Pentecost: The Purpose and Call

June 5th is “Pentecost Sunday.” In the church, this day is a celebration of the people of God receiving the spirit of God as Jesus promised. This celebration recognizes the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus after His crucifixion, resurrection and ascension. We celebrate Pentecost because as followers of Jesus, we too, receive empowerment from the Holy Spirit. 

When the day of Pentecost arrived and the Holy Spirit “rested on each one of them and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues” (Acts 2:3-4), many who heard were amazed and perplexed and asked, “what does this mean?” (Acts 2:12). This question persists for many people today. What is the meaning of Pentecost?

Pentecost celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles – as promised by Jesus Himself (John 14-16; Luke 24). Jesus instructed the disciples to wait for the promised Holy Spirit.  He explained that they would be “baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5) and He said they “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 1:8).

Pentecost simply means 50. It occurs 50 days after the death and resurrection of Jesus and 10 days after His ascension into heaven. The gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is deeply rooted in the promise made to Abraham in Genesis 12. This is the call of Abraham, the LORD says, “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:2-3). This promise was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus, but the descendants and heirs of this promise come through those who trust and put their faith in Jesus. The Spirit coming to live in those of faith are the spiritual children God promised Abraham. This means anyone who lives by faith is ultimately a child of Abraham and will inherit this blessing. 

Because of this decisive act in history, this text describes three realities that followers of Christ live in now because of Pentecost: 

We are filled, which causes us to become witnesses to the person and work of Jesus, which means we have the boldness to proclaim the truth of this gospel. 

Filled – He dwells in us. God pours out His spirit on all those who put their faith in Jesus (Romans 8:1-11). Believers are meant to live in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. 

• • Acts 2:38-39 says, “repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 
  • The spirit guides us, helping us to live like Jesus. This is our identity – “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:24-25). We are no longer regarded by our flesh (2 Corinthians 5:16). 
  • Consider: How much of what you accomplish each day is dependent upon the leading and the power of the Holy Spirit? Ask the Lord to fill you afresh with His power.

Witnesses – Once we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we become a witness.

• Acts 1:8 says, “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.” Then, Acts 4:20 says, “For we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” 
• This is the weight of the power we carry. Once you’ve encountered the Holy Spirit, there is an urgency to speak of what you’ve received and witnessed. Once we’ve witnessed for ourselves, we become a witness to others. 
• Consider: Knowing this reality, how might this reshape the way you go about your day?

Boldness – once we’ve received the Holy Spirit as a gift, we are instructed to go with boldness in what we’ve been entrusted with – the message and ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18).

• Acts 4:13 says, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” We continue reading and scripture says, “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31). 
• We see the apostles speak as fearless ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:21) of Jesus with the authority and boldness He has given them. As depicted in Acts 1:8 – What God calls us to, He provides. God fills, God directs and God provides what you need. 
• Consider: We know that boldness comes from a filling of the spirit, so ask God daily to fill you with boldness and then look for the opportunities He gives you as answers to your prayers and an invitation to respond.

Acts 28:31 sums up our call, that with our lives and words we’d be “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all the boldness and without hindrance.” 

Followers of Jesus have received the promise of the Father – His Holy Spirit. We don’t have to wait in anticipation as the disciples did because when we put our faith in Jesus, we are offered the gift of the Spirit. He has come. He is here. Pentecost is the fulfillment of God’s promise of His presence as foretold by Israel’s prophets – our hope has been fulfilled by the Spirit of God. Therefore, God’s purpose at Pentecost was to equip His church with the mighty power of the Holy Spirit so that we would be His witnesses to all the nations, resulting in His eternal glory.