What do we do now? My point here is that Luke links the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of our Lord in the Gospels to the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church in Acts. Jerusalem was swelled with pilgrims, at this point in time, and this added to the drama of the moment. And this express bus took Route 66 out of St. Louis all the way to Los Angeles, my first time to get on that fabled highway, Route 66. Pentecost occurred 50 days after Easter Sunday or 50 days after Jesus rose from the dead. 12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called the Mount of Olives (which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath days journey away). 19952023 All correspondence and questions should be sent to info@ucg.org. The elixir, the antidote to our faith, to every one of our problems, if we could see a miracle; and we like signs, but miracles, well, they're a little harder to come up with. Pentecost is the festival when Christians celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit. Doubt, some of them doubt, what did they doubt? The NEW ENGLISH TRANSLATION, also known as THE NET BIBLE, is a completely new translation of the Bible, not a revision or an update of a previous English version. It was the Roman soldiers that had carried out the death of Christ and had sealed the tomb and a Roman guard had been placed there. The Roots of Pentecost . He was the one who was the leader of that doubt and fear and terrified approach, because he denied Christ three times, and he had to be pointedly taught by Jesus. They determined that others needed to be appointed to oversee this ministry. As the story goes in Acts, just before his departure, Jesus reiterates to his disciples that they should wait for the Spirit. It is celebrated on the Sunday 50 days after Easter (the name comes from the Greek pentekoste, "fiftieth"). And it was the high priest and those people who had engineered His death, and they knew the power that they did have. Jesus had already gone back to Heaven so the disciples and new believers of Jesus were waiting to receive the Holy Spirit because that's what Jesus told them would happen. They didn't know. "What do we do?" And it just caused them to proverbially tear their clothes and rush at them and ultimately to the point of Stephen and they stoned him. 3You will note that I do not use the termdisciplesto refer to the eleven here, or the twelve elsewhere in Acts. We sometimes just kind of tail off when we get to the end of one of the Gospels and we know the events, Christ was crucified, Christ was risen, and we don't look at some of the details there. Now all of a sudden, as Peter steps forward, and of course, you know the story of Peter. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Acts is not the account of God choosing the best and most talented and godly people on the face of the earth, so that He can accomplish the Great Commission. So that when they came to that morning of Pentecost and this mighty event takes place, they were ready then to move into the experience provided, and that extra dimension of power that the Spirit of God would give them and did give to them, and Peter takes the lead to give the sermon of his life. It's God's Spirit that is the only thing that we can have to overcome those fears, because really, it's all the Church of God has ever had. The apostles sought greater knowledge. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in the breaking of bread and in prayers. ), and the Holy Spirit (1:2, 5, 8, 16). Verses 1-11 describe what happened during that 40-day period between our Lords resurrection and His ascension. And if those are the weapons of our warfare, then we can handle them. And when they reached their decision, they made it clear that their decision was guided by the Holy Spirit. Today's Scripture reference comes mainly from Acts 2:12-21. The Holy Spirit confirms the apostles testimony, especially their claim that they have seen Jesus Christ risen from the dead. When you read what Peter said about these prophecies from Joel and the Psalmstrust me, folks, Peter's sermon would not have passed doctrinal review by the Jewish doctrinal committee of that day. Then I finally figured out, "Oh, I got to do this myself. I kind of think that He kind of, you know, elevated, and rose, and they saw Him, and they saw Him and the clouds, and the clouds, and then all of a sudden just like that, [snaps fingers] He was gone, kind of like in a "Star Trek" just a flash of light. Pentecost starts in a locked room with believers waiting. And then it came to an end, it came to a close. And not for the reality that the 1st century world would have known and experienced, that other dimension. With a UCG.org account you will be able to save items to read and study later! Unmistakable. But some doubted." Up until this point, Paul (known as Saul until now) was clearly Barnabas assistant. They must not attempt to carry out the Great Commission without Pentecostal power. It isnt about us, my friend; it is about God. "Pentecost" is actually the Greek name for a festival known in the Old Testament as the Feast of Weeks ( Leviticus 23:15; Deuteronomy 16:9 ). 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 12 Then when the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, because he was greatly astounded at the teaching about the Lord. 5 Now this secret was not disclosed to people in former generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, 6 namely, that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:4-6, emphasis mine). It is rooted in the Word of God. The decision to proceed with the process of replacing Judas was seen as obedience to Psalm 109:8, thus leading to its fulfillment. 1 Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. This is implied in Acts 1:3, but it is clear in particular instances, such as when Jesus appeared to the disciples who went fishing with Peter in John 21. 7The apparent contradictions between this account and that of Matthew 27:3-10 are not insurmountable. Mark chapter 16, verse 9, now, "When He rose early on the first day of the week," speaking of Christ's resurrection. 5In this regard, it is similar to the words of the two angels to the women at the tomb, as seen in Luke 24:4-7. I've got to find out where that next bus leaves, and what time." It is the Word of God and it is the Spirit of God that did it for them, and will do it for you and for I today as we live our lives, as we go about our lives. John has another set of accounts, and then he kind of ends and he leaves it wide open. Related Topics: Bibliology (The Written Word), Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. Pentecost is a special day for any Christian, but it is emphasised particularly by Pentecostal churches. Their disbelief would extend not only to the idea that the dead could come back to life, as He did, but then they doubted the truth of these witnesses. The Holy Spirit designated Barnabas and Saul. Acts is the record of how our Lord is fulfilling the Great Commission by using weak and fallible men. And continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people, and the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.". These were not terrified, doubtful people. Well, the real answer is for you and I, the same things that are going through your mind right now, and my mind. First, the replacement of Judas occurs prior to Pentecost. It is not my purpose here to allow these matters to sidetrack our consideration of the argument of this text. Lukes Great Commission (unlike those in the Gospel of Matthew, Mark, and John) was given just prior to His ascension. Read more. It's an informed sermon. Pentecost always occurs 50 days after the death and resurrection of Jesus, and ten days after his ascension into heaven. Others have sought to justify this action on the part of the apostles. The Holy Spirit will come upon you shortly to empower you to carry out this task, so wait in Jerusalem until you receive this power.. This was a healthy fear of respect and awe and wonder at now what had happened. Consider these elements: First we find the doctrine of the Trinityin the first chapter, which speaks of the Father (1:4), the Son (1:4, etc. In the context of Acts (and the Epistles), we should see that the Holy Spirit is a significant part of the enablement we need. And they chose Matthias by casting lots. Labor in the Word, meaning to read the Word, and to learn it, and to soak it in and drink it in; and to live the Word, this past year. He understood that, and again, He is just laying it out that they were troubled and there was doubt. This is the edited manuscript of Lesson 2 in theStudies in the Book of Actsseries prepared by Robert L. Deffinbaugh on September 25, 2005. What I would like to underscore is the role of the Holy Spirit in our Lords giving of the Great Commission. Why does Luke spend as much time (12 verses) describing this one event as he does depicting the 40 days of our Lords appearances on the earth (11 verses)? And so it was very key that His final ascension would be from this mountain. What did they do during that 10 days? It is the day, 40 days after the Resurrection, when Jesus returns to his Father. Apparently, two angelic figures appeared to them as the disciples were kind of watching Christ go. During those 40 days, He provided them with many convincing proofs that He had indeed risen from the dead. 14 All these continued together in prayer with one mind, together with the women, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers (Acts 1:12-14). Based upon Pauls words in Ephesians 3, I am inclined to assume what a portion of this conversation may have been: 4 When reading this, you will be able to understand my insight into this secret of Christ. The Cross And Unjust Suffering (1 Peter 2:19-25). And over a three and a half year period they had had their lives transformed and then they'd watched Him die. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. Before Pentecost: What Were They Thinking. We learn that it was Peter who provided the leadership (1:15). He enjoys hunting, travel and reading and spending time with his grandchildren. The empty tomb and the absence of a body is further evidence of our Lords resurrection, and to this the Holy Spirit will bear witness. During the 50 days after Jesus' death, He had many interactions with his Disciples and followers, providing them with guidance and . And so they had become a part of something that again, they were still trying to understand. And you have to understand that and realize that, that's what they were doing during that period of time as well. "And He said to them, 'Thus it is written, thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer, to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and the remissions of sins would be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem, and you are witnesses of these things. The Giving of the Holy Spirit: On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Disciples and those with them. We all have signs, we take certain things as signs. Finally, verses 15-26 are the account of the selection of Matthias as the twelfth apostle, a replacement for Judas. When the Jerusalem Council met to determine what should be required of Gentile converts, they determined that Gentiles must not be placed under the law, and that they observe only a few restrictions. We can take on that nature and we can live. It was completed by more than twenty biblical scholars who worked directly from the best currently available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. But all of this in the midst of a troubled, terrified, frightened mindset that they were having to work through, during these days between the resurrection and Pentecost. By inference, this second volume is the account of all that Jesus continued to do and to teach, through His apostles. The apostles then found themselves speaking in foreign languages, inspired by the Holy Spirit. That's an important trait for a firstfruit, for a firstfruit to have in their life, and in their approach to life. What they needed was power, power to proclaim the gospel so that men would believe and be saved. Why are you standing around gazing? They were kind of like this, and like this. The coming of the Spirit is described as: (1) the promise of the Father (verse 4); (2) that which the apostles heard from Jesus (verse 4); and, (3) that which John the Baptist foretold (verse 5).