And we can be about the work that we see that the Church did then and has always done, of taking the message of salvation and of repentance to life, to people who need that message. The disciples stood gazing, and they didn't know what to do. Finally, please know the disciples did receive the Spirit when Jesus breathed on them BEFORE Pentecost (Jn. Seven weeks later, on the day of Pentecost, the risen Lord Jesus fulfilled the promise he had made in John 15:26namely, that he would send the Holy Spirit. They sailed on it in the moonlight and wrote songs about it. 38Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them. 39By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Everybody who gets up and gives a sermon in a congregation, that sermon before it's ever posted on a website, has been reviewed or at least approved by individuals within the congregation. The same things were going through their minds that go through our minds. This makes it seem that the Disciples were astonished, but those who followed behind them were afraid. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there thy hand shall lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me." and the preacher says, "So what?" '", And so Luke's account gives us a very specific instruction, how He told them, You wait in Jerusalem and then you will receive the power from on high. And that is what they were doing as they waited for that period of time to come about. And what was the key to that? Not only apostles, but even the prophets of the Old Testament, who are lower than apostles, had a degree of presence of Spirit in themselves, through Whom they prophesied (needn't to give references, for they are so numerous!). Egypt's President Nasser announced the plan for construction in 1953. They understood their problem, in verse 38, "He said to them, 'Why are you troubled and why do doubts arise in your hearts?'" Hagiographical sources also portray saints as those able to withstand the fear or deceit brought . But she said, "Go ahead Ruth, you go home too," and Ruth says, "Your God will be my God, wherever you go, I will go." 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to Gods law; indeed, it cannot. Today the Spirit still instructs us by the Word of Scripture and we ought to pray earnestly for an outpouring of God's enlightening Spirit so that the Scriptures really live for us and become intensely personal. But on that 50th day, from the morning after Christ's resurrection, a lot had happened. I was standing there gazing, not quite knowing what to do. But the text says that God called Bezalel by name and filled him with his Spirit. 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." He had a long way to come to be the one to stand up and to give the sermon on this day, but he did it. Could it mean that apostles had just some spiritual gifts like healing before Pentecost, but after it they received gift of prophesy and gift of tongues? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? Friday. People were forgiven, saved and received everlasting life before the cross and before Pentecost (Lk. These are the days of Pentecost, the days of the fullness of the Spirit, the days of worldwide mission. Verse 41, "But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, 'Have you any food?'" Matthew 71:seventeen, XVII, 10-18, and on the Sabbath (beginning): Rome, 111:seventeen, XIII, 1-10. We can take on that nature and we can live. With a UCG.org account you will be able to save items to read and study later! Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: And I looked, and, see, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. As I was sitting there gazing around, nobody came. "Let all that you do be done in love" (1 Corinthians 16:13). And so they had become a part of something that again, they were still trying to understand. God not only designed how he wanted his tabernacle built, he also equipped the craftsmen to do it. Far more people than they could have ever imagined and Peter gets up and gives the sermon of his life. 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. We have a very involved, and very good, and a very detailed review process at many different levels of our writings, of our speaking in the United Church of God today. Learning and labor which do not lead people in love to God are not prompted by the Spirit of Christ. Joh 1:13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but . Suddenly, Jesus appeared in the middle of the group. The NIV adds the word "disciples," saying, "The disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid." But the word "disciples" is not in the Textus Receptus Greek text. Prior to Pentecost, the Apostles and disciples gathered in fear, behind locked doors. 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). But ten billion kilowatts were added to enable the church to take the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ to every tongue and tribe and nation. Then Peter preached a sermon and said, "This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel, 'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams'" (Acts 2:1617). And this small group of people who had signed on to what they thought was a remarkable, gifted rabbi, and followed Him around and soon learned that they had fallen into something quite different than anything they could have ever imagined, as they witnessed miracles of loaves and fishes, and people being brought back to life, and dramatic healings. 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. 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." Not many days, we would look at it roughly 10 days from that 40-day period. Third, the OT believers enjoyed the constant presence of God's Spirit. Go, therefore, make disciples of nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded, and lo, I am with you, always, even to the end of the age.'" Did they doubt what they were seeing? But on the day when the reservoir poured through the turbines a power was unleashed that spread far beyond the few folk down river and brought possibilities they had only dreamed of. 1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Again, what they thought that they were becoming a part of was a movement that was noble, that was good, there had been many movements of other Messiah-type figures at this period of time in Judea. "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." Expand And allows us to then grow, because the next few verses here of 2 Peter speaks to a process of spiritual empowerment and growth and development. These are the ones who are not defiled with women, they are virgins, spiritual virgins. And He leaves them on the Mount of Olives, which is a very, very significant geographic feature there on the east of Jerusalem across from the city, and through the Kidron Valley and up on this Mount called Olives. For example, in the life of Samson we read, "The Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him and he tore the lion asunder as one tears a kid" (Judges 14:6). How do we handle them? The Jewish authorities of their day had a very thorough doctrinal review process and Peter's would not have passed, which is why they ran smack in trouble with the Jewish leadership from this point forward because they were applying new meaning to old Scriptures that no Jew had ever heard before. That's what the gift of the Holy Spirit is for us. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. PrivacyPolicyTerms ofUse. After Pentecost, a radical transformation took place. If you forgive anyone's sins, they will be forgiven. When you read what Peter said about these prophecies from Joel and the Psalmstrust me, folks, Peter's sermon would not have passed doctrinal review by the Jewish doctrinal committee of that day. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit occurs in every believer the moment they make Jesus their Lord. Luke 24:53 says that the disciples stayed continually at the Temple praising God. Probably the Spirit was their instructor in two senses. 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. This is it. 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. They had come up against the two most powerful authorities of their day in their world. I must put my hand where the spear went into his side. There are two groups of humans: those in the flesh (born of the flesh) and those in the Spirit (born again of the Spirit). Do Christians receive the Holy Spirit upon conversion or not (Ephesians 1:13 vs. Acts 8:14-17; 19:1-7)? Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. What was possibly on the disciples' mind the morning of Pentecost? 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. 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. 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. And He opened their understanding that they might comprehend the Scriptures.". This is the underlying message Jesus gave to his disciples in today's 2nd Sunday of Lent year A Gospel (Mt 7:1-11) which narrates the Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ, after having announced to them his Passion and Death on the cross. And . It wasn't there and so a lot had happened in that 50-day period that brought them to that morning of Pentecost. You know, before we ever get to that rushing wind that came in, it's good to think about this question, because it has a direct application to you and I today. Week 8 to Pentecost. Was the power they received in Matthew 10 different from the one they received in Acts 2? This is what He does as He moves them through the Law of Moses, the Psalms, and the prophets, and opening their understanding. He was just [snaps fingers] gone, He was there. 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. And therein, lies a key to the understanding of what had taken place with these individuals here. This event is very significant because the Bible says when we are born again, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit; in other words, the Holy Spirit comes to live on the inside of us (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30). 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. You ever been in that type of situation where you don't know what to do next? Prior to Pentecost, the Apostles, though often zealous and willing to make sacrifices to follow Jesus, were also slow to understand and often confused. In verse 14, it says, "Then later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table and He rebuked them, rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen." Our sins will find us out. Before or after this instance. Now let me suggest an analogy to illustrate the experience of the Spirit before and after Pentecost. Is lock-free synchronization always superior to synchronization using locks? Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. It was a mighty, powerful machine, the most powerful that the world in that day had ever seen. Christ Is Risen - An Easter plan by Matt Maher, The Essential 100 Bible Challenge14The Cross Of Christ. 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. 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. "Behold, He said, My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. 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. Sixth, OT believers experienced the filling of the Holy Spirit as a power to be bold in denouncing evil and declaring righteousness. About 10 days earlier, Christ had finally ascended for the final time and they were left alone. He greeted them and showed them his hands and his side. Did they doubt themselves? This then begins to be the anchor and the soil into which they can anchor a life of faith that they were to have and to develop. What do we do now? It goes on, "Jesus came and He spoke to them saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Were on a mission to change that. Has 90% of ice around Antarctica disappeared in less than a decade? But after Pentecost the power of the Spirit spread out to light the whole world. 2. That's the famous road to Emmaus experienced from the book of Luke, "and they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either." That's been the hallmark of our feature. Psalm 139:710 says, "Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professors, theologians, and those interested in exegetical analysis of biblical texts. Surely for a Christian the only reason to study or be artistic is for God's sake. That's what He did. We can deal with them. "He appeared first to Mary Magdalene out of whom He had cast seven demons. As you read on in Acts chapter 1, one of the main things they did was to choose a successor to Judas. These were not terrified, doubtful people. In Job 33:4 Elihu speaks for all faithful Jews when he says, "The Spirit of God has made me and the breath of the Almighty gives me life." . It gives me a lot of encouragement, when I am called to go places where I feel insecure, to know that the Spirit is within to give me the words I need and that he is also already in the place where I am going to prepare the way and to hold me when I get there. 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. You may find that without a specific text of scripture your question could be voted for closure as 'off-topic'. So, as Jesus Christ was teaching His disciples to focus on the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God during the time between His resurrection and Pentecost, we can be focusing on that now too. I never have believed in knowledge for its own sake or art for art's sake. But how could the various prophecies found in Ezekiel, Joel and Zechariah be fulfilled if this were true? Synopsis: When Jesus walked on the water to join the disciples in their boat, the Gospel mentioned that they were afraid - twice. https://www.bible.com/bible/392/JHN.20.19-29.CEV. Labor in the Word, meaning to read the Word, and to learn it, and to soak it in and drink it in; and to live the Word, this past year. And Peter thence begins to quote Scripture. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. Psalm 104 celebrates the wonder and variety of all living things and says (vv. Jesus began to teach them, we read, from the Law of Moses, from the prophets, the Scriptures about Him, to explain to them what had happened. Jesus was enveloped within a burning bush, but was not harmed. On that day of Pentecost, people who had been doubtful were moved to speak powerfully, to repentance, to belief, and to action. . And it is also the mission of the Church, we see right here, it has begun. 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. 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. He also is a residentfaculty member at the Ambassador Bible Center teaching Acts, Fundamentals of Belief and World News and Prophecy. A week later the disciples were together again. A Second Wind: A Biblical Exploration of Gods Mind of Justice, The Essential Jesus (Part 17): The Resurrection of Jesus. What is "the gift" of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:38? 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 difference between a historian and a preacher is that the historian says, "Was it so?" 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