Why Pentecost Sunday?

"Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." – Acts 2:2-4.

Fifty days at Easter, the disciples of Jesus were still gathered together praying and seeking direction, as Jesus had told them to do. Suddenly a new thing happened. When we read about the event, we know that Pentecost is more than just bringing the Easter season to a close, and to refer to it as the birth of the church is certainly misleading. Pentecost was a new beginning; it was the unleashing of the Holy Spirit. It is a celebration of new beginnings. At a time when confusion and uncertainty reigned among the Disciples of Christ, it was the coming of the Holy Spirit that revealed new horizons to and for God’s people. While it is true that Pentecost is a celebration of the coming of the Holy Spirit, it is so much more! Pentecost celebrates new beginnings, and in a world filled with confusion and regrets, having a God who forgives, restores, and renews is something to celebrate. We need to celebrate new beginnings, of taking steps of faith never before taken and experiencing God on a level beyond our wildest imaginations! Is this not what believers seek?

In Joel 2:28-29 God said, “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.” In Acts, we find the beginning of the fulfillment of this prophecy. Luke quotes these verses in Acts 2:17 to show that God was pouring out
His Spirit. God was doing a new thing and giving the recipients a new beginning.
Easter celebrates the resurrection of our Lord and Savior. Some Christians think that Pentecost is the close of the Easter season, and in some churches, that is all. However, the reality is that Pentecost is the fulfillment of prophecy, the root and account of true revival, the release of the Holy Spirit, the birth of the Church, and a celebration of new beginnings.

Prayer: “Lord, reveal to me the full meaning of Pentecost. Enable me to see the prophecy you have fulfilled in Scripture. Prompt me to pray continually for revival of the Church. Release your Holy Spirit among your people, unrestrained by traditions of religion, and do a new thing among your people, for the salvation of the peoples of the world. Lord, let us do more than read about the Holy Spirit in Acts, allow the Church to experience the Holy Spirit anew as your do a new thing within me. Amen."