2Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the NET Bible. We get on to verse 40, the wrap-up: "With many other words, he testified and exhorted them saying, Be saved from this perverse generation, that those who were, who gladly received his word were baptized; about 3,000 souls were added to them. The Great Commission was not only given to the apostles; it was given to the church. Pentecost, also called Whitsunday, (Pentecost from Greek pentecost, "50th day"), major festival in the Christian church, celebrated on the Sunday that falls on the 50th day of Easter. And we must live knowing that way. There is a theme which dominates the 40-day period between the resurrection and ascension of our Lord. They will receive power through the Holy Spirit to be witnesses. The church acknowledged the leading of the Spirit and laid their hands on these men, and then sent them off. 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. Darris McNeely works at the United Church of God home office in Cincinnati, Ohio. The selection of Matthias as the twelfth apostle is clearly a before, clearly an Old Testament method of seeking Gods will. 3You will note that I do not use the termdisciplesto refer to the eleven here, or the twelve elsewhere in Acts. Well, the real answer is for you and I, the same things that are going through your mind right now, and my mind. As the writer to the Hebrews constantly emphasized, the New Covenant is vastly superior to the Old. Why, then, does Luke include these verses? It had been organized quite well and in that remote backwater of Judea, the Roman government kept things in order. [Darris McNeely] On the morning of Pentecost 31 AD, what do you think was going through the minds of the assembled disciples in Jerusalem? This is what He does as He moves them through the Law of Moses, the Psalms, and the prophets, and opening their understanding. And it is Christ in us that is that hope of glory. And yet some doubted. And so they had become a part of something that again, they were still trying to understand. Acts 1, consistent with the rest of the Book of Acts, reminds us that it is not about us; it is about God. We take that for the story that it is, and the gift of tongues, and the speaking of tongues that the Scriptures talk about but we don't see that as what we need to be doing in practice or in faith, but it is a dramatic story. Before the church could begin Jesus had to die, rise again, and then ascend into heaven. Life, that a doubt every once in a while creeps in, sometimes an unbelief, fear, bonds of trust might be tested. How do we handle them? In 2 Corinthians 3 and 4, Paul makes the same point, showing how much more glorious the New Covenant is to the Old and that New Testament ministry is to the old, because of the Holy Spirit. So if I can come back to the question that I asked, what was going through their mind on that morning of Pentecost? The NEW ENGLISH TRANSLATION, also known as THE NET BIBLE, is a completely new translation of the Bible, not a revision or an update of a previous English version. And they did, and thousands were added to the Church that day. Every minister's dream, to give one sermon and thousands of people get baptized and join the Church in one day, every minister's fantasy. From this point on, with very few exceptions (Acts 14:14; 15:12, 25), it was always Paul and Barnabas, or Paul and Silas, orPaul and his companions.It was evidence of the Spirits working through Paul that seems to have triggered this exchange in roles of Paul and Barnabas. And you can begin to imagine how this dynamic begins to must have been being set up within the disciples, because when you begin to doubt one another, you begin to lose trust. What was on their mind? The coming of the Spirit is described as: (1) the promise of the Father (verse 4); (2) that which the apostles heard from Jesus (verse 4); and, (3) that which John the Baptist foretold (verse 5). It was the Roman soldiers that had carried out the death of Christ and had sealed the tomb and a Roman guard had been placed there. And you have to understand that and realize that, that's what they were doing during that period of time as well. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. A Church that was grounded in the Word of God. 4 Now we have such confidence in God through Christ. The Holy Spirit would internally indict sinners regarding the righteousness of Christ because He cannot be seen any longer. During those 40 days, He provided them with many convincing proofs that He had indeed risen from the dead. What did they do during that 10 days? When the Jerusalem Council met to determine what should be required of Gentile converts, they determined that Gentiles must not be placed under the law, and that they observe only a few restrictions. And in the room of the house where they were gathered, it obviously became a little bit too small for all that took place, because as these other people take note of it, you get the impression they moved out into a more public location in Jerusalem. They were with Him and they asked Him in verse 6, "Lord, will You at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel?" A fellowship, a community, prayer, sharing food together, much like we do today. Jesus persuades them to leave what they are doing to travel with him and help to share . They sold their possessions, they divided among them, they shared among those who had need. The Holy Spirit is the third part of the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that is the way Christians understand God. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind and it filled the whole house where they were sitting, and it appeared to them, divided tongues as of fire. They must not attempt to carry out the Great Commission without Pentecostal power. That's what this day is all about as a firstfruit. This should also be our focus before Pentecost and before Jesus Christ's return. I don't think it was an intergalactic tour that He was on to get to the third heaven. Did they doubt what they were seeing? The Feast of Weeks celebrated the end of the grain harvest. Our Lord saw to it that these witnesses had more than enough evidence of His resurrection, and added to this was the witness of the Spirit to the resurrection: 7 But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I am going away. And this dramatic miracle took place, of wind, and fire, and language, and hearing, and people took notice. Pentecost is a Christian holy day that celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit 50 days after Easter. Zechariah's prophecy in chapter 14 shows that Christ will, on that day, set foot on the Mount of Olives. I think it was because Jesus had revealed the mystery of the church to them. Acts 2. I believe the first chapter of Acts could be titled Before, because it precedes Pentecost in chapter two, and from there on it is definitely after. While we may be eager to get to Pentecost, let us pause long enough to consider Lukes introduction to the Book of Acts and to the transforming power of Pentecost. Before Pentecost: What Were They Thinking. 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. They'd likely not seen it. This is Peter's first sermon since Jesus left for heaven. The Cross And Our Response to Trials (1 Peter 4:12-19), 8. The translation project originally started as an attempt to provide an electronic version of a modern translation for electronic distribution over the Internet and on CD (compact disk). He said He wouldn't and He didn't, even though there was a moment in time when they thought that they were orphaned, as they stood gazing up and looking and wondering, "What do we do next. 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. About 10 days earlier, Christ had finally ascended for the final time and they were left alone. The ministry of the Holy Spirit does not commence in Acts, it continues in Acts. Jerusalem was swelled with pilgrims, at this point in time, and this added to the drama of the moment. And Peter thence begins to quote Scripture. Unmistakable. Our Lord gave His apostles the Great Commission, appointing them as witnesses of His resurrection, and as His ambassadors, to proclaim the gospel to all the world. "Standing with the Lamb on the Mount of Olives," in Revelation 14:1, "144,000 with the Father's name written on their foreheads. Not many days, we would look at it roughly 10 days from that 40-day period. And when they reached their decision, they made it clear that their decision was guided by the Holy Spirit. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to He and his wife, Debbie, have served in the ministry for more than 43years. This is the threefold commission that is given to this group of disciples where they are to be witnesses of Him in the city of Jerusalem, and Judea, and Samariathe wider region of the country, look at it as kind of the wider counties of the country of Israel at the timeand then ultimately, to the end of the earth, to take the Gospel and to be a witness of God, to do this. But isnt Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit really a matter of authority, a legitimate matter of authority? They left the selection of these leaders to the people, but they did set the qualifications. The "before" and "after" theme is found frequently in the media. Shavuot, also called Pentecost, in full ag Shavuot, ("Festival of the Weeks"), second of the three Pilgrim Festivals of the Jewish religious calendar. God's Word and Spirit give us power to overcome and to change to accomplish the work of God. 12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called the Mount of Olives (which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath days journey away). Based upon Pauls words in Ephesians 3, I am inclined to assume what a portion of this conversation may have been: 4 When reading this, you will be able to understand my insight into this secret of Christ. That's what the gift of the Holy Spirit is for us. Christ in you, the hope of glory. A firstfruit is one who follows Christ. They call attention to references tothe twelveafter this (Acts 6:2; 1 Corinthians 15:5). 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. 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. They gave him a piece of broiled fish and honey comb, He takes it and he sits down and eats in their presence. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up," and this is through the account here in Luke, then, would be the final bodily appearance of Jesus to them. Q. And therein, lies a key to the understanding of what had taken place with these individuals here. And I sat, and I sat, and I thought somebody will come along and tell me what to do. This makes sense, given both their impulsiveness and their lack of faith. Now, it was all beginning to come together. And perhaps like you and I would today, we might look at it as a little bit odd. Acts 2:17-18 KJV [17 . 14 All these continued together in prayer with one mind, together with the women, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers (Acts 1:12-14). 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. The Giving of the Holy Spirit: On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Disciples and those with them. Jesus informed them that they had (or would have) all the knowledge they needed. Bob is a pastor/teacher and elder at Community Bible Chapel in Richardson, Texas, and has contributed many of his Bible study series for use by the Foundation. Four fishermen - Peter, Andrew, James and John - are landing their catch when they are approached by Jesus.
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