As such, it requires a sabbath. Learning and labor which do not lead people in love to God are not prompted by the Spirit of Christ. Best Answer. Jesus said, Thomas, do you have faith because you have seen me? 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. and there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. He and his wife, Debbie, have served in the ministry for more than 43years. And then they had seen that He was resurrected. However, of course, the apostles had smack of the Spirit even before, for even before Spirit was present in them to a certain degree and intensity; they possessed the Spirit-ual gifts even before the Pentecost, however the gifts of the Infinite Spirit are also infinite and at the Pentecost they got a greater share of this graceful infinity, so as to totally be absorbed in it. It was one of the three great pilgrim feasts that every Jewish male was required to attend (see Deuteronomy 16:16 ). Every generation of God's people have done that. But the Christian ought to see the creative, imaginative work of God's Spirit. And over a three and a half year period they had had their lives transformed and then they'd watched Him die. And what happened? Now let me suggest an analogy to illustrate the experience of the Spirit before and after Pentecost. So at 9:00 on Pentecost morning, while the disciples were praying, "a sound came from heaven like a rush of mighty wind . My Spirit abides among you. "And fear came upon every soul," and this was a different type of fear. There's a lot of information in the details that we are given in chapter 28 verse 16. Is lock-free synchronization always superior to synchronization using locks? In Nehemiah 9, Ezra gives thanks to God for all his past benefits to Israel and says in verse 20, "Thou gavest thy good Spirit to instruct them and didst not withhold thy manna from their mouth." Christ in you, the hope of glory. What was on their mind? 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? People should see God in us. We're no different than them. 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. This means that the disciples could not have Christ in them, as we born again believers have, until the day of Pentecost. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. The elixir, the antidote to our faith, to every one of our problems, if we could see a miracle; and we like signs, but miracles, well, they're a little harder to come up with. Pentecost was a Jewish festival fifty days after the Passover. The disciples were afraid of the Jewish leaders, and on the evening of that same Sunday they locked themselves in a room. answer choices. They were also filled with fear for their own future. Did they doubt what they were seeing? Send inquiries regarding the operation of this Web site to webmaster@ucg.org. Before or after this instance. In verse 38, after everyone has calmed down, they realize theyve been involved and they were responsible for the death of Jesus. Let's go into Luke's account. 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?" . And then it came to an end, it came to a close. No longer did they flee like sheep without a shepherd. Somebody will tap me on the shoulder and tell me what to do next, but you know what? Suddenly, Jesus appeared in the middle of the group. Historically, Pentecost ( Shavout) is a Jewish feast celebrating the giving of the Torah and the summer wheat harvest. He also is a residentfaculty member at the Ambassador Bible Center teaching Acts, Fundamentals of Belief and World News and Prophecy. And of course, one of the most dramatic scenes in all the Bible occurred with the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the gathered disciples, and the speaking in tongues, and a mighty rushing wind that we find it hard to imagine what it was like, because it's not part of our custom to try to pray that down today like some other denominations and religious forms do. Some say that they wound up in the temple precincts; could very well be. As we have received the gift of God's Spirit, as those on that first day of Pentecost received the gift of the Holy Spirit were brought into the Church, they became, and so are we, partakers of the divine nature. When did the disciples become born -again? But you are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit if the Spirit of God really dwells in you." Luke 24:53 says that the disciples stayed continually at the Temple praising God. Really. Zechariah 4:6 says, "Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit says the Lord of hosts.". The disciples had seen what would happen because Christ was arrested and had come before the high priest. I didn't know how to read a board to tell me these things. They came together, in verse 1 of chapter 2, "On the day of Pentecost when it was fully come, they were with one accord in one place. After Pentecost, a radical transformation took place. 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. 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. On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Verse 41, "But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, 'Have you any food?'" This was just three and a half years, and in really a few weeks, seven weeks and a day of intense thought, emotion, that they had to grapple with and deal with as they came into the presence of one another on the morning of Pentecost. We are going to be taking giant steps toward creating that kind of Church that we read about here in the book of Acts, that has been imbued with the power of the Holy Spirit, and changes are being made. Being mentally separated from other people (because of being ashamed of lost of their 'cause') made them being afraid of people. And they chose Matthias by casting lots. John the Baptist had promised: The one who comes after me "will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (Luke 3:16). 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. And it just caused them to proverbially tear their clothes and rush at them and ultimately to the point of Stephen and they stoned him. And Peter thence begins to quote Scripture. The last holy day season, the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread had seen the death of Jesus Christ, and then three days later He was resurrected and He had appeared to them. Apparently not. There was doubt. . And because both were working together, the mission and the vision, there was a remarkable picture being described here by Luke, of the Church at peace. I want to show you ten ways the Old Testament saints experienced the Holy Spirit. 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. If these latter days are to be days of dreams and visions from the Holy Spirit, we had better pray earnestly for gifted Josephs to arise among us who can discern truth and error in such claims. 1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Fourth, OT believers experienced the Spirit of God as their Counselor or Teacher. Peter was quoting Scripture and applying it to something that had happened and that is Jesus, His death and His resurrection. 3 days by their calendar. A halo was seen glowing brightly above Jesus' head. But it is also due to a much simpler and . These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. But they were terrified, and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit." These significant events from the life of Jesus are made easier to comprehend and better-illustrated thanks to the passages . The Day of Pentecost is celebrated 50 days after Easter in Western branches of Christianity. We all have signs, we take certain things as signs. 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. They were with Him and they asked Him in verse 6, "Lord, will You at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel?" 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." Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professors, theologians, and those interested in exegetical analysis of biblical texts. People should see that in us. Four verses later Moses says, "Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them" (v. 29). 7:50; 19:9). 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." I took a course in seminary on the Old Testament wisdom literature where we talked about Hebrew poetic parallelism and determinism and Heilesgeschichte ("salvation history") and I would generally raise my hand at the end of class and say, "So what?" 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. They had come up against the two most powerful authorities of their day in their world. Answer: In Luke 10:17, when the seventy came back from visiting the towns in Israel, they said, " Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name. But after Pentecost the power of the Spirit spread out to light the whole world. And again, He gives, through Mark's account here, He gives the same commission to go. [Darris McNeely] On the morning of Pentecost 31 AD, what do you think was going through the minds of the assembled disciples in Jerusalem? Why are you standing around gazing? They were kind of like this, and like this. The gospels and the book of Acts tell us that would-be zealots and messiahs had come and gone. But first let me tell you why I think it is so relevant. All of these qualities are to the divine nature, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness, love. Before that from the OT time onward, the Holy Spirit would come on a person and it is not permanent. That He had to rebuke them and teach them. On that day of Pentecost, people who had been doubtful were moved to speak powerfully, to repentance, to belief, and to action. "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain.". Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. 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). Life, that a doubt every once in a while creeps in, sometimes an unbelief, fear, bonds of trust might be tested. I wouldn't bother with the question if I didn't. 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. Eighth, some OT believers were enabled by the Spirit to do extraordinary feats of power to help God's people. and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting and in carving wood, for work in every craft.'". But they saw Him for a period of time, and that's how I like to imagine it. 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. Tradition places the receiving of the Spirit on Pentecost in the upper room of Acts 1. 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. But on that morning as they gathered, made their preparations, put on their clothes, walked to the location where they all were gathered, and they were about 120 disciples as chapter 1 of Acts tells us, they no doubt had a lot on their mind. So there is going to be a gap. Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him. First, and most basic, the OT believers were conscious of God's Spirit as the Creator and Sustainer of their natural life. But as Christ begins to give them the teaching from the Scriptures, of how He had fulfilled literally, in every way, the scriptures about the Messiah. 2. After the disciples received the Holy Spirit, received Christ in them, they began to operate under the strength and ability of Christ in them. Jentezen Franklin preached a sermon about scribes. Joh 1:13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but . Before Pentecost the river of God's Spirit blessed the people of Israel and was their very life. From the Day of Pentecost, when they had been baptized by the power of the Holy Spirit, they were equipped to go into the world. 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 perhaps like you and I would today, we might look at it as a little bit odd. This was a healthy fear of respect and awe and wonder at now what had happened. Again, I think that is an example of using an . rev2023.3.1.43269. 20:22), which also tends to disrupt the theology of some! Doubt, some of them doubt, what did they doubt? But some doubted." The man with the epileptic son initially brought his son to the disciples to be cured. Micah 3:8 says, "As for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin." If you forgive anyone's sins, they will be forgiven. 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. 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. Read the Bible, discover plans, and seek God every day. 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). 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. Yes, Peter did preach under the anointing, but the empowerment of the Spirit also brought a unity and a focus of purpose they had not known before. You may find that without a specific text of scripture your question could be voted for closure as 'off-topic'. From the sorrow of the Cross to the glory of Resurrection. The Key to a Life Well Lived. All the gods of doubtand I say gods with a little g, because doubt, and guilt, and fear can really separate us from Godthe gods of doubt, and fear, and unbelief have all been shredded by Jesus Christ. Was Galileo expecting to see so many stars? The Church was given favor, we're told, as they demonstrated these fruits and others were added. Jesus continued: "Truly I tell you, when you were younger, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. 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. "Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). have had the same God-given talent as the apostles and could learn any new language three days after arriving in the region. 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." 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