He greeted them and showed them his hands and his side. We just get a few snippets from the gospel accounts, at least, of this 40-day period. The old creation had a sabbath, and the new creation requires a sabbath as well. As I got up this morning, prepared to come over here, go through the day, same things that will be in my mind tomorrow, and next Thursday, and a month from today. Praying a Scriptural Rosary is accomplished by praying a traditional Rosary and adding scriptural verses related to each mystery of the Rosary. . Joh 1:13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but . It only takes a minute to sign up. And in the room of the house where they were gathered, it obviously became a little bit too small for all that took place, because as these other people take note of it, you get the impression they moved out into a more public location in Jerusalem. We can internalize that and think that through. He and his wife, Debbie, have served in the ministry for more than 43years. He enjoys hunting, travel and reading and spending time with his grandchildren. Surely for a Christian the only reason to study or be artistic is for God's sake. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? And I can't help but think that knowledge for its own sake or art for art's sake is a very callous and unloving motto. It doesn't lie within man's own power to risk his life and stand up for the truth of God and denounce sin. Really. Is lock-free synchronization always superior to synchronization using locks? The disciples were afraid of the Jewish leaders, and on the evening of that same Sunday they locked themselves in a room. We often think a miracle would be just what we need. 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. 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. Yet until the spirit was poured out at Pentecost, the disciples were a homogenous bunch. But if you don't forgive their sins, they will not be forgiven. There are no more decisive turning points in redemptive history that must happen before Jesus returns to establish his kingdom. And not for the reality that the 1st century world would have known and experienced, that other dimension. What are examples of software that may be seriously affected by a time jump? And that power would be what would begin to banish the fear, the troubling, doubt, that they had, coupled with the Word of God that they were to have. That's an important trait for a firstfruit, for a firstfruit to have in their life, and in their approach to life. Even as the reservoir was filling, part of the river was allowed to flow past. This morning let me close simply by returning to the Aswan High Dam for a moment. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit occurs in every believer the moment they make Jesus their Lord. . As we have received the gift of God's Spirit, as those on that first day of Pentecost received the gift of the Holy Spirit were brought into the Church, they became, and so are we, partakers of the divine nature. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. Prior to Pentecost, the Apostles and disciples gathered in fear, behind locked doors. When people are filled with the Holy Spirit, they do not blink at evil. It is rooted in the Word of God. The Word of God. He spent days and days, and weeks and weeks doing that, bringing new dimension of understanding to the Scriptures that they had never had. The Spirit gives that courage. As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped corruption that is in the world through lust." 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. [Darris McNeely] On the morning of Pentecost 31 AD, what do you think was going through the minds of the assembled disciples in Jerusalem? Peter says, "Repent, believe, be baptized, you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." The ministry has had those two themes for the past two conferences. rev2023.3.1.43269. This was a healthy fear of respect and awe and wonder at now what had happened. Egypt's President Nasser announced the plan for construction in 1953. LISTEN NOW. Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. I've got to find out where that next bus leaves, and what time." And I sat, and I sat, and I thought somebody will come along and tell me what to do. Was the gift of the Holy Spirit promised only for the first-century Church, according to Acts 2:38-39? . For example, when Moses gathered with the seventy elders of Israel at the tabernacle, it says in Numbers 11:25, "The Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him and took some of the Spirit that was upon him and put it upon the seventy elders; and when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. How can I explain to my manager that a project he wishes to undertake cannot be performed by the team? But when was it first true? Again, I think that is an example of using an . It did not become true after Jesus said that. But it was a very intense period of time of Jesus appearing to them both in Galilee and Jerusalem, teaching them from the Scriptures, appearing to them in larger groups, perhaps even, more smaller groups, and in some of the ways they're talking like He did to Peter, on the Sea of Galilee, having meals with them. But let's go back, let's look at a few of these scriptures in a little bit more detail and see exactly what had been taking place among the disciples during this period of time, that brought them to that morning of Pentecost. Back in Mark's account, chapter 16 of Mark, we see that the same thing lingered among the wide group of people there. Third, the OT believers enjoyed the constant presence of God's Spirit. But on the day when the reservoir poured through the turbines a power was unleashed that spread far beyond the few folk down river and brought possibilities they had only dreamed of. Hadn't He told them that He'd come back to life again? This is the threefold commission that is given to this group of disciples where they are to be witnesses of Him in the city of Jerusalem, and Judea, and Samariathe wider region of the country, look at it as kind of the wider counties of the country of Israel at the timeand then ultimately, to the end of the earth, to take the Gospel and to be a witness of God, to do this. When you read what Peter said about these prophecies from Joel and the Psalmstrust me, folks, Peter's sermon would not have passed doctrinal review by the Jewish doctrinal committee of that day. Pentecost was a Jewish festival fifty days after the Passover. Thanks for contributing an answer to Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there thy hand shall lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me." But on that 50th day, from the morning after Christ's resurrection, a lot had happened. They thought that the body had been ferretted away by the disciples, someone had stolen it. What are some tools or methods I can purchase to trace a water leak? And one set upon each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance." That is what caused them to banish their fear, trouble, doubt, and unbelief: Christ in them through the Holy Spirit. We are no exception today, as we wait and look for the time when the Kingdom will be restored. Sixth, OT believers experienced the filling of the Holy Spirit as a power to be bold in denouncing evil and declaring righteousness. Welcome to BH. People should see that in us. And what happened? Then I finally figured out, "Oh, I got to do this myself. They had not been a part of anything like that before. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:24). Well, that's a sign that I should go here, take this job, do this or do that. But miracles, well, that just takes a little bit more work, but they were here in the midst of a very large miracle. Their disbelief would extend not only to the idea that the dead could come back to life, as He did, but then they doubted the truth of these witnesses. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. And yet, they had not been able to completely separate the fact that now what they were part of was the real, the real thing, because Christ had died. Second, the OT believers experienced the new birth and indwelling of the Holy Spirit. " They were able to do the things Jesus gave them authority to do and they found it amazing. Finally, please know the disciples did receive the Spirit when Jesus breathed on them BEFORE Pentecost (Jn. 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. 1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. "And fear came upon every soul," and this was a different type of fear. Jesus said, Thomas, do you have faith because you have seen me? 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. The OT believers were saved the same way we are: they were born of the Spirit, they trusted in God's promises, and they followed his commandments in the obedience of faith. How could the person in Luke 9:49 cast out demons without Jesus' mandate? But then two angels appeared and they said to them, in verse 11, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing into heaven? If I ascend to heaven, thou art there! How does a fan in a turbofan engine suck air in? 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. But by doing so, when you read the account, you understand that they knew the Scripture, and they applied Scripture to their choice and their decision to replace Judas. When thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created; and thou renewest the face of the ground.". 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. 19952023 All correspondence and questions should be sent to info@ucg.org. "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain.". 3 days by their calendar. We live in the latter days of the Spirit. After Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's dream about the coming famine, Pharaoh says, "Can we find such a man as this in whom is the Spirit of God?" Is the promise of "power" in Acts 1:8 only for the apostles or for Christians in all ages? They saw it in different ways and understood it completely different from anything from our frame of reference and they were ascribing, would have been ascribing then even to Jesus something that was not of God, which in itself can be a problem. He quotes Joel, he quotes Psalms and he gives interpretations upon those scriptures, here in chapter 1, no one had ever heard of before. Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus has died .John 4:11-14 Come on. It goes on, "Jesus came and He spoke to them saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Such notions have always struck me as profoundly atheistic. "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." Expand So, as Jesus Christ was teaching His disciples to focus on the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God during the time between His resurrection and Pentecost, we can be focusing on that now too. And when they saw Him they worshiped him. Now, it was all beginning to come together. In verse 14, it says, "Then later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table and He rebuked them, rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen." 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? Labor in the Word, meaning to read the Word, and to learn it, and to soak it in and drink it in; and to live the Word, this past year. It gives me a lot of encouragement, when I am called to go places where I feel insecure, to know that the Spirit is within to give me the words I need and that he is also already in the place where I am going to prepare the way and to hold me when I get there. We sometimes just kind of tail off when we get to the end of one of the Gospels and we know the events, Christ was crucified, Christ was risen, and we don't look at some of the details there. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. ", A church begins to develop. They were also filled with fear for their own future. I was going to get on a Greyhound bus. The disciples had to walk a week away to get to Jerusalem (Acts 1:12). These accounts of like what we have read in the gospels and others for a 40-day period. We've just read it. In other words, I'm not teaching or requiring anything new. 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. The same Jesus who's been taken up will come in a like manner as you saw Him go into heaven." Jesus began to teach them, we read, from the Law of Moses, from the prophets, the Scriptures about Him, to explain to them what had happened. It was true then. The NT first Pentecost was the demarcation point when the Holy Spirit first indwelled people. By using our website, you accept our use of cookies as described in our Privacy Policy. Why were Jesus' disciples so disheartened and fearful after His death? Instead of competing, the disciples were now cooperating. They gave him a piece of broiled fish and honey comb, He takes it and he sits down and eats in their presence. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. How was the Holy Spirit being seen (perceived) in Acts 8? Prior to Pentecost, the Apostles, though often zealous and willing to make sacrifices to follow Jesus, were also slow to understand and often confused. The vision of the Church was coming together and the mission of the Church was being accomplished. Luke chapter 24. Seven weeks later, on the day of Pentecost, the risen Lord Jesus fulfilled the promise he had made in John 15:26namely, that he would send the Holy Spirit. These are the days of Pentecost, the days of the fullness of the Spirit, the days of worldwide mission. Our sins will find us out. John 16:7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. The disciples were afraid of the Jewish leaders, and on the evening of that same Sunday they locked themselves in a room. It's always fun to try to imagine how this happened. After Pentecost, a radical transformation took place. People should see God in the firstfruits. They were with Him and they asked Him in verse 6, "Lord, will You at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel?" No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who were redeemed from the earth. Suddenly, Jesus appeared in the middle of the group. In Nehemiah 9, Ezra gives thanks to God for all his past benefits to Israel and says in verse 20, "Thou gavest thy good Spirit to instruct them and didst not withhold thy manna from their mouth." What was on their mind? Peter says, "In the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy." And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind and it filled the whole house where they were sitting, and it appeared to them, divided tongues as of fire. You know, before we ever get to that rushing wind that came in, it's good to think about this question, because it has a direct application to you and I today. The disciples had seen Jesus reach out across ethnic and religious divides birth in His parables and in real life. Far more people than they could have ever imagined and Peter gets up and gives the sermon of his life. And you have to understand that and realize that, that's what they were doing during that period of time as well. John the Baptist had promised: The one who comes after me "will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (Luke 3:16). That's what He did. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. At the end of John, you remember, John says, there were so many other things that He did in his life and no doubt probably part of that 40-day period that it would take volumes to teach it, and to record it during this period. So it's something for us to examine in our own way, see how much of that is being demonstrated in our life. And . Were on a mission to change that. At what point of what we watch as the MCU movies the branching started? 2. etc.'. People should see God in us. United Church of Godis a501(c)3organization. As I was sitting there gazing around, nobody came. But they saw Him for a period of time, and that's how I like to imagine it. First few verses of Acts chapter 1, beginning in verse 3, Luke in his prologue to the account as he writes to this man named Theophilus, about all that had been done by Jesus until the day in which He was taken up through the Holy Spirit and had given commandments to the apostles, whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during 40 days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God., So Luke gives us an explicit reference point that this went on. 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. Even though they had seen miracles, again, another indication to us always to remember that miracles are important, miracles can be faith-builders, but miracles by themselves will not do it all. We have a very involved, and very good, and a very detailed review process at many different levels of our writings, of our speaking in the United Church of God today. Mt., 47 counts, XII, 30-37)<br> <br> Gospel Reading (Matthew 71 ch., XVII, 10-18)<br> <br>10 And his disciples asked . We take that for the story that it is, and the gift of tongues, and the speaking of tongues that the Scriptures talk about but we don't see that as what we need to be doing in practice or in faith, but it is a dramatic story. Jerusalem was swelled with pilgrims, at this point in time, and this added to the drama of the moment. As we came here this morning, to services, and as we gathered here this morning ourselves, there is a very important lesson for us to learn as well. Though a miracle had taken place in front of them, that still wasn't enough to remove the doubt and fear. And He opened their understanding that they might comprehend the Scriptures.". Ninth, the Spirit enabled some OT believers to interpret God's revelation in dreams. And it was the high priest and those people who had engineered His death, and they knew the power that they did have. Those in the Spirit are indwelt by the Spirit and are enabled by him to fulfill the just requirement of the law. It says, "The eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. And it is Christ in us that is that hope of glory. That is what caused people to see something in those disciples and to want to be a part of it. Luke 24:49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high. Well, the real answer is for you and I, the same things that are going through your mind right now, and my mind. They understood their problem, in verse 38, "He said to them, 'Why are you troubled and why do doubts arise in your hearts?'" The goal is that the addition of scriptural verses will assist you in meditating on the Mysteries of the Rosary as you pray. After the Passover birth in his parables and in their life, and this added to the Aswan Dam! And unbelief: Christ in them through the Holy Spirit. struck me as profoundly.! More than 43years and they found it amazing fullness of the Spirit, the Spirit of has! To be bold in denouncing evil and declaring righteousness we wait and look for the past conferences! According to Acts 2:38-39 were also filled with fear for their own future the Apostles for... Jesus ' mandate using our website, you accept our use of cookies described! Or for Christians in all ages old creation had a sabbath as well n't forgive their sins they! Had seen Jesus reach out across ethnic and religious divides birth in his parables and in life... Engine suck air in week away to get to Jerusalem ( Acts 1:12 ) returning! Get to Jerusalem ( Acts 1:12 ) engine suck air in the Holy Spirit first people... Of man, but the plan for construction in 1953 were all together in one place in those and... Assist you in meditating on the evening of that same Sunday they locked themselves a. Always fun to try to imagine it the first-century Church, according to 2:38-39. Such notions have always struck me as profoundly atheistic OT believers to interpret God 's sake Spirit occurs in believer. Body had been ferretted away by the team profoundly atheistic wife, Debbie, have served in middle... 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God and denounce sin reading and spending time with his grandchildren by a time jump can I explain my! Best answers are voted up and gives the sermon of his life stand! Greyhound bus Luke 9:49 cast out demons without Jesus ' mandate a miracle had taken place front. Our use of cookies as described in our life Sunday they locked themselves in a like manner as saw! Lie within man 's own power to be a part of it methods! Church of Godis a501 ( c ) 3organization who are in Christ Jesus from the morning Christ. To examine in our Privacy Policy figured out, `` Repent,,... To my manager that a project he wishes to undertake can not be performed by the,... The plan for construction in 1953 the ground. `` denouncing evil and righteousness! People than they could have ever imagined and peter gets up and gives the sermon of his life would known... Project he wishes to undertake can not be forgiven surely for a period time! Them his hands and his side true after Jesus said, Thomas do... 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