Mighty Pentecost

Acts 2:1-13

Mighty Pentecost

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.” [1]

A

ccording to the liturgical calendar observed throughout much of Christendom, today is Pentecost Sunday. Of interest to those who follow the ecclesiastical calendar, this day is also referred to as Whitsunday. The word Pentecost is a transliteration of the Greek term referring to this Jewish harvest celebration. Known prominently as the Feast of Weeks [Exodus 34:22], this harvest festival is also referred to as the Feast of Harvest [Exodus 23:16] in the Word of God. Additionally, it is known as the Day of the Firstfruits [Numbers 28:26]. Pentecost is the second of the three annual festivals in the Jewish calendar. It was given the name Pentecost because it was observed after seven full weeks—seven weeks or seven days each totalling forty-nine days, on the fiftieth day, following Passover. The Greek term πεντηκοστῆς means fiftieth.

The Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost as it became commonly known among Christians, was one of the three Jewish festivals requiring mandatory attendance at the Temple. The other two Jewish festivals requiring mandatory attendance at the Temple were Passover and the Day of Atonement. These three celebrations required every adult male to attend worship in the place God would designate, and ultimately Jerusalem was selected.

The Day of Pentecost was to be celebrated as a Sabbath, with rest from ordinary labours and observance of a holy convocation [Leviticus 23:21; Numbers 28:26]. It was a joyful feast of thanksgiving commemorating the completion of the harvest. Able-bodied Jewish males were required to be present at the sanctuary in order to present a special offering [cf. Leviticus 23:15-22; Numbers 28:26-31].[2] This information helps account for the large number of people from various locations gathered in Jerusalem on that day following the crucifixion and resurrection from the dead of the Son of God.

Whenever I speak to an evangelical congregation and mention Pentecost, I understand that the word conveys a thought totally different from that which would have been received by First Century believers. First Century Christians perhaps still thought of the Jewish festival. However, as the churches were transformed into predominantly Gentile institutions, the meaning of the term would have changed as worshippers remembered the descent of the Holy Spirit of God. Of course, I address a Gentile congregation, and at the mention of the word Pentecost, we think of the presence of God’s Spirit with His people. However, I fear that though we believe in His dynamic presence, we know little of His power. I invite you to join me in consideration of the day that forever changed worship and transformed the people of God—mighty Pentecost.

Preparation for Pentecost— When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. The Master had risen from the grave. The tomb was empty, and all Jerusalem became aware that something momentous had occurred. Roman guards, representing the might and power of the greatest nation in the world, could not ensure that Jesus would remain in the tomb.

Rumours of the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth swirled through the dusty streets of the city. The religious leaders tried to quash the stories circulating throughout the city, but they had as well tried to stop the sun from rising each day. For forty days people had claimed to have seen the crucified prophet from Galilee. Singly and in groups as large as five hundred men the sightings were reported. To lend credence to the stories, the tomb was empty as anyone could verify for himself, if he wished to do so.

Even members of the Sanhedrin were talking about this phenomenal event. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had joined together to attend to His burial. Joseph had provided room in his family’s crypt. Both men had attested that the rock vault had been sealed with the Imperial seal, and they now affirmed that the tomb was empty. Though the High Priest and his party had circulated the rumour that the disciples had come at night and stolen the body away, no one believed that tale. Those men were far too intimidated to attempt such a bold move, and especially would they have been fearful of attempting such a move against the armed Roman guards.

Then, as suddenly as the rumours of a dead man living again had begun, they stopped. The account that was most commonly heard was that a very much alive Jesus had called His disciples to a hill called Olivet, situated just outside of Jerusalem. There, He had given a final charge to His beloved disciples. While they pondered the words He had spoken, He was reported to have ascended until a cloud took Him out of sight. It was as though the Shekinah glory had once again been witnessed on earth. Only this time the Shekinah shielded the ascent of Jesus into Heaven. All these things had taken place, and who could deny that something significant had taken place?

For ten days the rumours had been quieted. The followers of the Nazarene were nowhere to be seen. Where could they be? What could they be doing? They weren’t bold enough to be plotting some act against the religious leaders, were they? Surely they wouldn’t plan some audacious act of disobedience against the authorities, would they? Those men had fled when He had been arrested, and only one of them had been sufficiently brave to even witness up close His crucifixion. None of the inner circle had been present when His body was laid in the tomb. Wherever could they be hiding? Not even the women who had followed Him were to be seen.

The divine account compels acknowledgement of a vital observation. Reading Luke’s account, I notice an emphasis upon the presence of the women among the disciples gathered in the Upper Room. For the most part the women are unnamed, but Doctor Luke is careful to ensure that all readers know that they were present. I can account for seventeen men—eleven apostles, four of Jesus’ brothers and at least two other disciples, Barsabbas, also known as Justus, and Matthias—out of the one hundred twenty disciples.[3] There were a number of women present.

One hundred twenty of His followers gathered in that room. Peter, John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphæus and Simon the Zealot together with Judas the son of James. The brothers of Jesus—James, Joseph, Simon and Jude—were present, as were His sisters.[4] Mary, His mother, and the women were also in the room. I assume that the women include the wives of the Apostles as well as those women mentioned in Luke 8:1-3; 23:55; 24:1, 10, and 22. Undoubtedly, Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Mary the mother of James were present, and also Susanna and the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager.

Christianity is a woman’s religion. Though some speak disparagingly of the Faith as a “woman’s religion,” I assert that this points to a strength of the Faith. Prior to the Christian Faith, women were used in “worship,” but women were not welcome to worship. Even in this day, women have little standing in Islam. A recent warning from the Vatican warns, “The Catholic Church has learned from ‘bitter experience’ … that women ‘are the least protected member of the Muslim family.’”[5] Likewise, in Buddhism or Hinduism, women have little or no standing. No other religion extends a welcome to women as does the Christian Faith. No wonder, then, that not only historically but also in the contemporary world, women embraced the Christian Faith. The Father accepts them equally within the Faith and they become a source of great strength within the Faith.

For ten days all these disciples had gathered together, devoting themselves to prayer. All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer [Acts 1:14]. Let me unpack that verse. The entire group was present. It is as though God is emphasising that those who wait on the fringes will never know the joy of His presence. Those who wait to unite with the church, those who wait to obey the call of the Master to identify with Him, those who wait to honour God through openly walking in concord with His people, are depriving themselves of His glorious presence. Perhaps such people think they worship, but they can never know the fullness of His presence until they are sharing in the Body.

Those present were noted as being in one accord [ὁμοθυμαδὸν]. This seems to have been a favourite word of Doctor Luke in describing the spiritual unity of believers.[6] In secular use, the word pointed to unity in feelings, though it had come to mean political unity by the time Luke was using the term. The stress, then, is upon acceptance of and submission to a corporate decision.[7]

Put this all together, and what we have is the revelation that when the people had gathered for prayer, they persevered in praying, seeking the mind of God and willingly submitting to that mind. There was unity among the disciples—something more than mere agreement on issues. There was a heartfelt love for one another which grew out of a heartfelt love for Christ the Risen Lord of Glory. The people accepted that when the leaders had spoken and the group had weighed what was suggested, there was unity.

We witness here a spiritual dynamic missing from too many modern churches. A generation now exists that is so intent on securing individual rights that we forget that spiritual power is discovered through a spirit of submission to the best interest of others! Seek the welfare of others, determine to persevere in prayer until God opens the heavens, find a handful of Christians who fear nothing but sin and who love God supremely, and soon you will see revival with all the attendant power of God’s Spirit unleashed.

All else being equal, we will have as much success in the Christian life as we have discipline to the basic devotions of the Faith. Until we again see times marked by reading the Word of God and corporate prayer, we will never witness another Pentecost. “The Fulton Street prayer meeting that sparked a revival in America in 1858 began with six people. Within six months there were ten thousand businessmen gathering daily for prayer in New York City, and within two years one million converts were added to the American church(es).”[8] Long years ago, A. T. Pierson is reported to have said, “There has never been a revival in any country that has not begun in united prayer, and no revival has ever continued beyond the duration of those prayer meetings.”[9]

Follow the course of revival throughout the ages and you will note a common thread of united prayer. When the Faith was threatened with extinction as result of Jewish persecution of the Faith in Palestine, smouldering embers ignited the Faith in North Africa. There, in Carthage and in Alexandria, Augustine and Athanasius defined and defended the Faith. Augustine defined the great truths of Christ the Lord and Athanasius resisted the soaring oratory of Arius, supported solely by a small band of believers committed to praying and seeking the mind of the Spirit of God. Revival broke out as result of such valiant presentation of the truth.

When the flames of revival zeal began to die down in North Africa, embers carried aloft on winds of faith blew across the Mediterranean to light a fire among believers located in the Valleys of Waldois. There, the Faith burned brightly until extinguished through popish intrigue and invasion.

As those fires were stamped out, burning coals moved across the English Channel to burn brightly among the Irish monks who gave themselves to preservation of the Word of God and devotion to practise of the disciplines of the Faith.

When Irish ardour began to cool into mere formalism, the fires of revival swept into ancient Florence where Savonarola sparked a growing desire for Reformation of the Faith. Among those whom Savonarola greatly influenced was John Wycliffe, the Morning Star of the Reformation. Opposed at every turn by religious leaders, Wycliffe promoted the great Reformation doctrine of Sola Scriptura which so motivated John Calvin and Martin Luther that the Protestant Reformation could not help but be born.

As European zeal waned, revival fires were ignited in the New World under the preaching of men such as Whitfield and Wesley. Early Methodists and Baptists moved westward, ensuring that the message of life would penetrate the frontier. Those ardent forebears were committed to prayer and to study of the Word of God, always seeking how to strengthen one another in the Faith.

When the flames of religious fervour began to die down following the establishment of a new nation, it was Presbyterian scholarship, Methodist discipleship and Baptist evangelistic zeal that sparked the Second Great Awakening that penetrated darkened forests of the western frontier and swept thousands into the Kingdom of God.

When revival fires were diminished through modernism, it was the efforts of powerful evangelists that ignited the Faith throughout the latter days of the Nineteenth Century and continued well into the Twentieth Century.

Now, today we have come to a new day in which post-modern thought predominates even among the churches of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are desperate for revival, and though we say we are willing to accept what God sends, where are the people willing to sacrifice their own personal desires for the good of the Faith? Where are the people willing to invest time in prayer, uniting with others until God hears their heart cry and opens the windows of heaven? Where are the people willing to commit themselves to understanding the Word so that they know the mind of the Saviour?

My prayer is, “Dear God, let us be that people and let this be the time!” Amen.

The Purpose of Pentecost — As He prepared to depart this earth, our Master sought to prepare His disciples for the transition. Among the promises He gave repeatedly was one that spoke of a coming Helper. If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you [John 14:15-17].

These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid [John 14:25-27].

I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged [John 16:7-11].

The Helper that our Lord promised is none other than the blessed Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God was promised as an Advocate [παράκλητος]. He is promised in order to teach believers of Christ the Lord, reminding them of the Master’s will. The Spirit of God reveals the mind of the Master, guiding the believer into truth. Thus, the Helper glorifies the Master. By His presence, the Spirit of God convicts the world concerning sin, righteousness and judgement. Consequently, where the Spirit of God dwells in truth, joy is the inevitable result. The Spirit of God energises our worship and empowers the believer for effective service and enables us to recall the will of the Saviour.

As the Master prepared for His Ascension, He spoke with the eleven Apostles. They were ordered to remain in Jerusalem, where they were to wait for the promise of the Father, which they had heard from Him. John baptised with water, but you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit not many days from now [Acts 1:4, 5]. This was but an iteration of the promise Jesus had made earlier in Luke 24:49. I am sending the promise of My Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power form on high. This presence of the Holy Spirit and the power associated with His presence would be necessary for the establishment and advancement of the new Faith.

Following Pentecost, new converts would experience repentance, baptism and the gift of the Spirit. All three aspects are essential elements of the conversion experience. The Spirit of God is not a state to be obtained or a condition to be achieved. The Spirit of God is the gift of the Father to those who believe. The sole condition for the disciples at Pentecost to receive the gift of the Father was to remain in Jerusalem, because they had already repented and been baptised.

The pattern is not important, but the presence of each element is important. For instance, the Spirit can be imparted before baptism [see Acts 10:47], in conjunction with baptism [see Acts 2:38a], or following baptism [see Acts 8:16]. When the Spirit comes, His presence will be evidenced in various ways, most of which are not especially dramatic, but are nevertheless real. For instance, note that the Ethiopian was joyful [see Acts 8:39], Lydia demonstrated hospitality [see Acts 16:15], and the Philippian jailer offered first-aid [see Acts 16:33]. From this, we can infer that repentance and the gift of the Spirit are essential to the conversion experience.[10]

Pentecost sets a pattern for all believers. Repentance and faith, expressed through baptism for those who have believed, brings the presence of God’s Spirit to empower the child of God for spiritual work. I note some truths concerning the promise of the Father. First, all believers are included. None are excluded. If you have repented of sin and have faith in the Living Son of God and have expressed that faith by submission to His command to be baptised, you have the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The receipt of this gift is passive. The coming of the Holy Spirit is not determined by the believer, but rather it is an action that God does to the believer. There is no action required by you as a child of God to receive the Spirit of God. He dwells in you because you have believed the message of life and have submitted to the Son of God.

Christ’s promise is not in the verbal subjunctive, but it is rather indicative. Jesus does not say, “You may or might be baptised with the Holy Spirit.” He says, “You will be baptised.” Therefore, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is certain.

Contrary to the teaching of some, there are no preconditions to the coming of the Spirit. The disciples were not commanded to pray. They were not commanded to seek to speak in ecstatic languages. They were not commanded to laugh, or bark, or make any particular noise. They were simply commanded to wait in Jerusalem. Similarly, we are not taught that we must do anything in order to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The presence of the Spirit of God with us who have believed and among us as a community of Faith is the result of obedience to the call and command of Christ the Lord.[11]

This is the message we now declare and must ever declare to all who are willing to receive it—repent and believe the message that Christ died because of your sin. As demonstration of your faith in Christ the Lord, obey His command to be baptised. Then you, also, will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is to all whom the Lord calls to Himself. Our prayer is that this call includes each of you.

The Power of Pentecost — What is the primary evidence that the Spirit has come? Some in this day will argue that ecstatic utterances in an unlearned language is the evidence that God’s Holy Spirit has come. I have read the Word of God from beginning to end many times, and never once do I find a command to speak in other languages. In point of fact, Paul discourages believers from trying to speak in other languages.

What I do find as a common thread among all those who were filled with the Spirit or who were baptised in the Spirit is power—raw power measured as boldness. Pentecost arrives and the Spirit descends as a mighty flood of fire and each of the disciples is filled with the Holy Spirit [Acts 2:4]. Indeed, they begin to speak in the various languages represented among the Jews present in Jerusalem for that festival, but the impact of their speech is that others hear the message of life and are drawn to faith in the Risen Son of God! The disciples, filled with the Spirit of God, speak with power.

Peter is said to be filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts 4:8. As result of this filling, Peter speaks boldly of the Jews’ sin and presents the message of life in Christ the Lord. Let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved [Acts 4:10-12]. If all that claim to be “Spirit filled” had this type of boldness, we would have converted every person in this town years ago!

The disciples, upon hearing the report of Peter and John before the Sanhedrin, unite in prayer. The Word declares that they were all filled with the Holy Spirit with the result that they all continued to speak the Word of God with boldness [Acts 4:31]. There is obviously a theme developing in this Book of Acts. If you will seek one constant demonstration of the Spirit’s presence, it must be power to witness of Christ the Lord.

Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, stands unswayed and unfrightened before those who are determined to kill Him. Even in the face of death, he will not recant faith in the Living Son of God [see Acts 7:55-60]. When Saul of Tarsus is converted to the Faith, he is filled with the Holy Spirit—he speaks of Christ as Lord and becomes a source of dismay to the enemies of the cross [see Acts 9:17 ff.; Acts 13:9 ff.]. Barnabas is identified as a good man, full of the Holy Spirit. In the Spirit’s fullness a great many people were added to the Lord during his ministry in Antioch [see Acts 11:19 ff.].

No wonder that those who have the Spirit of God are joyful and hospitable and sensitive to the need of those about them. They realise that God is working through them and in them and that their actions and words are marked by a quality uncharacteristic of the world with which they were previously identified. Now, as a child of the Living God, the individual who is repentant and obedient enjoys the presence of God’s Holy Spirit and concern that their efforts may prove futile is forever removed. What is done as a Christian is forever transformed into the realm of the eternal because of the Spirit’s presence! The words spoken by the child of God are now freighted with eternal power!

Have you connected all the dots for this message? At the moment you believed Christ is Lord, at the precise time when you were born from above, the Spirit of God took up residence in your life. From that time, you have enjoyed the Living Spirit of God in your life. The day you were saved was in essence a private Pentecost for you. Reading about that first Pentecost, you have some idea of what God intended for you.

God did not expect you to suddenly be lost in ecstasy, but He did anticipate that you would enjoy His mighty power. That is what Christ promised. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you [Acts 1:8]. The evidence that the Spirit of God has come is that His power cannot be forever bottled up inside. Instead, those who have the Spirit must of necessity be Christ’s witnesses. Just so, you are called to be His witnesses. Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation [Mark 16:15] was the command the Master gave to all disciples. However, we are not to go in our own power, but we always know that we are witnessing in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Does the Power of Pentecost rest on this church? Is the Gospel proclaimed, not only on Sunday morning but also throughout the week at your place of work, among your neighbours, to your family members? Are souls saved and do we witness the evidence that God is at work among us? Is the desire to honour Christ the Lord growing more evident with every passing week? If the answer to these questions is affirmative, then I say that the Power of Pentecost is evident among us. If, on the other hand, the answer to these questions is obscure or uncertain, then I suggest that we need to confront our own hearts, asking why the Spirit of God is not powerfully at work among us.

Some among us are thirsty today. We know that we walk in a dry and barren land where power is noticeably absent. We have the desire to witness in power and we long to see souls saved. We are timid and reticent to speak of the glories of Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour, even to our friends and family. It is not for lack of desire that we are silent, but it is because we have yet to permit the Spirit to work in power through us.

My call today is that some would confess they have a thirst for His power. Jesus promised, whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty forever. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life [John 4:14]. Again, the Master has spoken of the Spirit with His offer of spiritual power. He calls us, If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” [John 7:37b, 38]. Are you thirsty?

This is the invitation for this day. If you long for spiritual power, come to the altar and here ask the Master to set you free to enjoy the power He has entrusted to you through His blessed Spirit. If you will be a woman of power, a man of power, come asking that He fill you with His Spirit making you a powerful witness of His grace.

Know that you cannot be a fount of power if you have never believed the message of life in Christ the Lord. To any such present this day, the invitation is a call to life. Come, believe the message of grace and receive Christ Jesus as Lord of your life. Come now while we stand and while we wait.

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” [Romans 10:9-13]. Amen.

Today is Pentecost Sunday according to the liturgical calendar observed throughout much of Christendom. Of interest to those who follow the ecclesiastical calendar, this day is also known as Whitsunday. The word Pentecost is a transliteration of the Greek term referring to this Jewish harvest celebration. Known prominently as the Feast of Weeks [Exodus 34:22], the festival is also referred to as the Feast of Harvest [Exodus 23:16] in the Word of God. Additionally, it is known as the Day of the Firstfruits [Numbers 28:26]. Pentecost is the second of the three annual festivals in the Jewish calendar. It was given the name Pentecost because it was observed after seven full weeks—seven weeks or seven days each totalling forty-nine days, on the fiftieth day, following Passover. The Greek term πεντηκοστῆς means fiftieth.

I am compelled by the knowledge imparted through the divine account to make an aside of vital importance. As I read Luke’s account, I notice an emphasis upon the presence of the women among the disciples gathered in the Upper Room. For the most part the women are unnamed, but Doctor Luke is careful to ensure that all readers know that they were present. I can account for seventeen men—eleven apostles, four of Jesus’ brothers and at least two other disciples, Barsabbas, also known as Justus, and Matthias—out of the one hundred twenty disciples.[12] There were a number of women present.

One hundred twenty of His followers gathered in that room. Peter, John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphæus and Simon the Zealot together with Judas the son of James. The brothers of Jesus—James, Joseph, Simon and Jude—were present, as were His sisters.[13] Mary, His mother, and the women were also in the room. I assume that the women include the wives of the Apostles as well as those women mentioned in Luke 8:1-3; 23:55; 24:1, 10, and 22. Undoubtedly, Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Mary the mother of James were present, and also Susanna and the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager.

“The Catholic Church has learned from ‘bitter experience’ … that women ‘are the least protected member of the Muslim family.’”[14]

Those present were noted as being in one accord [ὁμοθυμαδὸν]. This seems to have been a favourite word of Doctor Luke in describing the spiritual unity of believers.[15] In secular use, the word pointed to unity in feelings, though it had come to mean political unity by the time Luke was using the term. The stress is, then, upon acceptance of a corporate decision.[16]

“The Fulton Street prayer meeting that sparked a revival in America in 1858 began with six people. Within six months there were ten thousand businessmen gathering daily for prayer in New York City, and within two years one million converts were added to the American church(es).”[17] Long years ago, A. T. Pierson is reported to have said, “There has never been a revival in any country that has not begun in united prayer, and no revival has ever continued beyond the duration of those prayer meetings.”[18]

The pattern is not important, but the presence of each element is important. For instance, the Spirit can be imparted before baptism [see Acts 10:47], in conjunction with baptism [see Acts 2:38a], or following baptism [see Acts 8:16]. When the Spirit comes, His presence will be evidenced in various ways, most of which are not especially dramatic, but are nevertheless real. For instance, note that the Ethiopian was joyful [see Acts 8:39], Lydia demonstrated hospitality [see Acts 16:15], and the Philippian jailer offered first-aid [see Acts 16:33]. From this, we can infer that repentance and the gift of the Spirit are essential to the conversion experience.[19]

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[2] For further information concerning Pentecost, consult Larry Walker, Festivals (art.) in Trent C. Butler (ed.), Holman Bible Dictionary (Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, TN 1991) 484-490

[3] See Acts 1:13, 14, 23

[4] See Matthew 13:55, 56

[5] Julia Duin, Vatican notes status of Muslims’ wives, The Washington Times, May 18, 2004 (http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20040517-111619-3331r.htm)

[6] See Acts 2:46; 4:24; 5:12; 8:6; 15:25

[7] Han Wolfgang Heidland, ὁμοθυμαδόν, (art.), in Gerhard Kittle, Geoffrey W. Bromiley and Gerhard Friedrich, The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Vol. 5 (Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, MI 1964, 1976) 185

[8] cf. William J. Larkin, Jr., The IVP New Testament Commentary: Acts (InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL 1995) 45

[9] Cited in J. Edwin Orr, Conditions for Revival, http://www.rendtheheavens.org/CONDITIONS%20FOR%20REVIVAL%20-%20Orr.htm

[10] cf. John B. Polhill, The New American Commentary: Acts, Vol. 26 (Broadman Press, Nashville, TN 1992) 82-3

[11] See Mal Couch (ed.), A Bible Handbook to the Acts of the Apostles (Kregel, Grand Rapids, MI 1999) 130

[12] See Acts 1:13, 14, 23

[13] See Matthew 13:55, 56

[14] Julia Duin, Vatican notes status of Muslims’ wives, The Washington Times, May 18, 2004 (http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20040517-111619-3331r.htm)

[15] See Acts 2:46; 4:24; 5:12; 8:6; 15:25

[16] Han Wolfgang Heidland, ὁμοθυμαδόν, (art.), in Gerhard Kittle, Geoffrey W. Bromiley and Gerhard Friedrich, The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Vol. 5 (Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, MI 1964, 1976) 185

[17] cf. William J. Larkin, Jr., The IVP New Testament Commentary: Acts (InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL 1995) 45

[18] Cited in J. Edwin Orr, Conditions for Revival, http://www.rendtheheavens.org/CONDITIONS%20FOR%20REVIVAL%20-%20Orr.htm

[19] cf. John B. Polhill, The New American Commentary: Acts, Vol. 26 (Broadman Press, Nashville, TN 1992) 82-3