What is Pentecost?

"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you." —Acts 1:8a (NLT)

Pentecost is a Greek word that means "fifty" and refers to the fifty days that have elapsed since the wave offering of Passover (Leviticus 23:17). This Jewish festival, also called the Feast of Weeks (Leviticus 23:15; Deuteronomy 16:9), was a special time celebrated at the end of a grain harvest.

The Feast of Weeks is one of the three "solemn feasts" that all Jewish men were required to attend in Jerusalem (Exodus 23:14-17; 34:22-23; Deuteronomy 16:16). It normally takes place in late spring, either in late May or early June.

A Prophesy About Pentecost

"In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on servants—men and women alike. And I will cause wonders in the heavens and on the earth—blood and fire and columns of smoke." —Joel 2:29-30 (NLT)

The Old Testament prophet, Joel, spoke of a spiritual Pentecost that would take place in the future (Joel 2:28-32). This would be the day the Holy Spirit began His new ministry in the lives of those who follow Christ. Hundreds of years later, Joel's prophecy would be quoted by the apostle Peter—a witness of this prophesied event (Acts 2:16-21).

Jesus Prepares His Disciples

"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere..." —Acts 1:8 (NLT)

After Jesus' earthly ministry, sacrifice, and resurrection, He appeared to His disciples and many others over a period of 40 days (Luke 24; John 20; 1 Corinthians 15:6-8). During this time, He prepared His disciples for the arrival of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:1-9).

Before Jesus ascended to Heaven, He gave His disciples their last great command—to spread the Good News (Matthew 28:16-20). Jesus' ascension to heaven ended His ministry on earth (temporarily) and welcomed the beginning of His ministry in heaven as our High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16) and Mediator (Hebrews 9:15). After Jesus ascended, His followers gathered together as one community and prayed, essentially creating the first Christian church (Acts 1:14).

The Day of Pentecost

"Everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability." —Acts 2:4 (NLT)

This first community of believers were gathered on that fateful day of Pentecost when a powerful sound filled the entire house—like a mighty whirlwind (Acts 2:1-2). Then what looked like tongues of fire appeared and settled on each believer—not burning them but filling them with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:3). And the Spirit then gave each follower of Christ the ability to speak in other languages (Acts 2:4).

Since it was the Feast of Weeks, there were a lot of people in town. Every person of every culture present in Jerusalem came running at the deafening sound from earlier. The believers came out of the house and began talking to those who had arrived. The witnesses were amazed to hear the wonderful works of God described in their own native languages (Acts 2:5-12). It was basically the reverse of what happened at the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9)!

Of course, no one had ever seen anything like this before. So some people were a little confused. Some even thought the believers were just drunk (Acts 2:13). Peter corrected these accusations and explained the meaning of the gospel (Acts 2:14-40). That day, about 3,000 people accepted salvation through Christ (Acts 2:41).

Why is Pentecost important?

"Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives." —Galatians 5:25 (NLT)

The Day of Pentecost ushered in the Church Age, a period of time from Pentecost (Acts 2) to the rapture of the church (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). It was the start of the Holy Spirit's new work in the lives of every believer—spiritually uniting all believers.

Today, Christians can choose to walk in the Spirit every day (Romans 8:13-14; Galatians 5:16). When we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us, we begin to develop the Spirit's characteristics, called the fruit of the Spirit, which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

The Spirit's Invitation is Open to All

"Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself." —1 Corinthians 6:19 (NLT)

Pentecost reminds us that the gospel is available to person. The disciple John wrote a prophecy about the diversity of the future family of God—people of every nation, tribe, and language (Revelation 7:9). Anyone who accepts Jesus by putting their faith in Him will be saved from the penalty for sin and granted eternal life (John 3:16-21).

When we think of Pentecost, we're reminded of the powerful work of the Holy Spirit and God's desire for all people to become members of His family (2 Peter 3:9). Since every believer has the Holy Spirit living inside them (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), then we, like Peter, can rely on the Spirit's leading and be bold—proclaiming the gospel to those who need to hear it.

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• How do you know if you have the Holy Spirit?
• Should we worship the Holy Spirit?
• What is speaking in tongues?
• What is the spiritual gift of interpreting tongues?
• How does God speak?
• What is the difference between my conscience and conviction from the Holy Spirit?
• What is the Fruit of the Spirit?
• When You Don't See Fruit