Acts 2
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Pentacost
Context of what is about to happen. Acts 1:4-5
4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
Acts 2 is that promise. Scholars set the scene well… The day of Pentecost on the Jewish calendar was the day of an annual feast called the Feast of Harvests, the Feast of Ingathering, or sometimes the Feast of Weeks. A week has seven days, so a week of weeks is seven times seven, which is forty-nine days. After those forty-nine days are accomplished, the fiftieth day is Pentecost, so fifty days after the great celebration of Passover is this feast. It was the Jewish Thanksgiving of the Old Testament. It was also called the Feast of Firstfruits because, since the arid climate of Palestine has two rainy seasons, they had two growing seasons, a former season and a latter season. They would celebrate at the former rains and again at the later rains. People gathered for the Thanksgiving event of Pentecost at the central sanctuary in Jerusalem to thank God for the harvest.
Lets read how this unfolds…
1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
They were together waiting for this promise that Jesus would sent the Helper to live in them, and the Holy Spirit does not come silent, but like rushing wind. Have you guys every been in a tornado or close by it its loud. Severe wind is loud, and when the Holy Spirit came it came with power.
Wind and Fire point to God. 1 Kings 19:11-13
11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
This is what happened.
3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
These apostles are filled with the Holy Spirit. This was a filling that was causing them to have the ability to carry out the task the Lord had given them.
This was a promise talked about all the way back in Joel 2:28-32
28 “And it shall come to pass afterward,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
29 Even on the male and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit.
30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.
And Jesus in John chapters 14-16, and IN acts 1:4-5 like I said in the beginning.
People where gathered in Jerusalem from all over the earth, and what you see here is not this heavenly language that others talk about, rather its different languages.. This time of year population would increase 2 to 3 times normal amounts.
This is what happens..
5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.
Couple of quotes I found really thought provoking in my study… if the description of Pentecost is meant to foreshadow the world-wide expansion of the church, it is an expansion among Jews scattered throughout the world that is used to provide the picture.
Also… For one brief moment of time, the divisions in humanity expressed through language difference (cf. Gn. 11:1–9) were overcome. These divisions are presented in Genesis as the judgment of God. What happened on the day of Pentecost suggests that God’s curse had been removed. But the confusion of tongues was not undone by providing a common Spirit language. Communication actually took place through the diversity of languages represented there.27 God was expressing his ultimate intention to unite people ‘from every tribe and language and people and nation’ (Rev. 5:9–10; 7:9) under the rule of his Son (Eph. 1:9–10), providing reconciliation through him and ‘access to the Father by one Spirit’ (Eph. 2:14–18).
7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?
This was a miracle. I have studied several languages and it takes years to master, yet by the Power of the Holy Spirit they were speaking other languages..
9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”
These 15 countries represent the whole work, and where the Jewish had dispersed over time. ( remember alexanders goal 4th century bc..
12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
The Acts of the Apostles 1. The Coming of the Spirit (2:1–13)
This is a reminder that ‘the miraculous is not self-authenticating, nor does it inevitably and uniformly convince. There must also be the preparation of the heart and the proclamation of the message if miracles are to accomplish their full purpose. This was true even for the miracle of the Spirit’s coming at Pentecost.’34 Such puzzlement and misunderstanding cried out for explanation, pointing to the need for Peter’s sermon.
So Pentecost is a foretaste of the kingdom of God that is continuing to grow and will expand to all nations when he returns..
20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
Pentecost is a powerful reminder that we have a power to do ministry.
Pentecost shows us that their are not barriers in ministry that the Power of God can’t break through
Pentecost reminds us that we should go into the world doing ministry.
9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,
Pentecost is a reminder that as powerful as the gospel message is not all will respond.
