The Power of Pentecost
June 8, 2025

The Power of Pentecost

Celebrating the Harvest of the Spirit

Matthew 9:35-38 ESV
35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Matthew 9:35-38 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition 35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news (the Gospel) of the kingdom and curing all kinds of disease and every weakness and infirmity. 36 When He saw the throngs, He was moved with pity and sympathy for them, because they were bewildered (harassed and distressed and dejected and helpless), like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 So pray to the Lord of the harvest to force out and thrust laborers into His harvest.

Harvesting (ingathering) is the culmination of the agricultural cycle followed immediately by the processing of crops and fruit into foodstuffs such as grain, wine, oil, and dried fruit. In a good year the season of ingathering was time for merrymaking (Judg 9:27; Isa 9:3; 16:9–10; Ps 126:5). A good agricultural year would have been one in which one ingathering activity did not end before another started (Amos 9:13).[1]

Harvest: There was no single harvest time in ancient Israel. Olives were harvested in September–November, flax in March–April, barley in April–May, and wheat in May–June. Fruits such as figs and grapes were harvested at the end of the summer, in August or September. The Israelites’ calendar revolved very much around the harvest periods.
In the OT, harvest was one of the three major feasts which the Lord required the Israelites to keep annually (Ex 23:16). In doing so they would remember that the rich land into which they had been brought from Egypt (Dt 8:7–10) was the gift of God. In offering the firstfruits of the harvest (Lv 23:10, 11) the . Israelites showed gratitude and acknowledged their dependence on the Lord. Moreover, as the harvest was a gift, they were not to be selfish in enjoying it, but leave some for the underprivileged (19:9).
Amos 9:13 NKJV “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; the mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it.”

Leviticus 23:15-16 ESV (The Feast of Weeks). 15 “You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. 16 You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the Lord.

  1. Significance of Seven Sundays
    Leviticus 23:15-16
    The Feast of Weeks, seven weeks after Passover, foreshadows the waiting period before the Holy Spirit’s outpouring at Pentecost. It points to God’s divine orchestration, preparing believers for a spiritual harvest. Emphasize that just as Israel celebrated a physical harvest, Christians celebrate a spiritual one, empowered by the Spirit to gather souls.
    Deuteronomy 16:9 ESV (The Feast of Weeks) 9 “You shall count seven weeks. Begin to count the seven weeks from the time the sickle is first put to the standing grain.
  2. Preparation for Divine Provision
    Deuteronomy 16:9
    The seven weeks from the day of Passover symbolizes preparation and anticipation for a greater harvest. This reflects the expectancy that should characterize believers today, trusting the Spirit to enable growth in their lives and communities. Like the Israelites prepared for their harvest, Christians are called to be ready for the work of the Spirit.
    These passages link the ancient Jewish festivals that celebrate harvest time with the ultimate harvest of souls at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was given.

Acts 2:1-4 ESV 2 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
3. Pentecost: Power for the People
Acts 2:1-4
This powerful moment of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles, enabling them to speak in different tongues and effectively witness to various nationalities, marked the birth of the Church and signifies the new era of the Spirit-led mission. We, as believers, must embrace the Spirit’s empowerment to be witnesses in our daily lives