THE MYSTERY OF PENTECOST

The Mystery of Pentecost

    “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"  Rev 7:9-10 (NKJV)

    It is the Holy Spirit who moves the Church but for many Christians today, the Holy Spirit is a stranger.  Many who believe in Jesus do not know the Holy Spirit.  But Jesus said to baptize “in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit.”

    “And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.” Acts 2:4-6 (NLT)

    “No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike— and they will prophesy. And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below— blood and fire and clouds of smoke. The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives. But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’^”  Acts 2:16-21 (NLT)

    1. Peter preached the Gospel on Pentecost.

    “This is the first of about thirty speeches in Acts and one of the most important, standing as it does at the very inception of the church. It is a typical example of the preaching of the apostles, who proclaimed (1) that the OT promises had been fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is the promised Messiah; (2) that the apostles themselves were eyewitnesses of Jesus' entire public ministry and were his chosen representatives; (3) that people are called to repent of their sins and have faith in God through Christ; and (4) that salvation and the presence of the Holy Spirit are promised to those who respond affirmatively to this message of Good News. This basic message is echoed in the sermons of Acts chs 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, and 13. The same themes characterized Paul's preaching (see 1 Cor 15:3-9). This message was repeatedly preached to both Jews and Gentiles throughout the Mediterranean world; all people are summoned to repent of their sins and turn to God through faith in Jesus Christ.”  —NLT Study Bible

    Christian life is not just a moral life: it is our meeting with Jesus Christ.  And it is thanks to the Holy Spirit that this holy event takes place.  But we keep the Holy Spirit as a ‘prisoner’ in our hearts.  We do not allow the Spirit to push us forward, to move us. The Spirit does everything, knows everything, reminds us what Jesus said, can explain all about Jesus. There is only one thing the Holy Spirit can’t do: make us ‘Sunday’ Christians.

    "O Ephraim, what shall I do to you? O Judah, what shall I do to you? For your faithfulness is like a morning cloud, And like the early dew it goes away.”  Hosea 6:4 (NKJV)

    The Holy Spirit cannot make us look like ‘virtual’ Christians when we are not virtuous. The Holy Spirit makes us real Christians. The Spirit takes our life as it is and prophetically reads the signs of the times pushing us forward, the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity (Matt. 28:19-20).

    “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.  Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.   And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”  Romans 8:26-28 (NKJV)

    Neither the Spirit nor Christ plead with God for men in general, but only for those who are united to Christ - his people. Only Jesus brings God and men together [mediator] (1 Tim. 2:5), but others can plead with God for us (compare Gen. 18:23-33). Even though we cannot find words to pray, or are ignorant of the true nature of things (such as in a crisis), the Holy Spirit is our prayer-partner, and pleads with God for us.   And in accordance with God’s will. This is explained in the next verse. 28. We know that in all things. God is able to use suffering, sadness, poverty, imprisonment, death, etc., to call His people to Eternity. “Every problem contains an opportunity, and every opportunity contains a problem.” Compare 2 Cor. 7:9-11; Acts 28:16 and note. Those whom He has called. The best comment on this is 2 Thess. 2:13-14.

      “But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  2 Thess 2:13-14 (NKJV)