4 Things Jesus Said Before the Day of Pentecost Happened
After Jesus Christ was crucified and resurrected from the dead, the real work began as the disciples were commissioned with sharing the good news of a Savior with the lost and dying world. But first, the followers of Jesus Christ had to wait. Wait for what?
What the world now calls Pentecost Sunday was just another day for the disciples of Jesus who had been waiting together in prayer, faith, and a community of fellowship in the upper room of a home (Acts 1:13-14) until the power of God arrived and lit their spirits on fire from within.
Up until that point in time, Jesus’ disciples were not exactly sure what to expect, but in John 16, Jesus had promised to send “the Counselor” and told the disciples the arrival of the Spirit would:
- “…convict the world of sin” because the world did not believe in Jesus.
- Bring a conviction of the truth of Christ’s righteousness because, Jesus said, “I am going to My Father and you will see Me no more.”
- Convict the world of the reality of God’s judgment, “…because the ruler of this world stands condemned.”
- “…guide you into all truth.”
- “…speak whatever He hears, [and] tell you things that are to come.
- “He will glorify Me, for He will receive from Me and will declare it to you.”
- “…He will take what is Mine and will declare it to you.”
Even with that knowledge, the disciples waited in faith after the death and resurrection of Christ and after Jesus’ ascension without knowing how Jesus would send His Holy Spirit.
According to the story in Acts 2:1-4,
“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. There appeared to them tongues as of fire, being distributed and resting on each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to speak.” (MEV)
The coming of the Holy Spirit was anticipated, but the unexpected outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the powerful gift of the Holy Spirit that Jesus sent to the disciples of the early church ignited the gospel message within all Jesus’ followers who boldly proclaimed the Good News of Jesus Christ in their own native language and in different tongues that even foreigners could understand.
Then, “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized, and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.” (Acts 2:41, MEV)
What is Pentecost?
The final words Jesus spoke on this earth were these:
“…you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 MEV)
In the Old Testament, under the Old Covenant with Abraham, God did not commune with people from within, but related to people through sacrifice and obedience to the law. Once Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, gave His life “as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45), the requirements of the law were fulfilled, and God removed the penalty of death for sin for “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord.” (Romans 10:13, MEV)
In the New Testament, under the New Covenant through Jesus Christ, all believers are indwelled with the Holy Spirit as Jesus had promised and on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit of God took up eternal residence within the “inner man” of all Jesus’ followers.
God’s plan was always to walk in close relationship with people and through Christ it became possible.
~Alicia Purdy
Today, the Spirit of God lives in you if you also if confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. (Romans 10:9) God’s plan was always to walk in close relationship with people and through Christ it became possible.
It was because of the arrival of the promised Holy Spirit on that day, “the day of Pentecost” that everything Jesus promised about what He would do after He ascended to heaven is still alive and active and available today to all who believe.
Why is it called Pentecost Sunday?
The first Pentecost day in the Bible took place 50 days after Jesus’ ascension, after the disciples saw Him rise into the clouds where He was seated at the right hand of God. The name “Pentecost” is taken from the Greek word “pentekoste” which is translated as “fiftieth“.
Also, the book of Acts records these significant, world-altering, supernatural, wonderful works of God that occurred on Pentecost day:
- Suddenly a sound like a rushing mighty wind came from heaven
- The sound filled the whole house where they were sitting
- There appeared to them tongues as of fire, being distributed and resting on each of them
- They were all filled with the Holy Spirit
- They began to speak in other tongues and different languages (as well as their own language) as the Spirit enabled them to speak and proclaimed the Good News of Jesus Christ
- The Apostle Peter stood and preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the crowds in Jerusalem using the life of David and the words of the prophet Joel
- Peter’s sermon inspired and convicted thousands of Jews and Gentiles who believed in Jesus Christ and were also filled with His Holy Spirit
In the Christian church, Pentecost Sunday is celebrated on the seventh Sunday after Jesus’ resurrection, which makes it the fiftieth day after He rose. The actual date of the day of Pentecost today depends on what day Resurrection Sunday (“Easter Sunday”) falls, so it is not a fixed date from year to year on the modern calendar.
Jesus’ disciples didn’t know the world would look back at Pentecost Sunday as a day when a spiritual fire was ignited by the Holy Ghost (another name for the Holy Spirit) in the body of Christ that would spread to the world, but that’s what happens when God’s fire comes into your life!
Pentecost Sunday Brought Eternal Fire Power
It was through the eyes of faith, the disciples of Jesus saw the promise a long way off, even after He had departed. After His resurrection, Jesus appeared “to them for forty days, and speaking concerning the kingdom of God.” (Acts 1:3, MEV)
After Jesus’ ascension, His disciples went into prayer and waited even though didn’t know what they were waiting for, or for how long they would have to wait. Does it feel that way for you sometimes?
What are you waiting on God for in your own life?
The ministry of Jesus through the Holy Spirit promised “power from on high” and there are times in life that, although you have the Holy Spirit within you, you are standing in faith for the wonders of God in the situations around you.
The disciples waited for 10 days in the upper room until the presence of the Holy Spirit arrived and that day marked the beginning of the Christian church.
How long are you willing to wait, expecting and believing, but not knowing what God will do?
God has given you promises in His Word for your own life and your future and for the things you are believing Him for, but the actions of faith are just that- actions:
- to wait in prayer, praise, and worship
- to gather with others believers
- to fix your heart on the name of Jesus Christ and remember His promises
- to stand on His Word until you see that promise fulfilled – as the disciples did that day.
Do you really trust Him to move with power in your life as He promised?
It was the Holy Spirit who came with tongues of fire and lit that inner flame on the day of Pentecost, but the disciples were not just “waiting” – they were expecting a move of God, even though they didn’t know what God would do because of what Jesus said before the day of Pentecost arrived.
The Four Final Things Jesus Spoke Before Pentecost Sunday
The final words of Jesus before that special day of Pentecost in the Bible are significant because they are the message that He wanted His people to take to the world. Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He had one, final opportunity to leave His disciples with whatever was on His heart knowing He would not see them again on earth.
It is these words that He leaves with you, today, as you wait for the promise in your own life.
1. “Do not depart from Jerusalem”
The disciples waited in the upper room without knowing how long they’d have to wait. Jesus had not given them a time frame for the fulfillment of His promise of the Holy Spirit. But while they were waiting, they weren’t just sitting around in a prayer circle.
Luke records that while they did, indeed, seek the Lord together (Acts 1:14), they also continued to live life, eat and fellowship together, and move forward in their lives while they waited in Jerusalem. (Acts 1:20)
The disciples weren’t told the promise would be fulfilled specifically on that Pentecost Sunday. In fact, “Pentecost Sunday” wasn’t even a thing yet! They were told to stay and pray until the promised power came – however long that would take.
Their trust was that the final words of the Lord Jesus Christ before He left them on earth would prove true at the right time.
In your own life, “do not depart from Jerusalem”. When you are waiting on the Lord to see His promise fulfilled in your life, resist the urge to make sudden changes, or drastic choices or to take matters into your own hands.
The enemy will try to wear you down, but, just like the disciples did, you need to have other believers around you in prayer and in your life.
If your waiting season is a battleground, you need seasoned warriors of faith with you. You can lean on their faith to hold tight to your faith and see the promise of God come into your life with fire and power!
2. “Wait for the promise of the Father”
If God has given you a promise – it will be worth the wait!
When you don’t know what to do, or which decision to make, and when you’re exhausted, scared and discouraged, Paul wrote, “…having done all, stand.” (Ephesians 6:13) The power of God’s fire in your life came when you got saved, but there is more!
It is not Scripturally accurate to say there is “more of God” available to you, because He gave you everything! However, there is always more of yourself that you can give to Him. Walking in God’s power isn’t something only available to a few. The only qualification to God’s power in your life is your permission and invitation.
There is not “more of God” available to you, because He gave you everything! However, there is always more of yourself that you can give to Him.
~Alicia Purdy
The ongoing fire of the Holy Spirit that burns in you will keep your hope alive that God is coming at exactly the right time to fulfill His promises just like He did when the fire of Pentecost came to the followers of Jesus.
- Isaiah 40:31 says, “…but those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint.” (MEV)
- Psalm 40:1-3 says, “I waited patiently for the Lord, and He turned to me, and heard my cry… He has put a new song in my mouth, even praise to our God; many will see it, and fear, and will trust in the Lord.”
- Psalm 37:7 says, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him…”
When the Holy Spirit’s power comes into your situation, at just the right time, He will transform your waiting into His wonders. It is easy to become so fixated on your own expectations that you forget to fix your eyes on Jesus. When that happens, you can miss the power of God unfolding in your promise!
When Abraham became impatient while waiting on God’s promise, Isaac, he gave birth to Ishmael. You’ll never give birth to anything better than God will in your life. He’s worth the wait! But don’t put your life on hold while you wait.
Focus on other areas that need attention, seeking, first, “…the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matt. 6:33) Wait for the promise!
3. “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes”
Jesus said that when the fulfillment of the promise came, there would be power, His supernatural power, that would provide the strength and courage needed to take the next step. And that’s what happened on Pentecost Sunday! (Acts 2:1-13)
Acts 2:1-13 tells that while the disciples were experiencing the world-changing power of God, others thought they were drunk. Not everyone saw the promise. Religious leaders of the “faith” couldn’t see it, even while it was right in front of them.
That is because:
- God’s power defies human reason
- The power of God, just like on the day of Pentecost, doesn’t look like what you expected to see
- His power is impossible to understand with a finite, human mind
- His power proves that waiting on God’s promises is not in vain
- God’s presence takes the power of faith in you and ignites an eternal fire of spiritual power
Throughout the Bible it is clear that the Lord only interacts with people according to how willing they are to invite Him to interact with them.
Even today, some believers only go as far as salvation. Others invite the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Many enter into God’s presence by offering up a living, willing sacrifice of thanksgiving in ministry to the Lord with praise and worship- others do not. Believers who truly follow after Christ, know that “the Word of God is living, active, powerful” (Hebrews 4:12) and they interact with the Lord in His Word.
Throughout the Bible it is clear that the Lord only interacts with people according to how willing they are to invite Him to interact with them.
~Alicia Purdy
Because of the power of the Holy Spirit within you, there isn’t any limitation for accessing the power of God’s presence other that what you, yourself, decide is as far as you will go.
4. “You will be My witnesses”
But, “when the day of Pentecost arrived…” (Acts 2:1), the promise, the praise and the power came together all at once, setting God’s people on fire, proving that His promises are true and are filled with sweeping, awesome, supernatural power and ignited into flames by the presence of God to change the world, but that wasn’t just a one-time event.
When the power of the Holy Spirit “comes upon you”- “you will be My witnesses”, Jesus said. This is an important part of growing the kingdom of God!
After the power of God came upon the disciples on that Pentecost Sunday, they took their witness of that power into the world. “…in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth…” Jesus said.
In Exodus 3, Moses encountered a bush that was on fire and it burned without being consumed. How is that possible? Because that fire wasn’t lit by human hands, it was lit by God’s presence!
Many people get into the wilderness and spontaneously combust or are consumed by the heat and fire and pressure of the Refiner’s fire while they’re waiting to see God’s hand in their situation.
However, like the disciples did on the day of Pentecost, if you wait on the Lord and obey His words, the same promise is yours too – the Lord will come with fire and will reveal Himself to you and to the world that is watching your testimony of His power in your life.
YOUR testimony matters! Below is just one example of how your testimony of an act of God in your life can change the life of another person.
David wrote this praise song from a testimony of the Lord:
“I waited patiently for the Lord, and He turned to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet on a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth, even praise to our God; many will see it, and fear, and will trust in the Lord.” (Psalm 40:1-3, MEV)
The world is watching you and they’ll have a renewed hope in the Lord when they see and hear what He has done for you!
Think about this: “Jerusalem” was their ‘home’ filled with plenty of Pharisees and “believers” who were caught in a dead religion. “Judea and Samaria” were the outlying areas that surrounded them, filled with Gentiles and pagans, and it was in those places and to “…the ends of the earth…” that heard and saw what God did!
Thought for Today: Your Praise and Worship Keeps the Fire Burning
After the day of Pentecost, the baptism of the Holy Spirit – whereby God’s people continue to speak in other tongues durning moments of intimate prayer with God’s Holy Spirit within – provides a fresh power in the Spirit and another dynamic of spiritual access that the natural realm doesn’t possess.
God’s Holy Spirit is in you, as seen on the day of Pentecost, but He can flow through you as well when you are baptized with His Holy Spirit.
Praise and worship are another dynamic way to enter into the courts of God’s presence through a different “door”, according to Psalm 100:4.
Learn more about the 7 Hebrew Words for Praise and how each one helps create strength, intimacy, and fresh revelation as you understand more about God’s plan for praise in your life!
Psalm 22:3 says the Lord “dwells within the praises of His people.” Remember: The Lord interacts with people according to how they invite Him to interact with them.
God’s Holy Spirit is in you, as seen on the day of Pentecost, but He can flow through you as well when you are baptized with His Holy Spirit.
~Alicia Purdy
One of the most powerful things you can ever do is worship and praise the Lord through ministry to Him before, during and after the Holy Spirit’s power comes upon you in response to your faith, prayer and seeking.
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with gratitude, make your requests known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will protect your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7 MEV)
The fire of Pentecost came to people already on fire in the waiting. The final word of Jesus are yours as well as you are waiting on the fulfillment of the promise. Obey His Words, you can trust in Him! The words of Jesus Christ are always the right ones, in every situation. You already have the Holy Spirit because of Jesus Christ.
Now, stay in faith, pray, praise and prepare yourself – for as long as it takes – because all His promises to you will be fulfilled through the power of the Holy Spirit working around, before, behind, through, and within you!
