Reflections: Pentecost
Pastor Rollan Fisher
Focus: The resurrected Jesus tells his disciples to wait on the promise of the Father to minister to the nations in the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Resurrected Son
Waiting on the Father
Encountering the Holy Spirit
The Resurrected Son
Jesus prepared his disciples for Pentecost.
Acts 1:1-11 ESV
“In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. And while staying with them he ordered 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 you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. 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 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." And when he had said these things, 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."”
Jesus was resurrected and over the course of forty days gave many convincing proofs that he was alive, prior to his ascension.
He also spoke about the importance of Pentecost to come.
John the Baptist spoke of One who would baptize us with the Holy Spirit and fire (Luke 3:16) - John was speaking of Jesus.
Jesus promised to send us a Helper and a Guide (John 14:16-17).
Before his ascension, Jesus instructed his disciples to wait in Jerusalem to receive power to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:4-8).
This power would come when the Holy Spirit, the third person of the triune God would come upon his disciples to be Christ’s witnesses in the earth.
Pentecost is ultimately about harvest and mission.
*God’s mission has always started with God.
*God’s mission has always been to all nations.
Have you experienced the Holy Spirit’s empowerment in your life to be Christ’s witness?
Waiting on the Father
The disciples prepared for Pentecost in corporate prayer.
Acts 1:12-26 ESV
“Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, "Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry." (Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) "For it is written in the Book of Psalms, "'May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it'; and "'Let another take his office.' So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection." And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, "You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place." And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.”
The revival that started the early church was birthed out of corporate prayer.
It was in the place of corporate prayer that the disciples studied the Scripture, understood the times that they were in and looked to God’s direction for what to do.
The day of Pentecost would change everything: it was a turning point in redemptive history.
Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit would fulfill ancient promises, lead to the founding of the church of Jesus Christ and initiate her mission in the world.
Are you spending time waiting on God in corporate prayer?
Encountering the Holy Spirit
Pentecost prepared the nations to receive the supernatural reality of the resurrected Jesus.
Acts 2:1-36 ESV
“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested 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 was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, 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 people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: "'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon 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 that 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. God raised him up, loosing 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; my flesh also will dwell in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.' "Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about 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 on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about 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 that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, "'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool."' Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."”
The Holy Spirit is poured out to give supernatural witness of the resurrected Jesus to the nations.
In Jewish tradition, the annual Festival of Pentecost was known as Shavuot (sounds like shuh-voo-owt) and celebrated the anniversary of Moses receiving the Torah (the first five books of the Bible, Genesis-Deuteronomy) from Yahweh on Mount Sinai.
This receiving of the Law from God took place fifty days after the first Sabbath after the Passover (Exodus 23:16).
This coincides with the 50 days after Christ’s resurrection.
These parallels point to Jesus and the gospel.
The Shavuot was a day of joy at the end of the grain harvest celebrating the harvest that God had given his people.
Through this historic Pentecost, God was turning his church’s attention to the harvest of souls that Christ would reap in the nations.
*God’s mission has always drawn the perplexed and scornful.
Acts 2:6-13 ESV
“And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, 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."
Emotions in response to what God was doing at Pentecost:
Bewildered (2:6) - to cause such astonishment as to dismay
Amazed (2:7) - to cause to be in such a state in which things seem to make little or no sense; to be out of one’s normal state of mind
Astonished (2:7) - to be extraordinarily impressed or disturbed by something
Perplexed (2:12) - to be at a loss and to not know what to do; to be very confused
Mocking (2:13) - to make fun of someone by joking or jesting;
to scoff, to jeer
*God’s mission has always required a human voice proclaiming his Word.
Here, the speaker makes sense of all that God is doing.
Acts 2:14 ESV
“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.”
What did Peter explain?
Pentecost after Christ’s resurrection would be a fulfillment of the promise of the Father.
The Old Testament prophets saw the promises of Pentecost coming.
Ezekiel saw God promising a new heart and a new Spirit for restoration (Ezekiel 36:25-27).
Isaiah likened it to water reviving scorched earth (Isaiah 44:3).
So we see that Pentecost did not arrive unannounced - it was promised.
In Peter’s inaugural sermon in Acts 2, the apostle cites Joel 2:28-32 to talk about the result of the redeeming work of the Lord Jesus - God pouring out his Spirit on all flesh.
Joel 2:28-32 ESV
"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. "And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.”
The power and gifts of the Holy Spirit were and are meant to act as witnesses to Jesus Christ and his resurrection.
The point of Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was to turn the church of Jesus Christ to global mission.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are witnesses to the Father’s might, faithfulness, Christ’s life, grace and redeeming love for the world.
*God’s mission has always offered salvation to the lost.
Acts 2:37 ESV
“Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"”
There can be no Pentecost without Christ’s salvific work.
Jesus is revealed as the Word, God who took on flesh and came as the perfect rabbi to both explain and fulfill God’s law in perfection (John 1; Matthew 5:17-20).
Jesus was also the blemish free Passover Lamb of God who lived sinlessly and died sacrificially at the cross for our atonement.
Jesus would then be resurrected from the dead to provide an exodus for those who would put their trust in him to escape their slavery to sin and the judgment to come.
Through his death and resurrection, Jesus inaugurated the New Covenant and enabled the Spirit’s outpouring (John 7:39; Hebrews 9:15).
At Sinai, God gave the Law on stone; at Pentecost, the Spirit inscribed his law on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-34; 2 Corinthians 3:3).
This empowers us to live as Christ’s witnesses.
Through repentance from our sins and turning to Jesus, we can not only be forgiven for our wrongs, but be born again, reconciled to God to live in the freedom of Christ’s resurrected life.
After Christ’s resurrection, Pentecost would announce the harvest of lost souls coming to repentance and saving faith in Jesus from among all the nations.
The Holy Spirit would be poured out, gifts of God would be released and the gospel would be proclaimed amongst the nations.
Pentecost was not just an event but a commission - a climactic moment in redemptive history.
It fulfilled prophecy, confirmed Christ’s work, and began the Holy Spirit’s empowerment of the Church.
The Holy Spirit enabled the church to overcome barriers, proclaim the gospel with love and boldness, and fulfill God’s mission to redeem all nations.
What started in that upper room surged outward, reaching nations and shaping the history of the world.
Are you joining your church community in making Christ known to the nations?
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