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WHAT HAPPENED AT PENTECOST A misunderstanding of Acts 2 and what happened at Pentecost has brought confusion and division to the church of Jesus Christ. We have been so busy arguing and defending our beliefs on what happened at Pentecost, that we have missed what happened at Pentecost. Did the church begin? Are tongues for today? What happened at Pentecost? Some are very busy staging revivals, or seeking to duplicate the miracles of Pentecost, but I say to you, you cannot duplicate a miracle. Charles Spurgeon said, "We may not have a repetition of the miraculous gifts which were then bestowed upon the apostles and those who were with them; but we may have that gracious influence which shall convince and convert those who refuse to hear the Word." The bottom line of what happened at Pentecost, in one single word, is this: REVIVAL! God did a work of revival. He filled the believers present with the Holy Spirit, and empowered them to win souls. On the Day of Pentecost revival came, the believers were filled with the Holy Spirit, and three thousand souls were saved and baptized into water, uniting with the infant church! Ultimately, that is what happened when the Day of Pentecost had fully come! Jesus told them to “wait for the promise of the the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me” (Acts 1:4). Acts 1:5: For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. On the Day of Pentecost they were waiting for the promised baptism with the Holy Spirit. Luke says it this way in his Gospel: Luke 24:49; And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. Endued with power speaks of being clothed with the power of the Holy Spirit. Endued with power is the same thing as the baptism with the Holy Spirit, and it relates to being witnesses of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection and the forgiveness that one receives upon faith in Christ alone by grace alone (Luke 24:45-48). This baptism was one that would empower the disciples to become fishers of men: Acts 1:8; But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Notice that the disciples were tarrying in the city of Jerusalem to receive the power of the Holy Spirit in order to be effective, fruitful witnesses for Christ. They were not tarrying to receive the power of the Holy Spirit to speak in tongues. They were not tarrying to receive the power of the Holy Spirit so the church could be born. They were tarrying to be endued, or clothed with power on high to witness for Christ! And that is what happened on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 and that is what every church needs! We all need this power individually, and our churches need this kind of revival corporately. William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, said: "The church of America in the 20th Century will be characterized by, "Salvation without Regeneration • Religion without the Holy Spirit • Christianity without Christ • Forgiveness without Repentance • Politics without God • Heaven without Hell." With this as the main thing that happened at Pentecost, let us consider these things that happened as well. The following four elements all demonstrate that God was mightily at work. The first thing that we can say definitely happened at Pentecost is there was great and fervent SUPPLICATION. Acts 1:14 tells us that “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.” This fervent prayer continued as they awaited the coming of the Holy Spirit. Because of the clear words of Jesus, they were gathered with one accord. There was unity. There was no schism or disagreement about what they were waiting or what they needed. They were waiting for the power of God and they needed this power! It seems today there is much disagreement and the body of Christ is not united at all about what happened at Pentecost. Is it because we want to overemphasize the details and forget the main thing that did happen? Psalm 133:1, 3: Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. For there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life evermore. 1 Corinthians 1:10; Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. Philippians 1:27; Stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel. We need the right kind of unity, too. We must be united in the truth of Jesus Christ and the truth of the Word of God. Many seek a false unity. The uniting of so-called Evangelicals with Roman Catholics is frightening, and hastening the coming of the one world church of the Antichrist. The ignorance of professing Christians is appalling, and the discernment toward heresy and false teaching is almost non-existent! The second thing that definitely happened at Pentecost is there was a SOUND of a rushing, mighty wind! This sound of the rushing mighty wind filled the room. The wind did not fill the room, but the sound that was a mighty blast of God's BREATH filled the room. It was a supernatural sound, not an ordinary sound. It does not mean they felt anything, but the sound was like a mighty wind. One cannot duplicate this. It was a miracle that God did. What is sad is we are trying to duplicate the outward phenomena of what happened at Pentecost and missing the truth of what happened. The word wind is found only in Acts 17:25, translated "breath." The fact that this sound was like a mighty wind is an emblem of God's mighty power and presence. John 3:8, "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth; so is every one that is born of the Spirit." Ezekiel 37: In the valley of dry bones the wind blew and breath came into the dry bones and made them an exceeding great army. In like manner, dry bones were gathered at Pentecost, but when the sound of a mighty rushing wind blew, they were filled with the Spirit and empowered to witness! This wind is a symbol of the Holy Spirit giving life and power. The first mention of a wind in the Bible is Genesis 8:1; "God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged." The wind of God blew and removed the judgment from the land. Today we need the wind of God to blow upon our homes, church, city and nation to revive us and remove us from judgment. Wind of God, blow to remove judgment from the land! Exodus 14:21: It was the wind of God that blew to hold back the judgment of the Red Sea, it was the wind of God that delivered Israel. "The Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided." Exodus 15:10; "Thou didst blow with thy wind." One cannot repeat or reproduce such actions. God did it unmistakably and without controversy. May we be led to pray: Wind of God, blow upon us to protect us from all dangers that come upon us! Numbers 11:31, There went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp. God's wind blew and His people were fed! Oh, blow wind of God today to feed thy people with meat! Jonah 1:4; The wind of God blew, and Jonah was brought under conviction that he was running from God. Maybe you are running from God today, Oh, wind of God blow to recapture the backsliding saint! Oh God, who flies upon the wings of the wind, blow with thy Spirit today! Lord Jesus, You gather the wind in your fists, blow upon us today life that we might be revived and filled with thy Holy Spirit. Old Testament feasts were annual events that pointed to an ultimate fulfillment. For example, Jesus was crucified on the very day of the Passover. The blood of the lamb was put upon the door of the house, and Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of the Passover Lamb. The Feast of Pentecost took place fifty days after the Passover, and it was the celebration of the harvest. Each family presented the first harvested sheaf of the barley harvest. On this day in history, the Day of Pentecost was fully come. This means the ultimate fulfillment of the Feast of Pentecost had arrived. Just as Jesus died once and for all to fulfill the Passover Feast, this day fulfills the true purpose of Pentecost. Leviticus 23 tells us the nation was to take two loaves of bread baked with leaven. This is the only offering in the Mosaic Law offered with leaven. Leaven in Scripture is often a type of sin. These two loaves are taken and waved over two lambs. I believe it speaks of Jew and Gentile, both imperfect and yes with sin, being brought together by the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. The Church in Acts 2 is being empowered to preach the Gospel to all the world. The church is not just for the Jew, or just for the Gentile, but it is a house of prayer for all the nations of the earth to reach all the nations of the earth! The next thing that happens on the Day of Pentecost is there is a great SIGHT of tongues of fire, sitting over the heads of those who were gathered there (Acts 2:3). They saw something that appeared like a tongue of fire. Let's break it down and "flesh it out!" Here are two very important emblems. Fire and tongues. What does the FIRE represent? Fire is a frequent symbol of Deity as well as wind. Fire is that which burns, spreads, illuminates, warms, and purges. We need the Holy Spirit to ILLUMINE us, to lead us into truth, as He is the One who indwells us. Fire also gives INTENSITY, and may the fire of God burn in our hearts to make us ablaze with his love, burning with zeal, persuading men concerning the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ! Fire is used by God to bring JUDGMENT. God rained fire upon Sodom and Gomorrah to judge that wicked city given over to homosexuality. In the plagues upon Pharoah, there was fire mingled with hail. The last use of the word fire in the Bible is Revelation 21:8 speaking of the lake of fire which is the second death. Fire speaks of God's judgment. The tongues of fire is a sign gift to Israel of coming judgment (1 Corinthians 14:20, 21). Tongues was a sign to the nation of Israel of a judgment to come. This judgment did come in A.D. 70 when God allowed the Romans to destroy the Temple in Jerusalem. From that day until now, no animal sacrifice has been offered at the Temple mount! Tongues pointed to this judgment that would come upon the chosen people of God. Fire is used by God to demonstrate His Presence. God spoke to Moses from a burning bush. "The angel of the Lord appeared to Moses as a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush." Yes, our God is said to be a consuming fire. It was as a pillar of fire that God manifested His presence to Israel as they toiled in the wilderness for 40 years. The tongues of fire speak of God's presence with the early church. The Lord God of heaven was manifesting His presence among the early church showing them that His salvation was now available for all men, Jew as well as Gentile. We need the presence of God with us! Our problem is we have allowed the things of this world to squeeze out God from our lives! Fire in the Bible speaks of SACRIFICE. He caused fire to come down from heaven a number of times to consume the offerings of His people. With Elijah on Mt. Carmel, He was the God who answered by fire (1 Kings 18:24). The tongue of fire speaks of God desiring His people to be living sacrifices for his service, especially in the use of their tongues. They would be mocked as unlearned and ignorant men, but they were to still speak those things they had seen and heard, they would be threatened with jail and even death, but they were to obey God rather than men (Acts 4:20; 5:29). Here is a unique emblem. "Cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them." Not only was this an emblem of fire, but also a tongue. What do the TONGUES resting upon those present represent? This was not a fire in the shape of a sword, for God has not called us to win this world with guns and swords, but with our tongues, we are called to preach! This was not a fire in the shape of a rose, for we are not called to preach that which everyone will think is nice and sentimental. We are not called to speak soft words that will give false comfort to a lost and sinful people. The word glossa is a member of the body or a language. God wants our speech to be ablaze with love, and intense with zeal, not merely deliberate and logical, but passionate and pleading. Friends, we are in need of REVIVAL! Revival is when the Spirit of God comes in power convincing men of His Word, conviction men, then bringing the lost to conversion, and the saved to consecration! Revival is when people become saturated and satisfied with God! When Revival comes, Christians will hunger to read the Bible, and come to church; sin becomes distasteful and terrible; Christians witness with courage and compassion; souls become saved, believers pray, husbands love their wives, and wives submit to their husbands, and God's people give generously without grudging! We are in need of a revival when people are late to church without caring, when Christians are irresponsible to their duties without repenting, when church members can dance, drink, carouse then play usher, deacon, or preacher on Sunday morning, and when God’s people can camp out in front of the television seven hours per day, seven days a week, then come to church one hour a week and think we are a mighty Christian! We need a revival in the pulpit and pew, preachers need the touch of God upon their lives to please God alone, and not man, to be unafraid to preach the whole counsel of God no matter who may get mad, to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength! The next thing that definitely happened at Pentecost is there was a miracle of SPEECH. Along with the sound of the rushing mighty wind, and the sight of a tongue like as of fire, they were then filled with the Holy Ghost, and they "began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." Speech with wind and fire is powerful, like a raging forest fire! The tongues spoken were an actual language. The breath of God blew, the fire of God fell, and they were filled with the Holy Ghost, and spoke with languages they had not previously studied. It is very clear they spoke languages unknown to them previously, but known to others present. Tongues speaking was the miracle of language knowledge without study. We are called to be filled with the Holy Spirit, to speak the Word of God. Present were men of all different nations under heaven (v.5); and they were amazed because they heard these believers speaking in their own language, or dialect (v.6), and they marvelled because the believers were speaking in the language in which they were born. (v.8) (See the other message on our website on the subject “Messages on Tongues Speaking: Is Tongues for Today?) Let me make a few simple, undeniable statements about tongues speaking in the New Testament: First, note that tongues are not highly emphasized in the pages of our New Testament. This sign gift is only mentioned three times in Acts (2, 10, 19) and only in one epistle, 1 Corinthians 12-14, where the emphasis is upon the misuse and abuse of tongues. It is only mentioned in one of the Gospel accounts, and that is in Mark 16:17. It is not mentioned in the Pastoral Epistles, Ephesians, Romans, or 1 Peter! Remember that tongues was spoken in Ephesus (Acts 19), but Paul says absolutely when writing the pastor of the church at Ephesus (Timothy). Paul also says nothing about tongues speaking in the letter he wrote to the Ephesian church! Second, tongues speaking is not the evidence of the fulness of the Spirit. As one looks up the phrase "filled with the Holy Ghost,” you will discover it appears eight times in Scripture. On only one occasion does tongues speaking occur with this phrase, “filled with the Holy Ghost,” and that is in Acts 2. Look up Acts 4:8, 31 and Acts 13:9 where believers were filled with the Holy Spirit but did not speak in tongues. Tongues were not a private gift but a gift to edify the whole body of Christ. It was always practiced in public so that God could be glorified, and man could be edified. Spiritual gifts are given to the body of Christ so that we can minister to one another, not so we can prove our own spirituality. Some of our Charismatic friends want us to feel that we are missing a whole lot if we do not speak in tongues in a private prayer language. We never see tongues in Scripture as a private prayer language, but as a way to declare the Gospel to men of other languages which the person speaking had never studied. Tongues were given to declare the “wonderful works of God” (Acts 2:11). This speaks of preaching, not just praising, definitely not ecstatic worship. In Acts 19:6 when the Ephesian believers received the gift of the Holy Spirit they spoke with tongues and "prophesied." Prophesy relates to fore-telling future events, or declaring the truth of God. In Acts 10 they spoke with tongues and "magnified God." Even this emphasizes that they made the work that God was doing great. Preaching magnifies God, preaching declares the greatness of God! Tongues speaking was a sign gift to the nation of Israel. 1 Corinthians 14:21,22; In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord. Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not. The “this people” to whom Paul refers is definitely Israel. As you look back at the law from which Paul quotes, you see that the context is judgment upon Israel for their disobedience. The nation of Israel would hear the foreign languages of invading nations as a sign of the disobedience. In all the occurrences of tongues speaking in Acts, Israelites were present. In Corinth there were certainly Israelites to whom tongues would also be a sign. Tongues is not a sign for one believer to show either to himself or to others that he is filled with the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 14:22a; Tongues are a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not. The pronoun “them” clearly refers back to the “this people” in verse 21 which unmistakably refers to Israel! The last undeniable thing that happened at Pentecost is there was SALVATION for three thousand souls! There was conviction, convincing, conversion, and consecration! Notice the great response of those who heard Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost . That day three thousand souls were saved who were then baptized and added to the early church! What a day that was when the Day of Pentecost was fully come! The bottom line of what happened at Pentecost, in one single word, is this: REVIVAL! He filled the believers present with the Holy Spirit, and empowered them to win souls so that three thousand were saved and then baptized! Don’t forget that that is what happened on the Day of Pentecost! |