We’re all on the journey to Pentecost together.
A journey from doubt to belief. From fear to faith. From failure to maturity. From human power to Spirit power. This time, we’re going skip ahead a bit and look at the day of Pentecost and the baptism of the Holy Spirit, then next week (Pentecost Sunday) we are going to dig into Peter’s Pentecost sermon.
Waiting to Witness
Last week we looked at Acts 1:8 “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 1:8 is the theme for the rest of the book of Acts and sets the stage for all that is to come. Jesus instructed the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. After his ascension the disciples obediently returned to Jerusalem and waited and prayed for the Holy Spirit. During this time of waiting, they waited actively. They gathered and prayed; they didn’t just sit around killing time (Acts 1:12-14).
This waiting has two features.[1] They were gathered in unity. They spent their time in prayer. Unity and prayer are critical features for the mission that is about to be launched. From Jesus’ resurrection to ascension it has been 40 days. The disciples then wait another 10 days until the Day of Pentecost.[2] What is significant about the Day of Pentecost? As a major/compulsory Jewish feast, many Jews from all over the world were in Jerusalem as they would travel to Jerusalem for Passover and stay until the day of Pentecost.[3]
Baptism
The stage is set. Jesus has prepared the disciples with a promise and teaching. The disciples are gathering and praying. Many Jews are in Jerusalem for a major feast. On the morning of the day of Pentecost the disciples are together, most likely at the temple. “In view of the context, they are not merely in the same place, but they are in fellowship with one another. Their real sense of community centers in their personal knowledge of the risen Christ and their devotion to him.”[4]
Then, the period of waiting and praying suddenly ends. The Spirit is poured out: “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. 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.” (Acts 2:1-4)
We must notice that the day of Pentecost was not something theoretical or symbolic. The believers baptized in the Spirit experienced something. Certainly, the crowd of people who witnessed this event also saw something. Remember, back in John the disciples had already received salvation and the indwelling of the Spirit (John 20:22). So this outpouring of the Spirit is a separate and subsequent experience. There are two initial signs.
The sound of rushing wind and the tongues as of fire are Old Testament symbols of theophany (a visible manifestation of God) (Compare to when God appeared on Mt Sinai Ex. 19:16-18, when God appeared to Elijah 1 Ki 19:11-12).[5]
Finally, Luke speaks of the third sign. The believers are filled with the Holy Spirit and begin to speak in tongues. They speak in known languages (though they had not learned to speak these languages) as people in the crowd from all over the world were able to hear them in their own languages (Acts 2:5-13). Most importantly, this speaking is enabled by the Holy Spirit and is the sign of baptism in the Holy Spirit rather than the sign of theophany.
Meaning and Explanation
Next week, we will get into Peter’s Pentecost sermon, but for now let’s look at what the baptism of the Spirit and the day of Pentecost means. The baptism of the Spirit is given for the purpose of witness (Acts 1:8), meaning that it is the power of the Spirit that enables the believers to be Jesus’ witnesses. Speaking in tongues is the sign or initial evidence of baptism in the Holy Spirit.
Let me share my personal story with you here.
Growing up in a non-Pentecostal church, baptism in the Holy Spirit was not a familiar concept for me. I ended up going to a Pentecostal Bible College and after wrestling with the concept of Holy Spirit baptism for most of my first year, I finally accepted that it was Biblical and that I could be baptized in the Holy Spirit if it wasn’t weird or forced. (We can admit people have done and said some weird things around Spirit Baptism). Well, God was willing to speak my language and that summer during a family camp at Lake Else Pentecostal camp near Terrace BC I was baptized in the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. This was for me a confirmation of my call to ministry and that I was on the right path at Bible College.
As we follow the story in Acts, it clearly teaches that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is available for all believers. Young, old, men, women. Everyone.
Application and Conclusion
- The Day of Pentecost was not random
- Jesus prepared the disciples and they spent time in prayer and unity
- To accomplish the mission of Jesus, Christians need to experience the risen Jesus, obey him and then spend time in unity and prayer
- The Baptism of the Spirit launched the disciples into witness
- The disciples had to wait for the baptism of the Spirit before their mission of witnessing launched
- It was only with Spirit power that they would be able to accomplish anything
- Believers need to receive the completeness of the Spirit. Nothing much is accomplished without the power of the Holy Spirit. It is He who leads and energizes the church. We need the vitality of the Holy Spirit
We’re all on the journey to Pentecost together. A journey from doubt to belief. From fear to faith. From failure to maturity. From human power to Spirit power. From waiting to witnessing.
[1] Roger Stronstad, Acts Class Notes, Summit Pacific College
[2] “The day of Pentecost (he Pentecost, “the fiftieth [day]”) occurred fifty days from Nisan 16, the day after the Passover. It was also called “the Feast of Weeks,” because it occurred seven weeks after Passover. On account of the wheat harvest occurring in that period, it was a celebration of the grain harvest.” (Arrington and Stronstad eds, Life in the Spirit New Testament Commentary, 1999 pg 541)
[3] Arrington and Stronstad eds, Life in the Spirit New Testament Commentary, 1999 pg 542
[4] Arrington and Stronstad eds, Life in the Spirit New Testament Commentary, 1999 pg 542
[5] Roger Stronstad, Acts Class Notes, Summit Pacific College
