ON PENTECOST

More than 2000 years ago, Jesus of Nazareth promised to His Disciple Peter that He would founded His CHURCH on Peter ( better understand ‘by using Peter’). His disciples did not understand what Jesus means.

One day, this Jesus, told His disciples ( in simple version)  “you will not understand all things I am telling you. But you will understand when the Helper come.”

“This Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father ( God in Heaven) send to you in my name  ( in Jesus place) will make you understand all this I told you. He will tell you all the truth about me”.

 “I am going away soon.  But I will not leave you like an orphan. I will come to you again to help you. I will send the TRUE HELPER when I go away. And it is good that I go away so that the TRUE HELPER come to you in my place. If I do not go away, the Helper will not come. But if I go away, the Helper will come to you and he will be with you for ever”.

His disciples could not understand what Jesus was telling them. Jesus, actually, was telling them that he will die but will send the Holy Spirit to help them. He also told them three times that He would die but will rise again on the third day.

Jesus’ prediction came true. He died but was raised from the dead on the third day. He appeared to His disciples and others and lived with them for forty days on earth again. Then, He left them, instructing them to stay at Jerusalem till Pentecost. He means to say that the Holy Spirit will come on Pentecost. As such, His disciples and other followers stayed at Jerusalem, waiting the promised of the Lord Jesus.

Read from the Bible :

To them he presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days, and speaking of the kingdom of God. And while staying with them he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, "you heard from me, for John baptized with water, but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"

He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own

authority.But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth."

And when he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes,

and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." (Acts 1:3-11)

Read more from the Bible :

 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.

And they were amazed and wondered, saying, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?

And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?

Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,

Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians, we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God."

And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?"

But others mocking said, "They are filled with new wine."

But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day; but this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

`And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;

yea, and on my menservants and my maidservants in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.

And I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth beneath, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and manifest day. And it shall be that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'

"Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know --this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

But God raised him up, having loosed the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.

For David says concerning him, `I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover my flesh will dwell in hope.

For thou wilt not abandon my soul to Hades, nor let thy Holy One see corruption.

Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou wilt make me full of gladness with thy presence.'

"Brethren, I may say to you confidently of the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne, he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.

This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this which you see and hear.

For David did not ascend into the heavens; but he himself says, `The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand,

till I make thy enemies a stool for thy feet.'

Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."

Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?"

And Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to him."

And he testified with many other words and exhorted them, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked

generation."

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand

souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the

prayers. And fear came upon every soul; and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.

And all who believed were together and had all things in common; and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:1-47)

Thus, the ‘Believers’, who received baptism became the first CHURCH.

Let us pray God to pour out the Holy Spirit on us and filled us throughout our life; to help  us live a Christ-like life, worthy to be called ‘the children of God’. And that we may also witness Christ and extend the Kingdom of God.

God bless you.