It says, "The eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. It's an interesting way that they did. They had come up against the two most powerful authorities of their day in their world. and there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. So that when they came to that morning of Pentecost and this mighty event takes place, they were ready then to move into the experience provided, and that extra dimension of power that the Spirit of God would give them and did give to them, and Peter takes the lead to give the sermon of his life. Apparently, two angelic figures appeared to them as the disciples were kind of watching Christ go. Not many days, we would look at it roughly 10 days from that 40-day period. It was the Roman soldiers that had carried out the death of Christ and had sealed the tomb and a Roman guard had been placed there. How to increase the number of CPUs in my computer? By using our website, you accept our use of cookies as described in our Privacy Policy. And to live with the reality that there is a God who judges, who sees, and who knows. When the disciples saw the Lord, they became very happy. And therein, lies a key to the understanding of what had taken place with these individuals here. The second obvious change in the lives of the disciples was in their spiritual strength. "Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). But the disciples didn't stop focusing on the Kingdom of God after Pentecost. And He opened their understanding that they might comprehend the Scriptures.". And perhaps like you and I would today, we might look at it as a little bit odd. Stop doubting and have faith! It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks, as described in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:1-31). It was celebrated 50 days after Passover and was marked by pilgrims coming to Jerusalem from all over the world to celebrate the event. Life, that a doubt every once in a while creeps in, sometimes an unbelief, fear, bonds of trust might be tested. We do well to read about these things, and ask ourselves the simple question: if they experienced so much of God's Spirit which was but a trickle of the reservoir, how much more should we enjoy under the dozen turbines of Pentecost? 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.". Did they doubt what they were seeing? They sailed on it in the moonlight and wrote songs about it. But I had to go to St. Louis about 100 miles north of my hometown and pick up what they called an express bus, that would go through the larger cities. What is "the gift" of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:38? Darris McNeely works at the United Church of God home office in Cincinnati, Ohio. PrivacyPolicyTerms ofUse. Even as the reservoir was filling, part of the river was allowed to flow past. After Pentecost, they were different people. She went and told those who had been with Him as they mourned and wept." What do we do now? "And all who believed were together and they had all things in common. The second power that they'd run up against was that of the Jewish authorities. After Pentecost, a radical transformation took place. (1 Cor., 148 pp., XI, 8-22). And . You may find that without a specific text of scripture your question could be voted for closure as 'off-topic'. And then this dramatic miracle takes place, festive occasion. 1 Samuel 11:6 When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he burned with anger. He greeted them and showed them his hands and his side. It only takes a minute to sign up. We live in the latter days of the Spirit. And we have by and large absorbed their mechanistic view of things. And so Christ gives them teaching and He gives them understanding. He is author of. All of these qualities are to the divine nature, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness, love. The country folk downstream depended on it. And I sat, and I sat, and I thought somebody will come along and tell me what to do. But as Christ begins to give them the teaching from the Scriptures, of how He had fulfilled literally, in every way, the scriptures about the Messiah. When thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created; and thou renewest the face of the ground.". Which again points forward to the last days inaugurated at Pentecost. The Church was given favor, we're told, as they demonstrated these fruits and others were added. I must put my hand where the spear went into his side. John 16:7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. I also think this is true in some way, but in gospels there is record that Jesus 'gave them authority over devils and diseases and sent them to preach gospel, to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead. Surely for a Christian the only reason to study or be artistic is for God's sake. During the long period of construction the Nile River wasn't completely stopped. But you are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit if the Spirit of God really dwells in you." How can I explain to my manager that a project he wishes to undertake cannot be performed by the team? In verse 38, after everyone has calmed down, they realize theyve been involved and they were responsible for the death of Jesus. On the day of Pentecost Peter said that in these last days "your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams" (Acts 2:17). And speaking about the deep things of the Kingdom of God to prepare them for what they were to take part in, and what they were to be a part of. Though the emperor, a man named Tiberius, had been holed up on an island called Capri or Capri for a number of years in absentia, the empire was running quite well on its own. We've just read it. That Christianity grew, after such a brief inception, into the world religion we know to today is testimony to the power of the message Jesus preached. Back in Mark's account, chapter 16 of Mark, we see that the same thing lingered among the wide group of people there. Again, what they thought that they were becoming a part of was a movement that was noble, that was good, there had been many movements of other Messiah-type figures at this period of time in Judea. Does anybody care? With a UCG.org account you will be able to save items to read and study later! I can't think about it more than five minutes without saying, "So what?" If they got it at Pentecost, with what power then did the twelve these wonders if not with Holy Spirit? This is what He does as He moves them through the Law of Moses, the Psalms, and the prophets, and opening their understanding. Darris is the Associate Media Producer for the Church. A survey of Old Testament spiritual experience is needed to wake us up to our privileges in these last days that were inaugurated at Pentecost. How Believers Experienced the Spirit Before Pentecost, John Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. Our sins will find us out. Welcome to BH. They got the courage and strength they needed and they came out of their hiding place, starting to proclaim Jesus's death and resurrection. As Jesus' disciples they may be afraid of someone that would deliver them to soldiers to punish them for taking part in 'rebellion' (as occupants may see it). That He had to rebuke them and teach them. 1. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. But on that morning as they gathered, made their preparations, put on their clothes, walked to the location where they all were gathered, and they were about 120 disciples as chapter 1 of Acts tells us, they no doubt had a lot on their mind. This morning let me close simply by returning to the Aswan High Dam for a moment. Go, therefore, make disciples of nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded, and lo, I am with you, always, even to the end of the age.'" Put your hand into my side. Show them otherwise what had been done, rebuke their unbelief, as it goes along here. So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! He used Deborah and the tribe of Zebulun (the mountain may have been in their land) in the sermon. I like that phrase. For example, Numbers 14:24 says of Caleb, "My servant Caleb, because he has a different Spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into this land." This makes it seem that the Disciples were astonished, but those who followed behind them were afraid. In one sense, all craftsmanship and artistic ability is a gift of God, just like our breath is. They had hoped He would overcome the power of the Roman government and establish a new kingdom, and now their hopes of this vanished. And I didn't know how to make a connection. Thanks for contributing an answer to Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange! Christ did not leave His disciples as orphans. And as we've seen, even when they were confronted with the miracle of Christ's resurrection, and they recognized that they still had to deal with the hostility of the world around them, in a kind of a two-pronged government called the Roman Empire and the Jewish society, plus their own human nature, and themselves. And it is also the mission of the Church, we see right here, it has begun. About 10 days earlier, Christ had finally ascended for the final time and they were left alone. I wonder if more people came to Jerusalem for Pentecost in that year because of what had happened 50 days earlier, plus three, and they had heard about that. Old Testament saints knew then and Christians know today that victory over all threats and obstacles belongs to God. We give ourselves to that devotion, to that devoted study and the process of taking on the nature of God. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. Maybe a few more decided to go to Jerusalem on Pentecost to see what was going on, and the town was bursting at the seams, and from all these nations that we're told about here and areas. The Disciples' Sprititual Strength. And this dramatic miracle, but beyond that, 3,000 people being added to the Church, and then a community being developed. First, and most basic, the OT believers were conscious of God's Spirit as the Creator and Sustainer of their natural life. Why were Jesus' disciples so disheartened and fearful after His death? After Jesus had greeted them again, he said, I am sending you, just as the Father has sent me. Then he breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit. Zechariah 4:6 says, "Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit says the Lord of hosts.". Hadn't He told them that He'd come back to life again? Matthew records that "when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. And more specifically for this group that they would be witnesses of Jesus in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth being fulfilled. They had not been a part of anything like that before. Joh 1:11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus has died .John 4:11-14 Come on. Before Pentecost: What Were They Thinking? I wouldn't bother with the question if I didn't. And it was the high priest and those people who had engineered His death, and they knew the power that they did have. . 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. If you go back to Matthew chapter 28, chapter 28 and verse 16, let's just read a few of the accounts of that period following the resurrection, that the Gospel accounts tell us and there's more there. And there wasn't a Jew in Jerusalem, not a rabbi, not a priest who'd ever understood Joel or the Psalms in that way, nor would they have ever dreamed of applying it to what had happened just weeks earlier, with the arrest, crucifixion, and death of this Man called Jesus of Nazareth. Is the promise of "power" in Acts 1:8 only for the apostles or for Christians in all ages? We can accomplish the work of God, and we can then be the firstfruits who follow the Lamb and who know their God and do mighty deeds and mighty exploits. When did that become true? What was on their mind? What was possibly on the disciples' mind the morning of Pentecost? The disciples were afraid of the Jewish leaders, and on the evening of that same Sunday they locked themselves in a room. They have two sons, who are both married, and four grandchildren. Now, it was all beginning to come together. And again, He gives, through Mark's account here, He gives the same commission to go. The disciples stood gazing, and they didn't know what to do. Colossians 2:15 Colossians 2:15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.American King James Version, tells us that He disarmed the powers with His death. Send inquiries regarding the operation of this Web site to webmaster@ucg.org. They might have fidgeted a bit and wondered, "Well, should we go fishing?" These are the ones who are not defiled with women, they are virgins, spiritual virgins. For the death of Jesus a little bit odd behind them were afraid Cor., pp.. 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