Pentecost
Pentecost
Many of us come from a classical Pentecostal background. This simply means that in church history, at least that of the 20th century our denominational influences were those of groupings that sprung out of the Azusa Street, Topeka, Kansas, and Houston, Texas revivals.
The word Pentecostal comes from the word Pentecost. And of course means of or pertaining to Pentecost. I think it fitting that we look at this word and its origin and meaning. Actually the original usage of this word/name and its meaning go back to the nation of Israel.*
The word Pentecost means fifty. Therefore it became used to mean fifty days after…Fifty days after what you may ask. Well let’s look:*
The Israelites had seven major feast days: Feast of
1. Passover
2. Unleavened Bread
3. First-fruits
4. Pentecost- Fifty Days After First-fruits
5. Day of Trumpets-Rosh Hashana
6. Day of Atonement- Yom Kippur
7. Feast of Tabernacles
Our purpose is not to focus on them all today. But let us just mention Passover, First fruits and the Feast of Harvest, Weeks or Pentecost.
The neat thing to notice here is that Fifty days after the original Passover in the Old Testament, the nation of Israel not yet officially a nation arrives at Sinai and has given to them the Law. Here they officially become a nation (3000 people are slain notice).
In the New Testament Fifty days after the Paschal Lamb is slain we come to the feast of Pentecost. Some say this was ten days after Jesus ascension and some seven. Well that perhaps is another subject. When the day of Pentecost was fully come. There came a sound from Heaven as a rushing mighty wind and there appeared unto them cloven tongues of fire that sat upon each of them. The Bible says that they were all (120) filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the spirit gave them the utterance. This time there were app. 3000 added to the church. Notice the contrast.
So now you see succinctly where the word Pentecost came from. From this word we get the word Pentecostal…. which means of or pertaining to Pentecost. The Church started on this fourth of seven feasts of the Jews. It was a celebration and Jews had gathered from the then known world to observe it. The Bible says that thousands were there from these nations:
Parthians
Medes,
Elamites,
Residents from
Mesopotamia,
Judea,
Cappadocia,
Pontus,
Asia,
Phrygia,
Pamphylia,
Egypt,
Libya parts near Cyrene,
Rome visitors (Jews and converts to Judaism)
Cretans,
Arabs
These tongues and dialects were heard spoken by the Galileans (many of whom were considered to be unlearned-This doesn’t mean that they were dumb). But here they were speaking in languages they had never learned and declaring the marvelous works of God.
Because this is a fact, many of confined the necessity of speaking in tongues to an equipping gift for missionaries to preach the gospel to people of other languages. This has historically happened since then, however let me share some things to you:
These men were praising God in these languages (not necessarily preaching) They were declaring the wonders of God in their own tongues…I would venture to say they were overheard.
But Peter stood and in the common world language of the day (Greek, Aramic, Hebrew), addressed the whole crowd. Peter used a language that he knew naturally to speak in to the people. So generally that is how God is going to use us when preaching or teaching…in a known language.
So we go back to speaking in tongues and see that it is a sign. Earthly languages were used by the Holy Spirit to impress and impact those that were gathered there that day. This was a momentous, unprecedented, powerful occasion that couldn’t just be taken for granted.
Today God wants you to have your own Pentecost. Let me share one more thing with you. On that feast day, among the ceremonies that ensued was the waving of two loaves of bread before God. This symbolized the Jews and Gentiles…but this was not unleavened bread like was used in the 2nd feast of the Jews, indicating that these were imperfect people that we receiving the Holy Ghost…both Jews and Gentiles.
Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you and your children and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.