More than Just One Sunday

Pentecost Sunday

Introduction: Today is what is known in the Christian calendar as Pentecost Sunday.

Pentecost Sunday in the Christian Church is the day on which the Spirit descended upon the apostles and their followers. It is considered the birthday of Christianity as many were baptized and became believers in Jesus Christ that day, establishing the body of the church. Learn more about the Bible story of Pentecost Sunday and the traditions of Christian churches today.

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” – John 14:26

“So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 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 1:6-8

What Is Pentecost?

Pentecost, meaning “fiftieth” is observed only in the New Testament (Acts 2:1; Acts 20:16; 1 Corinthians 16:8).

• The festival so named is first spoken of in Exodus 23:16 as “the feast of harvest,” and again in Exodus 34:22 as “the day of the firstfruits” (Numbers 28:26).

• The purpose of this feast was to commemorate the completion of the grain harvest.

• Its distinguishing feature was the offering of “two leavened loaves” made from the new corn of the completed harvest, which, with two lambs, were waved before the Lord as a thank offering.

Transition: My main thoughts for us this morning following a theme in my sermon title that Pentecost is ‘More than Just One Sunday.’

1. Beyond Salvation

Acts 2:1, ‘…all the believers…’

 Acts 19:2 Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” he asked them. “No,” they replied, “we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” (NLT)

1. Beyond and Instant / Moment
2. Greater than Emotional Experience
3. Deeper than a Religious / Spiritual Activity

AG Statement

1. In three of the five instances—Samaria, Damascus, Ephesus—persons who had an identifiable experience of the Spirit were already believers.
2. At Caesarea, that experience was almost simultaneous with the saving faith of Cornelius and his household.
3. In Jerusalem, the recipients were already believers in Christ even though it may be difficult—if it is even necessary—to determine with certainly the point in time when they were regenerated in the New Testament sense.

• In three accounts there
  was a time-lapse between conversion and Spirit baptism (Samaria, Damascus, Ephesus). T
• The waiting interval for the Jerusalem outpouring was necessary in order for the typological significance of the Day of Pentecost to be fulfilled. In the case of Caesarea, there was no distinguishable time lapse.

• A variety of interchangeable terminology is used for the experience of Spirit baptism.
• Groups (Jerusalem, Samaria, Caesarea, Ephesus) as well as an individual (Paul) received the experience.

• The imposition of hands is mentioned in three instances (Samaria, Damascus, Ephesus) but it is not a requirement, as evidenced by the outpourings in Jerusalem and Caesarea.
  
  
• Even though Spirit baptism is a gift of God’s grace, it should not be called “a second work of grace” or “a second blessing.” Such language implies that a believer can have no experience or experiences of divine grace between conversion and Spirit baptism.
  
  
• The ideal and biblically correct view is that a time-gap between regeneration and Spirit baptism is not a requirement. The emphasis should be on theological, not temporal, subsequence and separability.

Baptism in Holy Spirit is for:

1. Power for witnessing and Service.
   
   
2. Righteous Living – Spirit baptism has implications for righteous living.
   
   
3. Openness to Spiritual Gifts and Manifestations
4. Speaking in Tongues. Speaking in tongues is the initial, empirical indication that the infilling has taken place but it also benefits the speaker spiritually, for Paul says that “anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God” and that “he who speaks in a tongue edifies himself” (1 Corinthians 14:2,4).
5. This is the devotional aspect of tongues, which is associated with praising God and giving Him thanks (verses16,17). This aspect is sometimes called a prayer language. It is an element in praying in the Spirit (Ephesians 6:18; Jude 20). Because it is a means by which believers edify themselves spiritually, tongues may be called a means of grace.
6. It is not an experience that occurs only at the time of being baptized in the Spirit; it ought to be a continual, repeated experience.

• This is implied in Paul’s statement to the Corinthians: “I wish all of you to continue speaking in tongues” (1 Corinthians 14:5, a strict translation reflecting the Greek verb tense).

• In addition, some qualified exegetes understand Paul to mean praying in tongues, or at least to include it, when he says that “the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express” (Romans 8:26).