'What Meaneth This?'

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. was...: Gre. when this voice was made was...: Or, troubled in mind And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. - Acts 2:1-13

    The events of Pentecost recorded in Acts 2 rightfully claim the attention of the church of God. Here Luke records for us the great outpouring of God the Holy Spirit upon his church. Let us carefully and prayerfully study what happened on that great day. Some try to fabricate a re-enactment of Pentecost, while others simply ignore it as an event in history which has no relevance to the church today. Both are in error. While we recognize that the miraculous gifts of the Spirit were temporary signs, given for specific purposes, we also realize that the events of that great day have an application to God's church today. What the Holy Spirit was then, he is now. He is God who changes not. Whatever he did for the church of God at Pentecost, he is able to do for the church of God today. His power has not diminished. God the Holy Spirit is still with the church of Christ in this world. We should expect his divine work among us!

    I . What was Pentecost?

    It was one of three great feasts given by the commandment of God (Lev. 23:4-21). The reason why there was such a great crowd at Jerusalem was the fact that God required every male Israelite to attend these feasts every year.

    1. The Feast of Passover (Lev. 23:4-8). Actually, this feast originated in Egypt (Exod. 12:1-13). When the judgement of God fell upon Egypt the Passover lamb was sacrificed. The blood of the lamb was put on the door of every house in Israel. When judgement fell, God looked on the blood and passed over every house where blood was on the door. The Passover lamb represented Christ, the Lamb of God, who was sacrificed for us (1 Cor. 5:7), by whose blood we are saved. He kept the Passover feast with his disciples just before he was crucified. It was then that he instituted the Lord's Supper (Matt. 26:17-30).

    2. The Feast of Firstfruits (Lev. 23:9-11). On the Sunday after the Passover sabbath Israel brought a handful of the firstfruits of harvest and waved it before the Lord. This signified that every product of the soil, every result of man's labour and toil, is from God. It was on this day that our Lord arose from the grave and became the firstfruits of the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:20-23). All the results of his work on the cross, our redemption and resurrection, are of God.

    3. The Feast of Pentecost (Lev. 23:15-21) was held seven weeks after the Passover. Here the Jews renewed their vows and dedicated themselves anew to the Lord God. It was on this day that the Holy Spirit was given, as our Saviour had promised.

    2. When did the Holy Spirit come upon the apostles? (2:1)

    He came at the divinely appointed time, 'when the day of Pentecost was fully come'. Once Christ ascended back to heaven and was exalted, the Spirit was given (Ps. 68:18-19; Eph. 4:7-12; Gal. 3:13-14). It was Sunday morning. The disciples were gathered for worship in the appointed place. They were all with one accord, in prayer and expectation (Acts 1:14), waiting for the promise of the Spirit. The blessings of God always attend such unity and obedience (Ps. 133:1-3; Matt. 18:20). But strife and division grieve the Spirit and drive him away (Eph. 4:30).

    3. What were the symbols of the Holy Spirit's presence? (2:2-3)

    The wind is a symbol of deity and, therefore, a proper emblem of the Spirit. In fact, in both Hebrew and Greek the words for wind and the Spirit are the same. Wind is frequently used to represent the power and presence of God (Ezek. 37:9; Job 38: 1). The sound of rushing, mighty wind symbolizes the irresistible power of grace which comes by the Spirit of God (John 3:8; Ps. 65:4; 110:3). Like the wind, God is uncontrolled by man, sovereign, almighty and irresistible in all his works!

    The fire is also an emblem of divinity. God appeared to Abraham as a burning lamp (Gen. 15:17) and to Moses in the burning bush (Exod. 3:1-6). The symbol of his presence with Israel was a pillar of fire (Exod. 13:21-22). He showed himself for Elijah by devouring fire (1 Kings 18:38). Isaiah's lips were cleansed by a live coal of fire (Isa. 6:1-8). 'Our God is a consuming fire' (Heb. 12:29). Like fire, the Spirit of God illuminates the people of God (John 16:13-14; 1 Cor. 2:11-14). Like fire, he gives power to energize and invigorate the church of God and the servants of God. Without him we can do nothing. With him there is nothing we cannot do!

    3. What were the immediate effects of the Holy Spirit's presence? (2:4-11)

    First, 'They were all filled with the Holy Ghost.' Oh, that we might each be filled with the Spirit! To be filled with the Spirit is to be controlled by him (Eph. 5:18-20). It is to be filled with his grace (Gal. 5:22-23), filled with his comfort (John 14:16-18) and filled with his influence (Rom. 8:14).

    Second, they 'began to speak with other tongues [languages], as the Spirit gave them utterance'. The gift of tongues was the ability to speak a language that had not been learned (2:6-11). It was not the meaningless repetition of unintelligible sounds! This gift was a temporary gift bestowed upon the apostles, identifying them as God's inspired messengers and confirming their writings as the Word of God (Heb. 2:3-4). Because we have the complete revelation of God in Holy Scripture, there is no need for supernatural gifts (miracles, tongues, etc.) to confirm God's revelation (1 Cor. 13:10; 2 Peter 1:19). The Spirit is the same today as he was then, but he does not manifest himself in the same way. Yet three things always give evidence of the Spirit's presence and power in the church.

    1. He enables God's servants to preach with power (2:4).

    2. He enables chosen sinners to hear, understand and believe the gospel of Christ (2:6; 1 Thess. 1:5).

    3. He makes the gospel a savour of life to some and death to others (2:11-13; 2 Cor. 2:14-16).

    4. What was the subject preached by the apostles?

    They all declared 'the wonderful works of God' (2:11). Just read Peter's sermon and you will see what those wonderful works of God are. On that day, as on all other occasions in the book of Acts, and on any day when a man preaches by the power of God the Holy Spirit, the subject matter was Christ and him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2). The words 'preach', 'preaching' and 'preached' appear thirty-seven times in the book of Acts. Every time they have reference to the preaching of Christ. We shall look at it in more detail in the next chapter, but notice what Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost.

    1. Free salvation through the merits of Christ (2:21).

    2. The glorious sovereignty of God (2:23).

    3. The desperate wickedness and depravity of man (2:23).

    4. The crucifixion and death of Christ (2:23).

    5. The exaltation and glory of Christ (2:32-36).

    6. Repentance and the remission of sins by the gift of God (2:38-40).

    Let us pray for the presence and power of God the Holy Spirit to attend the assemblies of God's church today (Isa. 64:1-2).

    Spirit divine! Attend our prayers,

    And make God's house thy home;

    Descend with all thy gracious powers,

    Oh come, great Spirit, come!