Acts 2 - The Day of Pentecost - The Birthday of the Church!

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The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost

The day had finally arrived that Jesus had told the disciples about and told them to wait for. This is one of the three Jewish festivals which was called "Pentecost". It also called the "Festival of Weeks". It was a festival to give thanks for the Spring Harvest and for the Israelites entering Jerusalem. 

"Historically, Pentecost (Shavout) is a Jewish feast celebrating the giving of the Torah and the summer wheat harvest. It was celebrated 50 days after Passover and was marked by pilgrims coming to Jerusalem from all over the world to celebrate the event." (learnreligions.com)

For Christians Pentecost stands for 50 days after the resurrection. The disciples were all gathered in one room, and the Holy Spirit came down like a violent wind and looked like divided tongues of fire that rested on each of them. They started speaking in tongues in the languages of all the Jewish people who were gathered there for the festival from all nations. These "tongues" are different from the spiritual gift of "speaking in tongues", which is speaking in a language which is only known by God. In this case the language was known to each of the different people gathered. 

Some of the people gathered asked, "What does this mean?" And others just thought they had too much to drink. And this happens today when we preach the gospel to people. Some are curious and want to learn more. Others dismiss it as untrue, boring, or irrelevant. 

Peter Addresses the Crowd

Peter got up and told the crowd that they were not inebriated but in effect were preaching a message that the prophet Joel had spoken hundreds of years ago. They key thing about the prophecy from Joel 2 was that the Holy Spirit would be given to ALL people. Young and old, men and women, and even on servants. The Holy Spirit is an equal opportunity employer. Everyone gets to play! 

Peter then recounted how Jesus had come done signs, miracles and wonders, which proved He came from the Father. But rather than embracing him, he was handed over to be crucified on a cross by his own people. Three days later he rose again from the dead. Jesus quotes Psalm 16, where David says that the Lord would not abandon him to the dead or let his body see decay. 

Peter recognized that though this Psalm spoke of David, it spoke of someone greater than David – the Messiah, Jesus the Christ. Jesus may have taught Peter this when He instructed the disciples in the Scriptures (Luke 24:44-45). - Guzik 

Peter continued to preach and Luke reports that the people were "cut to the heart". They were convicted of their sin and need for the Savior. 

This is a good way of describing the conviction of the Holy Spirit. They now knew that they were responsible for the death of Jesus (as each of us are), and that they had to do something in response to this responsibility. - Guzik

They asked Peter what they should do and he said, "“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” Acts 2:38-39

The word "repent" means to have a change of mind or thinking that leads to a change of behavior. It is doing a "I80" turning from the direction you are going to go in a new direction. In this case it was turn from sin and turning to Jesus. We also see the importance of baptism. They were to be baptized in Jesus' name. In Matthew 28 the Great Commission commands the disciples to be baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The word "baptism" means to be "completely immersed". In this case to be completely immersed in Jesus, which brings with it the forgiveness of one's sins. 

The results of repenting and being baptized is the reception of the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the key actor on the day of Pentecost. John 3 describes the reception of the Holy Spirit, as being "born again". This is the sense in which we say Pentecost is the "birth of the church!" The church is a living body of Christ made up of those who are born again through repentance and baptism. Baptism is a sign of putting our complete trust in Jesus and being completely covered by His grace. There is nothing magical about the water other than it is a symbol of the washing of our sins and anointing of the Holy Spirit. Also, Baptism in itself does not save us. It is commanded by Jesus, just like the other sacrament Holy Communion.

Baptism and Communion are the two sacraments recognized in the Protestant Church. Although there are differing explanations as to what they mean and how they are administered, they both are commanded by Jesus and promise the forgiveness of sin. 

Luther called the sacraments the "visible words" of God. A sacrament is an earthly element water, bread, and wine made holy by our faith. In baptism, water is the sign of cleansing and rebirth.  In communion the bread is Jesus' body broken for us, and the wine is the blood of Jesus poured out on the cross, which fulfilled in the new covenant. 

Finally, Luke writes, "The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off." This is one of the arguments for infant baptism. Baptism is God's promise of salvation not just for parents, but for their kids. God's intention is for families to come to faith. Though each person's salvation is individual it is meant not be experienced in community not in isolation. 

3,000 souls repented and came to faith in Jesus Christ. Quite a sermon from the apostle Peter, who went from denying Jesus three times in the garden to being the church's first great evangelist.

The Fellowship of the Believers

Next, we see what the community of new believers looked like. If we want to see what the early church looked like, here is a great summary of their life together:

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 2:42-43

Notice again this is not about individuals, but people living together in community. Christianity was never meant to be lived in isolation. The four main activities are:

1. Teaching - This is teaching first and foremost about Jesus' life, death, and resurrection and how we are saved by faith in Him. At this time they did not have a bible like we did, but they would have spent time teaching how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecy. Also, the apostles would have relayed the teaching  of Jesus on the Sermon on the Mount, the parables, and his teaching how the kingdom of God worked on earth as it is in heaven. 

2. Fellowship - The word "fellowship" comes from the Greek word "koinonia" and means the deep knit relationship we have through the power of the Holy Spirit living in us individually and together. Again the focus is not on individuals but community. We tend to be "individualistic" in the West, but Jesus' culture looked at relationships through the lens of "community". 

3. Breaking of Bread - This a reference to Holy Communion practiced in the context of what were called "agape feasts", which might be akin to our modern day "potluck". Communion was served as the center of these feasts and again enjoyed in the context of community. 

4.  Prayer - Corporately they praised God and prayed for his direction and provision. 

There were three other byproducts of the first church community. 

1. Miracles and signs were performed by the apostles in the power of the Holy Spirit. This fulfilled what Jesus said that together, "They would do even greater things that he did!" 

2. They shared their possessions, so no person went without. I.e. They took care of their own. There was a spirit of "radical generosity", where some sold homes and left the proceeds at the feet of the apostles to do what was most needed for the church. 

3. The enjoyed the favor of the people and God added to their number DAILY! 

A few chapters later, we will learn that though God's design was perfect, the people in the church were from perfect. 

I have been a pastor for 27 years and this has always been the church I have tried create and be a part of. There are times that I have seen the church operating according to these principles and fruit it bore as a result. But I have also seen the church focusing instead on the ways of the world and the deadness it produces. 

I hope you are a part of a church that strives to be an Acts 2 church!  Let's al pray for that! God will certainly bring people our way if we do!