The Day of Pentecost:
The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit Then & Now!
Dr. daniel b. gilbert
may 27, 2023
The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit Then & Now!
Luke writes in Acts 1:1-3 that for forty days after Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, He continued to teach His disciples about the kingdom of God. We do not have much of those teachings recorded during those forty days, but we do have some important statements of Jesus recorded on the last day before His ascension. Luke writes:
And while staying with them he ordered them no to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now…But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:4-5, 8, emphasis mine)
After this, Jesus ascended and was seated at the right hand of God, the Father. Ten days later, on the Day of Pentecost, at the beginning of one of the most joyful festivals the Jews celebrated, (see Lev. 23:15-21), something supernatural happened! (Read Acts 2) The fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel 2:28-29 took place. The Father, through the ascended Son, sent and poured out the Holy Spirit upon the disciples and for all who would believe!
This was no ordinary day, nor should it be ordinary for the Church and believers today. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit was uniquely a New Testament event, not just for the 120 believers that day who were baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire, but for believers today too!
There are several insights and purposes of Spirit baptism to encourage us about this special day in the history of the Church:
- The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit was the unique initiation for the Church, but also it continues until the Parousia (The second coming of Christ).
- The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit was to fill and immerse the believers in God, the Holy Spirit, with heavenly joy and praise, that is still one of the main purposes for Spirit baptism today. (See also Romans 15:13; Ephesians 5:18-20)
- The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit was to bring a deeper fellowship with the Triune God, as now God resides in our hearts today. (See also 2 Corinthians 13:14)
- The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit was to empower the believers for ministry and to be mighty witnesses for Jesus Christ by continuing the power ministry of Jesus and is still one of the main purposes for Spirit baptism today! (See also Acts 4:28-31; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11)
So, I want to ask you three key questions:
- Have you and I surrendered to the fullness of and the empowerment with the Holy Spirit for the main purpose to be Spirit-empowered witnesses of Jesus Christ to a lost world?
- Do we desire to be vessels of the Holy Spirit and not limit Him in our lives and ministry, including all the gifts of the Spirit?
- Are we a people set apart in holiness and radiate the joy of the Holy Spirit in our lives that attracts people to Jesus?
May this Pentecost Sunday be a day of celebrating the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that commenced the New Testament Church, but may it also be a day of surrendering more to God, the Holy Spirit, to empower us to be mighty witnesses for the world to come to Jesus Christ our Lord!
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