit, as those on that first day of Pentecost received the gift of the Holy Spirit were brought into the Church, they became, and so are we, partakers of the divine nature. The ministry has had those two themes for the past two conferences. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. And it brings it down to the end of the chapter. I happen to think that they, no doubt during this period of time, as the days go on they talked and they read. They understood their problem, in verse 38, "He said to them, 'Why are you troubled and why do doubts arise in your hearts?'" Then follows a marvelous after photo, which displays a beautiful person, so different from the before photo. No, He said wait till, wait in Jerusalem, and so they were there and they continued. Pentecost is regarded as the birthday of the Christian church, and the start of the church's mission to the world. And so they had become a part of something that again, they were still trying to understand. As the story goes in Acts, just before his departure, Jesus reiterates to his disciples that they should wait for the Spirit. First, I note the wording of the first part of verse 13: When they had entered Jerusalem, they went to the upstairs roomwhere they were staying(Acts 1:13a, emphasis mine). 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. "And fear came upon every soul," and this was a different type of fear. 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. It wasn't there and so a lot had happened in that 50-day period that brought them to that morning of Pentecost. Number one was the Roman Empire. He went on to show that, "It's not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put in His own authority, but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. 14 And because they saw the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say against this (Acts 4:13-14). They'd likely not seen it. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth. 9 After he had said this, while they were watching, he was lifted up and a cloud hid him from their sight. A sermon for Pentecost - Durham Cathedral. 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. It was a mighty, powerful machine, the most powerful that the world in that day had ever seen. 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." This is the edited manuscript of Lesson 2 in theStudies in the Book of Actsseries prepared by Robert L. Deffinbaugh on September 25, 2005. We are no exception today, as we wait and look for the time when the Kingdom will be restored. They must not attempt to carry out the Great Commission without Pentecostal power. Show them otherwise what had been done, rebuke their unbelief, as it goes along here. Let me last observe that Acts 1 is the beginning of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit in Acts. They will receive power through the Holy Spirit to be witnesses. I must tell you that the most problematic passage in Acts 1 is the final paragraph which describes the selection of Matthias as the twelfth apostle. Pentecost comes from a Jewish harvest festival called Shavuot. in 1971. The English word "Pentecost" is a transliteration of the Greek word pentekostos, which means "fifty.". The Bible teaches the following concerning how the Holy Spirit was involved with the formation and the functioning of the church. Though a miracle had taken place in front of them, that still wasn't enough to remove the doubt and fear. About 10 days earlier, Christ had finally ascended for the final time and they were left alone. But by doing so, when you read the account, you understand that they knew the Scripture, and they applied Scripture to their choice and their decision to replace Judas. 14 All these continued together in prayer with one mind, together with the women, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers (Acts 1:12-14). Let us give thought to the way Luke prepares us for what is yet to come. They stood there, transfixed. They watched Him rise until a cloud obscured their vision. Darris is the Associate Media Producer for the Church. 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. But that was a life lesson that I had to learn. Labor in the Word, meaning to read the Word, and to learn it, and to soak it in and drink it in; and to live the Word, this past year. In 2 Corinthians 3 and 4, Paul makes the same point, showing how much more glorious the New Covenant is to the Old and that New Testament ministry is to the old, because of the Holy Spirit. The Word of God. 5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as if it were coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, 6 who made us adequate to be servants of a new covenant not based on the letter but on the Spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. And yet some doubted. 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. It's an informed sermon. That's what the gift of the Holy Spirit is for us. It says, "The eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. In verse 38, after everyone has calmed down, they realize theyve been involved and they were responsible for the death of Jesus. Then what looks like tongues of fire rests on the followers of Jesus, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The decision to proceed with the process of replacing Judas was seen as obedience to Psalm 109:8, thus leading to its fulfillment. First few verses of Acts chapter 1, beginning in verse 3, Luke in his prologue to the account as he writes to this man named Theophilus, about all that had been done by Jesus until the day in which He was taken up through the Holy Spirit and had given commandments to the apostles, whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during 40 days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God., So Luke gives us an explicit reference point that this went on. Day of Pentecost And Skepticisms And this dramatic miracle, but beyond that, 3,000 people being added to the Church, and then a community being developed. 2 While they were serving the Lord and fasting,the Holy Spirit said, Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. 3 Then, after they had fasted and prayed and placed their hands on them, they sent them off. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. Acts 2 states early Christians were "filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them . That's an important trait for a firstfruit, for a firstfruit to have in their life, and in their approach to life. "Makeover" programs turn proverbial ugly ducklings into swans. When you look and you understand what was taking place, here are people who've been terrified, they had been doubtful, unbelieving to one degree or the other during this previous 50-day period. They immediately began telling others about Jesus. '", And so Luke's account gives us a very specific instruction, how He told them, You wait in Jerusalem and then you will receive the power from on high. And that is what they were doing as they waited for that period of time to come about. Jesus Christ was born to be a King, and He will return as the King of Kings in the Kingdom of God. Red flowers may adorn alters and other areas. "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 ). It had been organized quite well and in that remote backwater of Judea, the Roman government kept things in order. And then there came a time, in verse 4, where they were assembled together with Him and He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem but to wait for the promise of the Father, which He said, "You have heard from Me, for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.". Shavuot, also called Pentecost, in full ag Shavuot, ("Festival of the Weeks"), second of the three Pilgrim Festivals of the Jewish religious calendar. It was originally an agricultural festival, marking the beginning of the wheat harvest. What was on their mind? This is what He does as He moves them through the Law of Moses, the Psalms, and the prophets, and opening their understanding. Now it has become popular to carry this theme over to homes, where pitiful or plain houses are transformed into palatial homes. Related Topics: Bibliology (The Written Word), Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. And so two things create this vision and this mission. The "before" and "after" theme is found frequently in the media. 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. He had a lot to come back, he was at the back of the pack. Apostle Peter explains the meaning of what was happening on the Day of Pentecost. And over a three and a half year period they had had their lives transformed and then they'd watched Him die. Ascension, in Christian belief, the ascent of Jesus Christ into heaven on the 40th day after his Resurrection (Easter being reckoned as the first day). 3 To the same apostles also, after his suffering, he presented himself alive with many convincing proofs. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so. Why did the apostles speak of the coming of the kingdom of God as its being restored? Originally, Pentecost was a Jewish holiday held 50 days after Passover. Instead, He would come and go. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. When the apostles3press Jesus to tell them the time when the kingdom of God will be established, Jesus graciously refuses by informing them that this information is outside their authority there is no need to know so far as they are concerned. What do we do now? It is the ideal to which every subsequent church period has wished to be able to emulate, including ours today. Peter's Life Before Christ. Thank you Mr. McNeely , for making Christ more real. Transcript Darris McNeely Beyond Today Presenter Jesus was coming back, just as they saw Him depart. "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. If all the facts were known, I believe that these two accounts would perfectly compliment each other. And I sat, and I sat, and I thought somebody will come along and tell me what to do. They sought authority that was outside the boundaries God had established. 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. The Cross And Unjust Suffering (1 Peter 2:19-25).
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