The Day of Pentecost was a significant day for the Jews. Pente means 50 so the celebration got its name because the Feast of Harvest took place 50 days after the first Sunday of Passover.
It had traditionally been known as the day when God came down on Mount Sinai and spoke to Israel, giving them the Law through Moses (Exodus 20:1-18).
There were Jewish people living in and visiting Jerusalem from every known nation and on Pentecost
“the Holy Spirit came down and permanently filled the believers with His life”
and these Galilean believers began to speak about the wonders of God in their native languages. It was in a sense a spiritual harvest.
It was the day when over 3000 people heard the gospel and placed their faith in Christ, and it was the day the New Testament church was born.
In Acts 2:1-41, God uses the most...
Unlikely people,
In the most...
Unusual way,
Producing the most...
Unexpected outcome
Unlikely people
Jesus said Acts 1:7-8:
It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:7-8).
Jesus was saying, I want you to reach people from all over the world with the good news of the gospel before I return to the earth. He did not say when He would return or how long it would take.
Instead of using powerful, influential individuals, God used people who fished for a living and disreputable tax collectors to be filled with His Holy Spirit and establish His church.
“These are the people who literally turned the world upside-down.”
Just before He ascended back to heaven to be with His Father, Jesus commanded the disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit to come.
What did they do while they waited? They devoted themselves to prayer and they got some of their affairs in order.
Then just 10 days after Christ’s ascension, on the day of Pentecost, while the 120 disciples were all in the upper room,
“the Spirit of God suddenly came in with power, like a rushing wind, and flames of fire were above their heads.”
We see in v. 4, as soon as these Galileans were filled with the Holy Spirit, they began to speak in all the different languages and dialects that were represented in that place.
Unusual way
In v. 5 the excitement in the house must have spilled out into the streets, because a large crowd began to gather. When they heard the voices, they were utterly amazed and perplexed - how is it possible that these Galileans could speak about what God has done in our own heart language?
Then Peter, about 500 meters from the empty tomb, stood up in the midst of the people and speaking with incredible boldness declared the meaning of this event.
“God was making Himself known to the nations through a miraculous outpouring of the Spirit in the lives of these Galileans.”
He said, “You know about Jesus’ life, you saw His mighty works and all that God accomplished through Him.
This supernatural event at Pentecost opened up the opportunity for Peter to preach the gospel to the nations.
Unexpected outcome
When the people heard Peter’s preaching, all the mocking stopped. Instead,
“they were pierced to the heart by the truth of their own sin”
and when Peter said they were guilty of crucifying the Son of God they knew he was right and were filled with remorse and anxiety.
They asked Peter and the rest of the apostles: “Brothers, what must we do to be saved?” They went from mocking and scoffing to being convicted to the core - you know that had to be the work of the Holy Spirit. That’s when
Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself (Acts 2:38-39).
What was Peter saying these people had to do?
Change their minds (repent) about Jesus, whom they initially rejected and demanded His death by crucifixion.
Believe that He is the Messiah, the only way to salvation.
Be baptized. Each one of us who has placed our faith in Christ as Savior and are immediately baptized into the body of Christ. But Peter was also calling them to be saved and baptized by water as an outward witness of this inward change.
What happened on the day of Pentecost was essentially a divine reversal of what happened thousands of years ago at the Tower of Babel which was recorded in Genesis chapter 11.
At the Tower of Babel
The people all spoke one language and tried to build a one-world society, where everyone would live together in unity and safety.
The tower represented what people could accomplish without God, completely man-centered.
At Pentecost, we see the divine reversal. Instead of scattering and bringing confusion, God brought people together from every nation, tribe, and tongue to one city, poured out His Spirit on them and united them in Jesus Christ.
This is how we are called to live as a church -
“to be equipped and to be empowered by the Holy Spirit,”
to be filled with the Spirit’s power and wisdom and led by Him in our ministry to people. We are called to view each person as made in the image of God no matter what country or tribe they are from, no matter what language or dialect they speak.
Let’s continue to allow God’s Spirit to work in our lives.
