Lineage Pentecost to Patmos
Pentecost Episode 1
The believers in the first century were at a crossroads.
Their teacher, rabbi, and leader for the last three and a half years
had been crucified and had now ascended to heaven.
How would this fledgling new movement do
without the leadership and guidance that He provided?
Many expected the disciples to be sorrowful, confused, and defeated,
but they returned from Olivet to Jerusalem
and there waited for the promise of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
They did not wait idly, but they spent time in the temple
praising and blessing God and searching their own hearts.
They did not merely pray for a personal blessing
but that they might be used to bless others.
[music]
The Bible says in the book of Acts
that when the day of Pentecost was come,
'they were all of one accord in one place.'
and then it says there was a sound from heaven
like the sound of a mighty rushing wind
and it filled the house where they were sitting.
When Jesus left, He promised them
the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter,
and He said they would have more power than if He had stayed.
In this instance, the Holy Spirit came in the form of tongues of fire.
Fire to symbolize the fervency of the work,
and tongues to symbolize that they would be able to speak in languages
that they had been unable to before.
[music]
At that time there were Jews from every nation there
in attendance of the religious festivals that were in progress.
Under normal circumstances this diversity of languages
would have been a great hindrance to the spread of the gospel,
but God was able to take something that should have been an obstacle
and turn it into a victory.
Imagine standing there and listening
to these humble men from Galilee preaching,
and those who heard it heard it in their own language.
Even those who were opposed to this message
were powerless in the face of this blatant demonstration
of the power of God that they were witnessing.
[music]
Peter showed that there was a connection
between what was happening then
and what was prophesied in the book of Joel,
and then he spoke with clarity and power,
showing how the One so recently crucified was the Prince of Life.
No doubt there were some there in attendance
who had heard Pilate say the words, 'Whom shall I release unto you?'
and had said, 'His blood be upon us and our children,'
when Pilate had said, 'I find no fault in Him.'
Struck with conviction, they then said, 'What shall we do?'
In answer to this age-old question
Peter responded that they needed to repent and be baptized
for the remission of sins and receive the Holy Ghost.
[music]
Some no doubt thought that the work that Jesus started
would end with His death,
but the scenes witnessed on the day of Pentecost
showed that the movement that would become Christianity
was just getting started.
The disciples had been trained by the world's greatest teacher
for three and a half years,
and now they received their final qualification.
They were no longer disconnected, independent workers,
but they were of one accord.
They no longer wanted worldly greatness,
but now they felt their desperate need of the Holy Spirit.
[music]
This experience of the believers in the first century
gave them the impetus that they needed to go on and change the world.
This baptism of the Holy Spirit
was a foretaste of what will happen before the return of Jesus.
This baptism, this experience that they had, was a snapshot,
and before Jesus returns there will be an outpouring
of the Holy Spirit like has never been seen before.
Just like then, the church will need to be of one accord.
Strife and divisions need to be put away
and hearts need to be searched.
May we humbly cooperate with God
and may we seek this experience in our lives.