Pentecost

Happy Sunday. Today we're going to look at Acts chapter 2, the day of Pentecost. If you look at your calendar, today, June the 5th, is Pentecost Sunday on the church calendar. The word Pentecost is a Greek word that means 50th. If you count Easter Sunday as one, today is the 50th day after Easter, or after Passover for our Jewish friends.

Our Jewish friends celebrate Pentecost to this day as one of their festivals. They call it Shivohat. It's also known as the Festival of Weeks or the Festival of Harvest. This festival was established in the book of Leviticus, chapter 23.

I tell you this as we begin because I love God's perfect timing. That day long ago, Jerusalem was filled with pilgrims, people from all over the known world. They were in town for this festival, and this is key to the story, and you'll see why in a moment.

As the book of Acts begins, we find that the risen Jesus had appeared to his followers for 40 days. In Acts 1, verses 4 and 5, we hear that Jesus told his followers, "Don't leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." And so they waited.

After that, Jesus ascended into heaven. We're told that there were around 120 believers gathered, their waiting. While they waited, they replaced Judas Iscariot with a man named Matthias. When Acts 2 begins, we're told that they were still waiting together.

Let me read the first four verses: "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the 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 they began to speak in other tongues," or languages, "as the Spirit enabled them."

We could spend the next several weeks breaking this down, each and every part, but today I want to look at just a couple of things that stand out to me. I believe that all believers received the Holy Spirit that day, not just the 12 apostles, but all of the 120 that are spoken of in Acts 1. And I believe today that all believers receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit the moment they accept Christ.

What is really interesting to me is what the first act of the Holy Spirit is here in Acts chapter 2. Beginning in verse 5 and going through verse 12, the crowd is amazed and perplexed. Why are they amazed and perplexed? The crowd, and remember they're in town for the big festival of Shavuot, mostly of them Jewish, the crowd heard these believers speaking to them in their own native language.

Remember, verse 4 that we read earlier said they were enabled. I'll be read from verse 7 and following: "Utterly amazed, they ask, aren't all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our own native language?" From all over the world. And then we're given a list: "Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus in Asia, Phrygia and Pamphlea, Egypts and the parts of Libya near Serene, visitors from Rome, Cretans and Arabs."

Again, I want you to see how God's timing is perfect. It always is, by the way. These people are in town and they're witnessing the birth of the church. And what are they hearing? What are the people talking about?

Verse 11 tells us: "We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues." Those who have received the Holy Spirit are speaking of the wonders of God. They still do today. The Holy Spirit is using God's people to bring people together. Still happens today.

If you know your Bible well, does this remind you of just about the opposite of what happened at the Tower of Babel? When God scattered people, now the Spirit's bringing them together. What happens next is only possible because the Holy Spirit is in the lives of believers. And I also believe the Holy Spirit is at the doors of the hearts of the crowd that just witnessed his coming.

Peter gets up and begins to speak. Some in the crowd accuse the believers of being drunk. We talked about this a few weeks ago. Peter tells the crowd that there's a new influence directing the lives of believers, not alcohol. He then begins to quote the Old Testament scripture from the book of Joel.

Now, this is important. God has created the perfect storm here. The place is Jerusalem. The time is a festival when all sorts of Jewish pilgrims would be in town. The setting is very public, and the Holy Spirit's about to show off.

When Peter preaches from the book of Joel, and I won't read it to you, you can read verses 17 to 21 from Acts chapter 2, but this day was prophesized about. The Jewish crowd was in familiar territory when they heard those words. They knew the prophecy of Joel about the Spirit of God. Peter told them that, and then he preaches about Jesus and plainly lets the crowd know that they killed the Messiah. Many of the people were convicted and finally, finally believed.

Remember, earlier I said that I believe that the Holy Spirit was at the doors of the hearts of the crowd of unbelievers. Verse 41 of Acts 2 tells us, "Those who accepted his message," Peter's message, "were baptized, and about 3,000 were added to their number that day." That day the church was born. The Holy Spirit was ready. The believers there grew from 120 to well over 3,000.

In heaven, I bet Jesus smiled. I bet the angels rejoiced. God's plan was coming together, and it still is. Please know that if you are a believer, the same Holy Spirit is in you.

We talked about this a few weeks ago. There's one baptism of the Holy Spirit that occurs the day you become a believer. However, there are many fillings of the Holy Spirit. You must seek him daily and do your best to be in tune. It's my prayer that you're filled today.

Pray with me. Holy Spirit, we ask that you would continue to work in our lives and enable us to spread the good news of the gospel to the world that desperately needs it. If we watch the news and focus on this world, we can become disheartened, but we can also become encouraged, because we have a mission before us. Lord, equip us to live godly lives, and equip us to share with the world the good news of Jesus Christ. In his name we pray, amen.

God bless you. Thanks for watching.