Best Answer. Some say that they wound up in the temple precincts; could very well be. Did they doubt what they were seeing? That's how we live the Word, that's how we drink in the Word, and it changes our life and it banishes the fear, gives us confidence in who we are and what we are to do. Those in the flesh are devoid of the Spirit and cannot submit to God's law or please God. The Roman Empire was not anything to fool around with. And then they had seen that He was resurrected. It was true then. Theoretically Correct vs Practical Notation. In Revelation chapter 14, we are given an image of the firstfruits, called the 144,000 in this part of the Revelation. The dam was completed in 1970 and in 1971 there was a grand dedication ceremony and the 12 turbines with their ten billion kilowatt-hour capacity were unleashed with enough power to light every city in Egypt. So here are ten ways Old Testament believers experienced the Holy Spirit which in these "last days" of Pentecostal fulfillment ought to be enjoyed by the church. Thus, the Pentecost is the culmination, the ultimate gift of Spirit, when the apostles get Him to such an extent and intensity that they can already be emboldened by Him to preach to all corners of the world, withstanding all calamities and opposing powers. Not many days, we would look at it roughly 10 days from that 40-day period. By using our website, you accept our use of cookies as described in our Privacy Policy. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. And then it came to an end, it came to a close. Of course, on the day that He died there had been an earthquake, the sun had turned to dark at midday, people had come out of their graves and it had set Jerusalem all abuzz. If you go back to Matthew chapter 28, chapter 28 and verse 16, let's just read a few of the accounts of that period following the resurrection, that the Gospel accounts tell us and there's more there. Now let me suggest an analogy to illustrate the experience of the Spirit before and after Pentecost. Could very old employee stock options still be accessible and viable? Read the Bible, discover plans, and seek God every day. Even before the dam was completed and the reservoir was officially unleashed on the day of Pentecost, the OT saints downstream enjoyed stupendous benefits from the river of God's Spirit. She went and told those who had been with Him as they mourned and wept." Hagiographical sources also portray saints as those able to withstand the fear or deceit brought . 157 views, 3 likes, 4 loves, 3 comments, 2 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Mora Grace Lutheran Church: Music used with permission from CCLI In the New Testament, Elisabeth, John the Forerunner's mother, was filled with Spirit as she saw the pregnant Virgin, and she prophesied immediately (Luke 1:39-41) and so did the old widow-prophetess Anna at vision of Jesus taken to the temple (Luke 2:36-38); John the Forerunner himself was filled with Holy Spirit from his childhood (Luke 1:15), and of course the apostles, even before the Pentecost, had a degree of presence of Spirit in them (at least no less than John the Forerunner), through which presence they could act miracles; they got even to a greater degree of intensity the gift of the Spirit, when Jesus - before the Pentecost - blew in them the Spirit and added to them (through this new dimension of the presence of Spirit) an ability to forgive sins (John 20:22). . That's how I imagine it and He was home, He was back at, He was at the third heaven. What we read about back in Matthew 28:19 Matthew 28:19Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:American King James Versionof the gospel being taken to the world. My Spirit abides among you. Matthew 71:seventeen, XVII, 10-18, and on the Sabbath (beginning): Rome, 111:seventeen, XIII, 1-10. Now, when we turn over to Acts chapter 1, and we look at, kind of summing up of this as it is. A period of unity, one accord, fellowship, love for one another, treating people as equals, not in a completely socialistic manner that we understand from our modern context of socialism, or the welfare type of society. When the disciples saw the Lord, they became very happy. Although Thomas the Twin was one of the twelve disciples, he wasn't with the others when Jesus appeared to them. Before or after this instance. They got the courage and strength they needed and they came out of their hiding place, starting to proclaim Jesus's death and resurrection. Instead, they turned the world upside down. The disciples had seen Jesus reach out across ethnic and religious divides birth in His parables and in real life. "Let all that you do be done in love" (1 Corinthians 16:13). When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. An eyewitness account, there was a lack of belief that put them in the situation here that they did not understand and didn't believe that had actually happened. When Nicodemus was bewildered about Jesus' demand for new birth by the Spirit, Jesus responded (John 3:10), "Are you a teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand this?" So at 9:00 on Pentecost morning, while the disciples were praying, "a sound came from heaven like a rush of mighty wind . They weren't orphans, and we are not either in our life. At the end of John, you remember, John says, there were so many other things that He did in his life and no doubt probably part of that 40-day period that it would take volumes to teach it, and to record it during this period. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. People should see God in the firstfruits. What do we do now? Somebody will tap me on the shoulder and tell me what to do next, but you know what? Mt., 47 counts, XII, 30-37)<br> <br> Gospel Reading (Matthew 71 ch., XVII, 10-18)<br> <br>10 And his disciples asked . Back in Mark's account, chapter 16 of Mark, we see that the same thing lingered among the wide group of people there. Old Testament believers enjoyed the presence of God's Spirit wherever they went. They didn't believe that He had risen, they didn't believe that they had been seen, that He had been seen, and therefore, then they would not believe these eyewitnesses. And those days you didn't fear getting on a Greyhound bus, and you could go all over the country on a very cheap pass. He greeted them and showed them his hands and his side. ", A church begins to develop. And a voice from heaven like many waters, and the voice of thunder, and the sound of harpers playing their harps, they sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures and the elders. And every breath you take ought to be a prayer of thanks that you live and move and have your being in the Spirit of God. And Peter thence begins to quote Scripture. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. Look at John 3:16. But after Pentecost the power of the Spirit spread out to light the whole world. "Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). It wasn't a common manifestation of the Spirit, but it was real then and it is today. And I sat, and I sat, and I thought somebody will come along and tell me what to do. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:24). And this dramatic miracle, but beyond that, 3,000 people being added to the Church, and then a community being developed. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. Did they experience fear, doubt, and disbelief as we sometimes do? Now, it was all beginning to come together. We, again, don't necessarily always pause and think about this, in these hours and days following Christ's resurrection. For example, Numbers 14:24 says of Caleb, "My servant Caleb, because he has a different Spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into this land." And there wasn't a Jew in Jerusalem, not a rabbi, not a priest who'd ever understood Joel or the Psalms in that way, nor would they have ever dreamed of applying it to what had happened just weeks earlier, with the arrest, crucifixion, and death of this Man called Jesus of Nazareth. Every now and then in extraordinary circumstances of need the Spirit enables ordinary Christians to perform amazing feats of rescue far beyond their ordinary capacitylike lifting a car off of a pinned husband or escaping from a raging rapist. As I was sitting there gazing around, nobody came. 145 views, 2 likes, 6 loves, 16 comments, 1 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Crossroads Baptist Church: Crossroads Baptist Church Live 02/05/2023 1 Samuel 11:6 When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he burned with anger. What was the doubt that was nagging away at them even as they saw Him, and even worshiped Him, knowing that they as they did know that He had died, and yet there was doubt? Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday. Stop doubting and have faith! It only takes a minute to sign up. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. It is I. Don't be afraid.'" And in the book of Revelation, John reports an experience similar to Daniel's. Afterwards, though, they go about with the boldness described here. So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! Just think, if Jews returning from God's judgment in Babylonian exile can take heart that God's Spirit will protect them, how much more fearless should we be who have the overwhelming assurance of God's love and power in Jesus' death and resurrection! They thought that Jesus Himself didn't actually know that asleep people wake up? Far more people than they could have ever imagined and Peter gets up and gives the sermon of his life. They might have fidgeted a bit and wondered, "Well, should we go fishing?" Question 8. Tradition places the receiving of the Spirit on Pentecost in the upper room of Acts 1. The Church was given favor, we're told, as they demonstrated these fruits and others were added. That Numbers 32 and verse 23, is correct. If they got it at Pentecost, with what power then did the twelve these wonders if not with Holy Spirit? And when they saw Him they worshiped him. Colossians 2:15 Colossians 2:15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.American King James Version, tells us that He disarmed the powers with His death. And you have to understand that and realize that, that's what they were doing during that period of time as well. As we came here this morning, to services, and as we gathered here this morning ourselves, there is a very important lesson for us to learn as well. I wouldn't bother with the question if I didn't. Thanks for contributing an answer to Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange! That's what this day is all about as a firstfruit. Maybe they had their hands in their pockets kind of like this, thinking, "Wow, that was neat. And to live with the reality that there is a God who judges, who sees, and who knows. Darris McNeely works at the United Church of God home office in Cincinnati, Ohio. Our sins will find us out. More likely, the believers assembled in one . There are no more decisive turning points in redemptive history that must happen before Jesus returns to establish his kingdom. And then even when we see in the days after Jesus' final ascension, a roughly 10-day period, when they came to make a decision to replace Judas, they read Scripture, they applied it properly, God blessed the decision. Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus has died .John 4:11-14 Come on. And so Christ gives them teaching and He gives them understanding. They were also filled with fear for their own future. The Victory over Fear On the day of the Pentecost, The Spirit of God came to them, filled their minds and their hearts and their entire being. I didn't know how to read a board to tell me these things. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." So it was a bodily appearance that He made completely to them, and He showed them His hands and His feet. And then there came a time, in verse 4, where they were assembled together with Him and He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem but to wait for the promise of the Father, which He said, "You have heard from Me, for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.". None of the benefits enjoyed in the pre-Pentecostal days were taken away. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped corruption that is in the world through lust." From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, makes increase of the body to the edifying of itself in love. We all have signs, we take certain things as signs. . The world we grew up in and live in does not see things this way. And there was fear of the unknown, of what was going to take place, fear of the future. And I didn't know how to make a connection. It is the Word of God and it is the Spirit of God that did it for them, and will do it for you and for I today as we live our lives, as we go about our lives. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? So that when they came to that morning of Pentecost and this mighty event takes place, they were ready then to move into the experience provided, and that extra dimension of power that the Spirit of God would give them and did give to them, and Peter takes the lead to give the sermon of his life. He enjoys hunting, travel and reading and spending time with his grandchildren. In other words, Peter says, we have entered the last days: the Messiah has come, he has accomplished redemption on the cross, he has risen and ascended to the right hand of God, and the interval before he returns in glory will be marked by an incomparable outpouring of the Holy Spirit on men and women, old and young, slave and free, near and far. This is the dimension that was given on Pentecost, and what this day is all about for those of us who are the firstfruits. 2930), "When thou takest away their breath, they die and return to their dust. If we can borrow a phrase that we've used over the last two years, two phrases, they labored in the Word and they lived in the Word. They sold their possessions, they divided among them, they shared among those who had need. As you read on in Acts chapter 1, one of the main things they did was to choose a successor to Judas. No, He said wait till, wait in Jerusalem, and so they were there and they continued. Pentecost was a Jewish festival fifty days after the Passover. United Church of Godis a501(c)3organization. There's a lot of information in the details that we are given in chapter 28 verse 16. If we begin to look at one another as less than trustworthy, then that has other consequences in relationships, and that's taking place among the disciples here at this moment. And so Luke's account brings this together. He used Deborah and the tribe of Zebulun (the mountain may have been in their land) in the sermon. We have to live as well, knowing that there is a God, and to live our life that every day counts. And it brings it down to the end of the chapter. These are the days of Pentecost, the days of the fullness of the Spirit, the days of worldwide mission. By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. These significant events from the life of Jesus are made easier to comprehend and better-illustrated thanks to the passages . Psalm 139:710 says, "Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? If these saints experienced privileges and powers in the Holy Spirit before the dam was opened, how much more should we in these billion kilowatt days experience these things or more. When I got off the bus from my hometown, I was in this large room, this large terminal, it was as larger, even larger than this room here, which for me, from my small town was a pretty big thing to walk into, and I did, first time I had ever traveled. "And all who believed were together and they had all things in common. It's God's Spirit that is the only thing that we can have to overcome those fears, because really, it's all the Church of God has ever had. They were looking for power from on high. A halo was seen glowing brightly above Jesus' head. That is what caused people to see something in those disciples and to want to be a part of it. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks, as described in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:1-31). Thomas replied, You are my Lord and my God! Would it make any difference for our lives today if we knew the answer? We're no different than them. Picture a huge dam for hydroelectric power under construction, like the Aswan High Dam on the Nile, 375 feet high and 11,000 feet across. And I think there was and is today a special touch or filling of the Holy Spirit that elevates the work of an artist or a musician or a craftsman from mere technical skill to divinely empowered ministry that exalts God and builds faith. Jesus continued: "Truly I tell you, when you were younger, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. Behold I send the promise of My Father upon you, but tarryor waitin the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high. Reading the Holy Scripture. When you look and you understand what was taking place, here are people who've been terrified, they had been doubtful, unbelieving to one degree or the other during this previous 50-day period. and there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. It doesn't lie within man's own power to risk his life and stand up for the truth of God and denounce sin. 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