Pentecost The Birthday of the Church
by Sandra Moats
Pentecost is celebrated as the
birthday of the church on the 50th day
after Easter. They had been told by Jesus
to go and wait for the Holy Spirit to come
upon them. Lu 24:49. As the water baptized
believers were gathered in one accord
seeking the Lord in prayer, a mighty wind
came upon the place where they were
gathered. The wind filled all the house.
Ac 2:1-2. The Holy Spirit came upon the
apostles, Mary, the mother of Jesus and
120 faithful followers as they waited in
the upper room. Ac 1:13,14. It was
probably the same upper room where they
had celebrated the Passover and communion
together with our Lord. They all received
the gift of tongues that sealed their
baptism in the Holy Spirit. Ac 2:1-31.
This happening birthed the Pentecostal
movement of Christianity. That first
Pentecost the Apostle Peter stood and
quoted out of Joel 2:28,29, “And it shall
come to pass afterward, that I will pour
out my spirit upon all flesh; and your
sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams, your
young men shall see visions: And also upon
the servants and upon the handmaids in
those days will I pour out my spirit.”
Peter declared the outpouring was the
fulfillment of that prophesy. Ac 2:16-19.
Peter, the rock that the Christian Church
was built on, declared this gift was
available from that point on to believing
Jews and Gentiles. Ac 2:38,39.
It was a new day for the church. It
was the day the power of God was released
upon believers, sending them out as
powerful witnesses into all the world. Ac
1:8.
There are three things that stood out
concerning these faithful believers on the
day of Pentecost..
1. They were in one accord Ac 1:14
2. They were waiting on the Lord Ac 2:1
3. The were open vessels to receive justAc
2:3,4
Three things happened at Pentecost
They were all filled with the Holy
Spirit Ac 2:4
They all spoke with tongues Ac 2:4
They all received the power to become
extraordinary witnesses Ac 2:42-47
The results in the lives of those
believers was amazing.There are three
things that stand out about the happening.
Their hearts were changed – There was
strife before about who would be the
greatest Lu 22:24. After Pentecost they
held all things in common. Ac 2:44-46.
Their speech was changed – They were
limited in their preaching to their own
language, but after Pentecost they
witnessed to Gentiles in their own
languages Ac 2:3-12
Their thinking was changed – Peter,
who once denied Jesus, after Pentecost
became a martyr.
I know in my own life, when I had my
own personal pentecost, it was a life
changing experience. My mom called me one
afternoon and said, “There is a miracle
meeting in Sacramento tomorrow night,
would you like to go?” She knew I had been
ill with a kidney disease for over 8
years. We were conservative Lutherans and
we prayed for healing, but I had never
seen anyone instantly healed.
The Morris Cerello meeting was packed
with over 5,000 people. My younger
brother, who was battling drugs in his
life, also went with us. The preaching was
inspiring and when the altar call came my
brother got up, and went forward to give
his life to Christ. I went with him to
pray for him. While people were praying
for my brother there was a man next to him
that was touched deeply. He fell to the
floor and the pastors were praying and
casting out demons. When they were through
praying for that man he looked like a
totally different person. His face was
filled with peace. I had never seen
anything like that before.
Some people came and prayed for me. I
had forgotten all about my own need of
healing, in seeing my brother give his
heart to the Lord. As they prayed, a
beautiful language began flowing from my
lips. I recognized some of the words, as
being words that I had spoken in a sheep
pasture the day my father died when I was
12. I had gone there to be alone, but God
met me there. He whispered in my heart
that He would be my Father and then I
spoke words that I had never heard or
spoken before.
Now again, I was hearing those same
words flow out of my lips. There was such
peace in my heart, just like that day in
the sheep pasture. I went home pondering
these things in my heart. The next day I
realized that something else had happened
also. I was healed of the kidney disease.
I had no symptoms and felt healthy. Since
that day I have never had that disease
again. God reached down and touched me.
“He is Jehovah, the God that healeth
thee!”
Pentecost is still alive and operative
for today in every believer''s life. The
Bible tells us that God is the same,
“yesterday, today, and forever”. Heb 13:8.
I know in my life, since that day, I
cannot be silent about the love of God and
His free gift of salvation through Jesus
Christ. I have had zeal to preach and
reach the lost, with a boldness, that I
would never have had in myself. Jesus said
in Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power,
after that the Holy Ghost is come upon
you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me
both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and
in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of
the earth.”
The joy of witnessing has taken me to
other lands and peoples. In each place the
Holy Spirit has gone before me to open
doors to hearts. God desires to bless you
with power to be the witness He has called
you to be so that you will complete your
mission on earth. I don''t know about you,
but I want all He has for me. May you open
your heart to Him to receive all He has
for you.
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