The
Day of Pentecost (“pentecosta” = “50 days” from Passover) following Jesus’
resurrection was the day that Christ’s church officially opened (you can read
about it in Acts chapter 2). It was preceded by a host of miraculous “signs”
(pointing to an important spiritual event) and “wonders” (done to catch people’s
attention so they would stop what they were doing and listen to a message from
God):
1.
Events during Jesus’ crucifixion (darkness, earthquake, dead people raised);
2.
Reports and witnesses to His empty tomb;
3.
Jesus Himself appearing to individuals and groups (lasting for 40 days).
And
then the really BIG one: The Holy Spirit empowering Jesus’ disciples to speak
in languages they had never learned. This was accompanied by the sound of a
mighty rushing wind and “tongues” of fire (I’m not sure if these were “balls”
of fire or what looked like glowing human tongues) setting above the disciples’
heads. God sure provided a memorable experience with this one; it was both
visible and audible – no doubt it was permanently etched into the minds of the
eyewitnesses. Unfortunately though it caused a great deal of confusion and, for
some critics, it was a cause for ridicule and scorn.
Even
today this incident causes the same kinds of reactions among believers and
nonbelievers alike. Too many dismiss all miraculous phenomena and write this off
as a story fabricated by fanatical disciples to impress and promote the cause
of Christianity. Yet how do you account for all of the reports (secular and religious)
that describe this occasion? And there are also many who focus solely on the “sign”,
the disciples speaking in other languages (tongues) and miss the main point of
this important event. Peter’s sermon that follows is still applicable today as
a means of countering both difficulties – especially in verses 14-18. He says that
main event was the fulfillment of God’s promise from Joel 2:28-32:
"Fellow Jews and all of you who live in
Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk, as you
suppose. It's only nine in the morning! No,
this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
'In the last days, God says, I
will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your
sons and daughters will prophesy, your
young men will see visions, your
old men will dream dreams. Even
on my servants, both men and women, I
will pour out my Spirit in those days, and
they will prophesy.’”
The
important event he says is that God had begun to pour Himself out on all who
are saved in the blood of Christ! The speaking in various human languages was
the “sign” and “wonder” meant to capture their attention and point to the main
event. Though Peter didn’t say it, this was also the answer to Moses’ prayer
found in Numbers 11:29. He (Moses) wished that all of God’s people were
prophets (see 1 Peter 2:4-9) and that they would all be filled with God’s
Spirit. You see, before only certain individuals received this pouring out,
temporarily, and to perform certain tasks. But, as Peter says in conclusion,
this promise is for all of the saved and forever!
It’s
obvious that the crowd understood what he was saying. They wanted to know what
they had to do to (1) remedy their killing God’s Son and (2) be recipients of
God’s indwelling presence that they were seeing and hearing in the Apostles.
Peter’s answer is classic (verse 38):
"Repent and be
baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of
your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The
promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom
the Lord our God will call."
Three
thousand took him up on the offer and so Jesus’ promise to Peter (Matthew 16:19)
was also fulfilled: the doors to His Kingdom were opened for all who are
clothed with Christ to enter in. And the celebration began. Notice the
joyfulness, selflessness and love the new Christians demonstrated. They were
obviously bearing the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) which proves
their being filled with God’s Spirit (Romans 8:9-11).
You
can take advantage of this promise in the same way today. Have you been
baptized into Christ and received forgiveness for your sins? If so, then God
has moved into your soul to help with the regeneration process (sanctification –
see 1 Corinthians 6:19). And this will be obvious to yourself and to everyone
around you.
But
if the fruit of the Spirit hasn’t been evident in your daily life then you need
to reconsider your commitment and dedication and do something about it soon.
His Spirit is not going to inhabit a house (your life) that is dirty and damaged
with sin. He will only take up residence in a life that is devoted to getting
rid of sin once and for all.
Follow
God’s will and take advantage of this promise that God desire of all people. Allow
Him to pour Himself into you so that He can guide you safely back home to
Himself.
Doug
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