Pentecost Sunday: May 19, 2024

Holy Trinity Church – Tom Mount

 

Scripture reading: Acts 2:1-8, 14-21 NIV

Introduction

  • Pentecost (Gk. πεντηκοστή, “fiftieth”) is the name given to the second of the three annual Jewish pilgrimage feasts. It is celebrated in the late spring, fifty days after Passover. It was also known as the Feast of Weeks or in Hebrew, Shavuot. It was on Pentecost that the Holy Spirit was given to the Church about a week following Jesus’ ascension.
  • For the Jews, Pentecost celebrated two things:
  1. The first fruits of the new grain harvest (In the fall, Sukkot: final fruit harvest).
  2. The giving of the law or torah on Mt Sinai: the heart of the Old Covenant.
  • Both these meanings were fulfilled by Jesus at Pentecost by his giving of the Spirit.
  1. The first fruits of billions of followers from every tribe, tongue and nation were “harvested” at the first Pentecost when three thousand obeyed the Gospel (Acts 2:41; cf. Rev 7:9).
  2. Jesus poured out his Holy Spirit as the sign and seal of the New Covenant he inaugurated in the upper room (Lk 22:20; Ezk 36:24-27; 2 Cor 3:6-9).
  • Pentecost in context: the three pilgrimage feasts (Ex 23:14-17) as “last days” events:
  1. Spring: Passover/Pesach – Commemorates the judgment of Egypt and salvation of Israel via a lamb. Jesus fulfilled Passover as the Passover lamb on Good Friday, judging the dark powers and saving his people (Col 2:13-15).
  2. Spring fifty days later: Pentecost/Shavuot – Commemorates the harvest of the “first fruits” and the giving of Torah. Jesus fulfilled Pentecost by pouring out his Spirit on “all flesh” and by “harvesting” the first-fruits of Jews and Gentiles.
  3. Fall: Feast of booths/Sukkot – Commemorates the final harvest of each year and God’s deliverance of Israel from corvée labor in Egypt. Jesus will fulfil Sukkot when he comes to deliver his people—Jews and Gentiles (70 nations/70 bulls at Sukkot)—from the original exile from the Garden and creates a new garden
    (Rev 22:1-5). This is the final ingathering of the last fruits of the harvest.

The significance of Pentecost today

  • It is the guarantee, sign and seal that the New Covenant is in effect, fulfilling God’s ancient promises to his people and empowering believers to live Christlike lives because God’s own life is given to us (Acts 1:4; Joel 2:28-32, Jer 31:31-33, Ezek 36:25-27).
  • It empowers individual Christians for ministry to each other and the world through spiritual gifts (Rom 12:4-8; 1 Cor 12:7-11; Eph 4:11-13; 1 Ptr 4:10-11).
  • It empowers the Church for faithful witness through revelation, love, compassionate service, proclamation, signs and wonders, etc. (Jn 14:15-21; 15:26-17; Lk 12:12).
  • It underscores the full deity of the Holy Spirit as coeternal, co-creative, coequal and consubstantial with the Father and Son (e.g., Jn 15:15-20; 2 Cor 3:18; 12:4-6).
  • It anticipates all the diverse ministries of the Holy Spirit
  1. Regeneration (Titus 3:5-6; John 3:3-7)
  2. Sanctification (Rom 8:3-8; 2 Cor 3:18)
  3. Revelation (1 Cor 2:6-12)
  4. Assurance of adoption (Rom 5:5; 8:15-16)
  5. Leading in ministry (Rom 8:15; Lk 4:1; Acts 8:29)
  6. Conviction of sin (John 16:8; 1 Thess 5:19)
  7. Renewal (Acts 4:31)
  • It teaches us that, while we are baptized with the Spirit just once—when we first place our trust in Christ for salvation—we should yearn for and expect multiple “fillings” (Acts 4:31; 1 Cor 12:12-13; Eph 4:5; Eph 5:18).

Questions and answers

Suggested resources