The Power of Pentecost
1. On the day of Pentecost, all the believers were meeting together in one place.
2. Suddenly there was a sound from Heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting.
3. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them.
4. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
5. At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem.
6. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.
7. They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee,”
8. “And yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages!”
9. “Here we are – Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia,”
10. “Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome.”
11. (“Both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done.”
12. They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other.
13. But others in the crowd ridiculed them saying, “They’re just drunk, that’s all.”
Acts 2:1-13
The Sounds of Pentecost
The initial outpouring of the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost, a Jewish festival that marked the fiftieth day following the Passover. It was on that fiftieth day that the Jews were commanded to present the first-fruits to the Lord. It was on that day that God sent the Holy Spirit to fill the believers who had gathered in the Upper Room for worship. You might go as far as to say that it was the day that Jerusalem was visited with the sounds from Heaven. While it is not certain, thoughts were probably going through the minds of the Disciples as to what they would do next. Then suddenly, without warning, The Holy Spirit came from Heaven to fill the hearts of those who had gathered and were waiting for God to send His Promise. What a powerful moment!
For well over fourteen hundred years, the Jews had celebrated Pentecost. While there were sounds that filled the air, they were the sounds of people entering to present their offerings. There was the sound of animals being sacrificed in celebration. There were even sounds of children playing in the streets of Jerusalem. All of the sounds were from the earth and by those that dwelt on the earth. Pentecost was to commemorate the presentation of the first-fruits. Pentecost was a way of saying “thank you” to God for sending the sign that there would be a bountiful harvest. You could go as far as to say, Pentecost was an expression of faith that God would provide future blessings because of His faithfulness to Israel. Those were the traditional sounds until something pierced the air and rushed into the place where Jesus’ Disciples had gathered. This was a different sound like nothing anyone had heard.
Suddenly there was a sound from Heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. There is no mention of how long the sound lasted, but for certain, it got everyone’s attention. Why is the wind significant? First, it represents air moving from one place to another or from one person to another. This was God moving into the Upper Room to visit His Disciples. God was stirring the atmosphere for something new that was about to take place. Within a matter of minutes, the Church of the Living God would be born. This brings us to the second reason why the wind is significant. The mighty wind also represents life being given. We are told in the Scripture that God breathed into Adam’s nostrils, the breath of life (the wind), and man became a living soul. On the Day of Pentecost, God breathed upon His Church with such force that it sounded like a mighty windstorm. Notice the extent of the wind as it filled the house where they gathered. What a Mighty God who sent the wind as His Witness!
Not only was there a sonic representation of God’s Power at Pentecost, but there was also a visual representation. The writer, Dr. Luke, described something else that came out of Heaven. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. The Bible does not say these were literal flames but they looked like flames and it settled on each one. While many believers would be blown away by this phenomenon, the purpose of the tongues of fire was not to simply expose the believers to a religious experience but to equip them for the mission that was to follow. The sign of fire has always represented God’s Presence. When God spoke to Moses, it was from the ‘Burning Bush.” When the Temple of Solomon was dedicated, fire came down from Heaven and consumed the sacrifice. In Elijah’s day, God sent fire to consume the sacrifice on Mt. Carmel and prove that He was God. Fire also meant a cleansing and purification had taken place. It is this fire that was now settling upon the followers of Christ to demonstrate that they were filled with the Holy Spirit of God.
But the wind and the fire would do more than visit these believers. It would force them into action as they would be directed by the Holy Spirit. By no means would they stay in the Upper Room. They would be moved from that place of worship to a place of service. They would be ushered out and onto the streets of Jerusalem where they would tell the world about the wonderful acts of God.
This is the second sound of Pentecost. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. There has been much discussion as to what these tongues meant and whether speaking in tongues is for the Church today. Let me just address that concern with this brief statement. It is evident that the Holy Spirit was reaching the multitudes through this unique gift. The crowd witnessed what was being said, “we hear them speaking in our own native languages!” It is my belief that the Holy Spirit continues to equip the Church to speak to people regardless of their language. The Church simply needs to pay attention to the Sound from Heaven rather than the sayings of the earth. If today’s Church would simply follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit, we too will be effective in reaching people everywhere.
The Purpose of Pentecost
Pentecost gave each worshipper an opportunity to present something to God as an expression of gratitude and love for the first fruits. For centuries, the best that worshippers could do was to present grain offerings to the Lord in the form of two loaves. There was no physical sign that the offering was accepted by God except for the pronouncement by the Priest. The Priest would “wave the offering” at Pentecost and then bless the people. This was a type of Christ, Who would be our first-fruits to God for our Salvation. 1 Corinthians 15:20 declares that Jesus Christ is the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep. Colossians 1:15-18 declares that Jesus Christ is the firstborn from the dead. It was fifty days from the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. His Ascension into Heaven would have remained a mystery to the Disciples. They would have reverted back to the Jewish traditions had it not been for that Day of Pentecost.
There is a four-fold purpose in Pentecost. First, the sounds of Pentecost was an audible and visible acknowledgement that Jesus Christ had purchased our Salvation through His own sacrifice. The “wave-offering” had been presented before God and was accepted on our behalf. Second, the harvest of souls was now the mission of the Church. In the same manner that the Israelites would engage in the harvest, so the Church was to engage in the world-wide harvest of bringing people to God. Third, fearful Disciples had now become the Powerful Church because of the outpouring of God’s Power. While the events of Pentecost would never be repeated, the Church was now mobilized to be witnesses for Jesus Christ. Fourth, the Power of God was not only present on the earth, but the Power of God was present in the believers. This had never happened before. Throughout the Bible, many of God’s believers had been led by the Holy Spirit, equipped by the Holy Spirit, and controlled by the Holy Spirit, but none had been “filled with the Holy Spirit.” Earlier, while Jesus was with the Disciples, He said to them that “the Holy Spirit is with you but He shall be in you.” John 14:17. That happened at Pentecost. Jesus promise was fully realized as the Holy Spirit came to live in each believer’s heart.
Receiving the Holy Spirit’s Power
So, what does this Power of Pentecost have to do with the Church today? Some in the Church suggest that we must go back to Pentecost and experience the rushing mighty wind and the tongues of fire. Some have said that there is no need for the Holy Spirit’s Power since we have the Bible in full revelation. Many are confused and somewhere in the middle not knowing what to do.
Let me first say that even if we went back to Jerusalem and found the Upper Room where the original Disciples were gathered, we would still not be able to recreate that event that happened nearly two thousand years ago. There is no need to. The initial outpouring of the Holy Spirit was to bring the Church to life and immediately call the believers into action as God’s Witnesses. That has been done. However, we still desperately need the Holy Spirit’s Power because we have the “finished” Bible, but we don’t have the Power to live it out. All of our righteous acts are nothing more than filthy rags without the direction and enablement of the Holy Spirit. Who are we kidding? There is nothing in our flesh that will lead us to be righteous but thank God the Holy Spirit is actively working to produce true holiness. So, yes we do need the Holy Spirit. We must have the Holy Spirit to work through us if we are to continue the mission of witnessing to a lost world. Without His leadership, the Church will retreat into their spiritual closet and settle with a few praise and worship songs and call it a day. Today, in our twenty first century world we need the Power of Pentecost to help us live for Jesus.
We must have the Holy Spirit working in us as we pray because we don’t even know how to pray as we ought to. Romans 8:26. We need the Holy Spirit working in us to teach us the things to come. John 16:13. The prophecies of the Bible are being fulfilled at a rapid pace and we will not be able to respond except the Holy Spirit directs our actions. We must have the Holy Spirit to direct our conversations because we either get hung up on nonsense or stop communicating altogether. So, please help us Holy Spirit to guide our tongues to speak the Truth in Love.
Most importantly, you need the Holy Spirit because you have nothing to offer God on your own. Pentecost was a time when worshippers were to present their first fruits to God. Without the Holy Spirit growing the spiritual fruit, you have nothing to offer. Even with that, God is growing the fruit of Christ in your heart which makes it utterly impossible for you to produce. The Holy Spirit’s Power is all about God working in your life in such a powerful way. That is why you constantly need Him to finish the Work of Christ so that He can present you before the Father as the perfected work of Jesus.