The Day Of Pentecost
Acts 2:1-4 – “And when the Day of Pentecost was fully come (the Feast of Pentecost, one of the seven great Feasts ordained by God and practiced by Israel yearly; it took place fifty days after Passover), they were all with one accord in one place (not the Upper Room where they had been previously meeting, but rather the Temple [Lk. 24:53; Acts 2:46]).
“And suddenly there came a sound from Heaven as of a rushing mighty wind (portrays the coming of the Holy Spirit in a new dimension, all made possible by the Cross), and it filled all the house (the Temple) where they were sitting (they were probably in the Court of the Gentiles).
“And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire (the only record of such in the New Testament, and was the fulfillment of the Prophecy of John the Baptist concerning Jesus [Mat. 3:11]), and it sat upon each of them (refers to all who were there, not just the Twelve Apostles; the exact number is not known).
“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit (all were filled, not just the Apostles; due to the Cross, the Holy Spirit could now come into the hearts and lives of all Believers to abide permanently [Jn. 14:16]), and began to speak with other Tongues (the initial physical evidence that one has been baptized with the Spirit, and was predicted by the Prophet Isaiah [Isa. 28:9-12], and by Christ [Mk. 16:17; Jn. 15:26; 16:13]), as the Spirit gave them utterance (meaning they did not initiate this themselves, but that it was initiated by the Spirit; as we shall see, these were languages known somewhere in the world, but not by the speaker).”
This article is actually from a sermon I preached about 15 years ago. I recently came across it while looking through some of my old preaching Bibles, and as I looked over the notes, it blessed me to the point that I thought it would make a great article. I hope you enjoy and learn from it.
THE INFILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS NOT AN OPTION, BUT A COMMAND
In Acts, Chapter One, which could be called the Last Will and Testament of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord gave the following instructions just prior to His Ascension to the Father in Heaven.
1. He “Commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the Promise of the Father, which said He, you have heard of Me” (Acts 1:4).
2. “For John truly baptized with water; but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days hence” (Acts 1:5).
3. Then in Acts 1:8, our Lord said, “But you shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the Earth.”
So, one can see the importance the Lord placed upon His Followers being filled with the Holy Spirit. Therefore, if the Lord would use His Last Words to His Followers to be filled with the Holy Spirit, then we today should take heed to His Command.
THE DAY OF PENTECOST
The Day of Pentecost refers to the Feast of Pentecost, which was one of the Seven Feasts Israel was to observe. Pentecost means, “Fiftieth,” and occurred fifty days after the Feast of Passover. It’s interesting to note that on the very first Pentecost observed, which was in the wilderness fifty days after the first Passover in Egypt, the Bible says that 3,000 men of Israel were killed due to Israel’s sin with the Golden Calf. But on the Day of Pentecost in Acts, Chapter 2, 3,000 men were Saved.
In this article, I want to deal with specific words or phrases that give us a greater insight into the Person and the Work of the Holy Spirit. So let’s look at them now.
ONE ACCORD
This phrase means, “To be likeminded.” The idea is that it is the Desire and Work of the Holy Spirit in our lives to bring us into likemindedness with the Lord and His Word. He Desires to form us into the Image of Christ in word and deed. The Holy Spirit is always in Perfect Agreement with Christ and His Word. A lot of religious bias and error would fall to the wayside if we would ask the Holy Spirit to help us understand the Bible.
SUDDENLY
As used in Verse 2, the word “suddenly” means, “an unexpected occurrence”; as in you never know when the Holy Spirit is going to Move. You don’t have to be in Church for there to be a sudden unexpected Moving of the Holy Spirit in your heart. It can happen during your prayer time or during your Bible Study. It can happen in Service during the Praise and Worship. That’s one of the most beautiful things about the Holy Spirit. While we might not know when He is going to Move, He does; and when He does Move, what a change He brings.
A SOUND FROM HEAVEN
The word “sound” means, “something which is heard,” or another meaning is “echo.” The Holy Spirit desires to be heard in our hearts and our Services. As well, as it regards the word “echo,” the idea is that if we let the Holy Spirit have His Way in our life, we become an “echo” of only what the Word of God has to say.
RUSHING MIGHTY WIND
“Wind” is one of the five Symbols of the Holy Spirit and it speaks of the Power of the Holy Spirit. The mighty Power of the Holy Spirit is greater than the forces of darkness that war against us. The Power of the Spirit is what our churches need. Power to see souls Saved, sick bodies healed, Believers filled with the Spirit, demons cast out, and broken hearts mended.
FILLED
This word means, “to furnish.” The idea being that the Holy Spirit is the One to furnish what we need such as Grace, Anointing, Faith, Power, Wisdom, Guidance, etc. The word also means, “to finish.” Whatever the Lord starts, the Holy Spirit finishes (see Gen. 1:1-2). It also means, “to dwell in.” Jesus told His Disciples that when the Holy Spirit would come, He would not only be with you but He would dwell within you (Jn. 14:17).
CLOVEN
This word means, “to separate” or “to divide.” The idea is that the Holy Spirit, if we let Him have His Way in our hearts, He will separate or divide us from that which is false and not of God.
FIRE
Fire is another Symbol of the Holy Spirit and it speaks of purity. In Matthew 3:11-12, John the Baptist said, “I indeed baptize you with water unto Repentance: but He Who cometh after me is mightier than I, Whose Shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire: Whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His Floor, and gather His Wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” The idea is that even though one is Saved and even filled with the Holy Spirit, there are still things in our lives that are not pleasing to the Lord that He wants to purge out of our lives.
This is not automatic. It is something one must desire and seek the Lord to show us what must be purified in our lives.
SAT
The word “sat” means, “to hover over.” The idea of this word is that the Holy Spirit not only dwells within us, but He also “hovers over” us. He saturates us. He covers us in His mighty Power. As a Spirit-filled Believer, I desire for all these attributes of the Holy Spirit to be prevalent in my life and I hope you do, too.
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