And there appeared to 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. (Acts 2:3,4)
Fifty days after the Jewish Passover was Pentecost, also referred to as the Feast of Weeks. This was an annual festival of thanksgiving when the first fruits of the grain harvest were presented to God. It was during this time that the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the disciples who were gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem. The ascension of Christ had preceded Pentecost and was necessary for the Holy Ghost to be poured out. The last words of our Lord to His disciples were, "But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you. (Acts 1:8)"
The second chapter of the book of Acts gives the account of how the Holy Ghost was pored out as the New Testament church was inaugurated and infused with power and authority. So great was the outpouring that about 3,000 people were converted and baptized that same day.
The greatest longing in the world today is a desire for something more than lifeless, sectarian religion. People still need the dynamics of Pentecost for spiritual inspiration and power to live beyond their human nature and weaknesses. Pentecost was miraculous because it was the supernatural infusing of the natural.
It has correctly been stated that "We are not natural beings
living in a spiritual world but rather spiritual beings
living in a natural world."
On the day of Pentecost, human nature was superseded by a higher spiritual power and thus even preacher Peter was changed from a cowardly, cursing, stumbling, bumbling backslider into a flaming pillar of power and glory in the church! Before Pentecost, although Peter was entrusted with the spiritual keys to God’s kingdom, he was simply unable to keep from wrongdoing including publicly denying that he even knew Christ. But after the power that Christ had promised fell on him at Pentecost, Peter was now able to think and act beyond his previous limits and weaknesses.
It is impossible to live a true Christian life without the indwelling, active Holy Ghost inside. The church today, like the disciples in the upper room, is waiting on the edge of a miracle. We can prevail against our environment, our genetic tendencies and the evil principalities that surround us. When the Holy Ghost enters the human heart, the power of sin is broken; the computer of the brain is given new data and the individual is transformed. When people proclaim Christ as Lord as Peter did, the results will be the same. There will be conviction of sin and a hungry heart to obey the gospel.
The dynamics of Pentecost are still available for everyone today. In fact with the world rapidly sinking into the abyss of tribulation judgment, the Holy
Spirit is a necessary link to the supernatural. It can deliver you from any bondage of sin and then tether you to the lifeline of God's rapture bound church! If you don't believe me, just ask Peter. He's the man that Christ gave the keys to the kingdom to and authorized him to reveal what we must do to apply the "Acts" gospel to our hearts. (Matt 16:18,19)
Bottom line truth: In response to Peter’s preaching on the day of Pentecost, the people asked, "What shall we do?" Peter responded, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. "(Acts 2:37-39
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