When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks, and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them.

There were many Jews staying in Jerusalem just then, devout pilgrims from all over the world. When they heard the sound, they came on the run. Then when they heard, one after another, their own mother tongues being spoken, they were thunderstruck. —Acts 2:1-10 The Message Bible

Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would come and be with us, and Acts chapter 2

the promise.

The same breath, wind, Spirit that gave life to Adam and raised Jesus from the dead is

to you.

The Holy Spirit is given to us not so we can be more spiritual, but so we can become more

and mature.

Jesus ascended to heaven 40 days after Easter, which shows us that Jesus really is Lord of heaven and earth.

Instead of being confined in one physical place, Jesus is now present in every place through the Holy Spirit.

In order to receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we must surrender our

to God’s direction.

We experience this surrender when we come to the LORD’s table and eat what is served with all who are

.

What Is Pentetost?

Pentecost is the

word for fiftieth and is celebrated as the church’s birthday.

Pentecost is the day when the church receives power from the Holy Spirit to accomplish her

. (Matt 28:18-20)

Pentecost is the

celebration of the church, going back to the Jewish festival of seven weeks, 50 days after Passover.

Pentecost correlates with the giving of the

at Mount Sinai. (Exodus 34:23)

Pentecost is one of three “pilgrimage festivals” (Passover, Pentecost, and Sukkot) when the

was in Jerusalem.

Pentecost in Acts 2 is the

of Genesis 11, empowering humanity to understand each other through other languages.

Pentecost calls us to embody a cross-cultural recognition of God’s work in the life of the

.

A New Kind of People: Do you go through life as a pilgrim or a

Reveal Answer

?

The difference between a pilgrim and a tourist has more to do with the inner working of the

than the outward action of the feet.

“Pilgrims’ travels amount to an exercise in humility, dedication, and faith. In contrast, tourists travel with an attitude of entitlement. They enter holy grounds as consumers of the sacred, rather than as humble souls worthy of the sacred presence.” —Professor Peter Brown

The humility and power of the early church was a winsome witness,

, persuasive and contagious. (Acts 2:42)

Acts 2 people put the

good over the individual good and over a political ideology. (Acts 2:44-47)

Acts 2 people tell what God has done in their lives and where they have seen God move

.

Acts 2 people show up, when they feel like it and when they don’t. We call this faithfulness and maturity.

“The power we need now is not the power of a certain political branch of government or the promises of power by business leaders. The power we need now is the power of Pentecost…present in the breaking of the bread.” —Emilio Alvarez

God’s Holy Spirit power comes not only to us but

us and for us.

God is always working for your good and the good of everyone else!

Warnings:

We must serve something greater than ourselves and our agendas, even if we think they are

.

If we are not filled with God’s power and authority, we will seek other power that

.

Military power, political power, economic power and relational power all ultimately

without the Spirit’s guidance.

We can often become more preoccupied with the fulfillment of a thing than the

for that thing.

Waiting is an important and largely

art, skill, and virtue.

“The devil has made it his business to monopolize on three elements: noise, hurry, crowds.” —Elisabeth Elliot

What Do We Do Now?

Pentecost is a time of

on the promises of God by the power of the Holy Spirit.

“We intentionally slow down and consider living not in the future to come or the past that was but in the day-to-day-present that is.” —Emilio Alvarez

The second Hebrew name in the Old Testament for Pentecost is the Festival of

Fruits. (Proverbs 3:9-10)

As we wait for God’s Spirit to empower us and lead us, we

the best of ourselves and what we have to God.

Action Step:

Pray “Come Holy Spirit”

thing each day upon waking and let God guide your

Reveal Answer

day.

“My additional notes:

”.