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Bible Study Pentecost, What Was It For?

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Chopper

Chopper

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Part of my morning devotion, was a teaching by, George H. Morrison.

"Let us reverently try to understand what happened on that day of Pentecost. It is rightly called the birthday of the Church. Ten days before the Savior had ascended. He had passed into the presence of the Father. He had left His little band of faithful followers to be witnesses for Him And yet the strange thing is that though they trusted Him and were perfectly convinced that He was risen, they were not ready yet to be His witness-bearers of them believed in Jesus, but for witness-bearing something more was needed: some new power and fulness in their lives that would carry conviction to the world. And that is what the disciples got at Pentecost— that new power and fulness of the Spirit which changed them from convinced believers into equipped witnesses for Christ. Without it they would have returned to Galilee, "the world forgetting, and by the world forgot." Without it, in daily fellowship with Christ, they would quietly have lived and died. With it there was a spiritual power about them that was mightier than any argument. They were witness-bearers to the living Christ. The Pentecostal blessing was equipment. It was adequacy for vocation. It was endowment for the stupendous task of the evangelization of the world. And of all this the sound as of the wind and the appearance as of tongues of fire were but the vivid and evanescent symbols....Pentecost was power for witness-bearing. It was equipment for vocation. It was the needed and adequate endowment for the evangelizing of the world." (Printed by permission of e-Sword)
The highlighting is mine.

As I have posted before on our wonderful Forum, what some people call "The Baptism of the Holy Ghost (or Spirit) is incorrect terminology. What happened at Pentecost was the "Baptism IN the Holy Spirit." As Mr. Morrison states, Pentecost was all about POWER to witness! It is being immersed into the Holy Spirit in order to become a servant of Jesus Christ and His Spirit to pick up where Jesus ended His earthly ministry.
 
Chopper said:
Part of my morning devotion, was a teaching by, George H. Morrison.

"Let us reverently try to understand what happened on that day of Pentecost. It is rightly called the birthday of the Church. Ten days before the Savior had ascended. He had passed into the presence of the Father. He had left His little band of faithful followers to be witnesses for Him And yet the strange thing is that though they trusted Him and were perfectly convinced that He was risen, they were not ready yet to be His witness-bearers of them believed in Jesus, but for witness-bearing something more was needed: some new power and fulness in their lives that would carry conviction to the world. And that is what the disciples got at Pentecost— that new power and fulness of the Spirit which changed them from convinced believers into equipped witnesses for Christ. Without it they would have returned to Galilee, "the world forgetting, and by the world forgot." Without it, in daily fellowship with Christ, they would quietly have lived and died. With it there was a spiritual power about them that was mightier than any argument. They were witness-bearers to the living Christ. The Pentecostal blessing was equipment. It was adequacy for vocation. It was endowment for the stupendous task of the evangelization of the world. And of all this the sound as of the wind and the appearance as of tongues of fire were but the vivid and evanescent symbols....Pentecost was power for witness-bearing. It was equipment for vocation. It was the needed and adequate endowment for the evangelizing of the world." (Printed by permission of e-Sword)
The highlighting is mine.

As I have posted before on our wonderful Forum, what some people call "The Baptism of the Holy Ghost (or Spirit) is incorrect terminology. What happened at Pentecost was the "Baptism IN the Holy Spirit." As Mr. Morrison states, Pentecost was all about POWER to witness! It is being immersed into the Holy Spirit in order to become a servant of Jesus Christ and His Spirit to pick up where Jesus ended His earthly ministry.
Click to expand...

I believe we all desperately need this mighty Baptism in the Holy Spirit, even more so today, as we see the days growing more evil, and dark with corruption.

Sadly, many believe this Baptism from the Lord Himself, has ended.

I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Mark 1:8

Paul said it this way... “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”


JLB
 
JLB said:
I believe we all desperately need this mighty Baptism in the Holy Spirit, even more so today, as we see the days growing more evil, and dark with corruption.

Sadly, many believe this Baptism from the Lord Himself, has ended.

I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Mark 1:8

Paul said it this way... “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”


JLB
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Again my learned friend. O are you right. Unfortunately, there are some Churches and people that want the "baptism" so they can speak in tongues. Man, that's sad. Those people are deceived into an empty relationship with the Holy Spirit, even if He honors that baptism.
 
Chopper said:
"Let us reverently try to understand what happened on that day of Pentecost.
Click to expand...
Each OT Feast are in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. When Israel was observing the OT festivals or feast, "They were actually observing the Deliverance by God's Son". Each OT feast was fulfilled, Up to the feast of weeks (Pentecost) by Christ. The Feast of First Fruits in the OT was fulfilled at the Resurrection of Christ (1 Cor. 15:20-23). The Pentecost is also called the, Feast of weeks or The Harvest. It is The Christ harvesting His Church, or body, by the Holy Spirit. (Acts chapters 1 and 2). Every Feast in type in the OT has or will be fulfilled by Christ. Christ has fulfilled or will fulfill, every promise of God (every promise!) All things are completed in Christ. Nothing is left to chance.

 
Chopper said:
Pentecost was all about POWER to witness! It is being immersed into the Holy Spirit in order to become a servant of Jesus Christ and His Spirit to pick up where Jesus ended His earthly ministry.
Click to expand...

It is tempting to focus on powerful gifts, but the real significance of this baptism is seen in the way the Holy Spirit directs us to freely use whatever gifts we've been given in the service of others to further Christ's unselfish purpose. We don't need flashy, blatantly supernatural gifts in order to have a supernatural effect on those around us as long as our efforts are directed by the Holy Spirit.
 
Sinthesis said:
It is tempting to focus on powerful gifts, but the real significance of this baptism is seen in the way the Holy Spirit directs us to freely use whatever gifts we've been given in the service of others to further Christ's unselfish purpose. We don't need flashy, blatantly supernatural gifts in order to have a supernatural effect on those around us as long as our efforts are directed by the Holy Spirit.
Click to expand...

Very good Sinthesis. I traveled among Pentecostal folk for about 3 years in the 90s. For a Baptist, Pentecostalism is at times very confusing. It seems to me that each Church has it's own way of worshiping. Several assemblies had a prayer time in which many of the folk prayed in what they thought was tongues. For that 10 minutes or so, it was a confusing mess. I couldn't add my amen to any of the prayers because I had no idea what they were saying.

I don't have the gift of interpreting tongues, at least for now. I do have the ability to speak or pray in tongues as the Holy Spirit leads. People call me "Bapticostal". Now, I have fellowshiped in several Pentecostal Churches (holiness) that I liked very much. The folk at those Churches seemed to me as being well grounded in Truth. Not all Pentecostal Churches put a great amount of focus on tongues which I find admirable.
 
dirtfarmer here

This is my belief about tongues.

1 Corinthians 14:21-22 v21 " In the law it is written, With men of other tongues, and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord." This is in reference to judgment that was about to happen to Israel: Isaiah 28:11, 33:19, and Deuteronomy 28:49.
v22 "Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe." You have to determine what is being reference to in "them that believe not". In the old testament it is a reference to the coming judgment of the Israelite that didn't believe. It was a sign to those Israelites that didn't believe that "the middle wall of partition" was broken down and that the Gentile was on the same footing as the Jews were.

In Acts, every time tongues were used there were Jews present. In Acts 10:46 When Peter preached to the household of Cornelius, there were Jews present. v45 " And they of the circumcision

Even in Acts 11:19 the gospel was only being preached to the Jews. In Acts 15, the Council at Jerusalem, was a discussion about whether the Gentiles should follow the law and be circumcised.
 
It was for fulfilling the promise to Abraham. (I will make you the father of many nations)
The languages are symbolic of those nations.
And indeed... everyone who is a Christian seeks out Jewish culture and history. We can't help it.
 
When the Spirit alighted upon those present, it is shown as "cloven" or "split" tongues of fire.

Acts 2:
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Peter, thus being filled, openly demonstrates "how" the Spirit speaks. It is a TWO FOLD or split/cloven language, essentially for good and against evil. These split flames of the Spirit will burn, passionately, in those so filled. They will speak/hear/travel/walk with both sides of the ledgers:

19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:
21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

This simple cadence will be heard in all so filled. Gods Word "amplifies" both sides of the ledgers of good and evil, and divides, one from the other. Splitting.

There is a fire that does not consume, that brings LIFE everlasting, and there is a fire that first "amplifies" and "exposes" and then promises to destroy evil.

This is the essence of the Two Edged Sword of His Spirit. It is both a lifting and a warning. Life and death.

What believers seldom factor in, is that Gods Word addresses, directly, the spirit of disobedience, that can not be seen.

35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool.

40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

This term, generation singular, comes to the foreground many times in scripture. IF we "listen" to the Spirit, we will hear "what/who" this generation, singular, speaks of:

Matthew 12:34
O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

Coming to grips with scripture, with Gods Word and Spirit, requires, even demands an accounting with a world and inhabitants that can not be openly seen, in the physical. And the Word gets very tricky for those who can not peer past the veil of flesh and see WHO is being addressed.

For example, when we are saved, the CLOVEN TONGUE comes upon us, to DIVIDE us as follows:

Ephesians 2:
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

The CLOVEN TONGUE separated US, one from the other.

The Two Fires of Gods Word are steady, consistent, unchanging.
 
Sinthesis said:
It is tempting to focus on powerful gifts, but the real significance of this baptism is seen in the way the Holy Spirit directs us to freely use whatever gifts we've been given in the service of others to further Christ's unselfish purpose. We don't need flashy, blatantly supernatural gifts in order to have a supernatural effect on those around us as long as our efforts are directed by the Holy Spirit.
Click to expand...
The definition of Spiritual Gifts is: the manifestation of The Spirit, in and through the believer (1 Cor. 12:4-11) (notice that it is the SAME Spirit that gives these gifts as He wills). The Church is called the body collectively. We (the members of that body are made to reveal one body with many members) UNITED.(1 Cor. 12:12-31) Then why is there so much ADVERSITY between those who claim to be Christians? There are as many church doctrines as there are denominations, and even the same denominations have different beliefs of each other, and they all claim Spiritual influence? One thing about gifts of The Holy Spirit. They are not for personal use. The believer does not use the Spirit, nor does The Spirit give power to the believer to use, But rather, The Spirit manifest (that is, reveals or shows) Himself in using the believer to do a specific service. The Holy Spirit is NOT an emanation or an influence. It is a person, it is a deity and has personality. It is also the third person in the Trinity. It is not I, but Christ.
 
"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us." 2 Cor 4:7. Praise God that Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit, for truly our efforts would be very arduous for little gain without what began on the day of Pentecost. However, we now have constant access to mediator, intercessor, life-giver, a light that never fades, a power that cannot be matched, and so much more; all thanks to what was given first on that day! Yay Jesus!
 
smaller said:

It's a demand of the Spirit that will not and can not be stilled.

1 Cor. 11:19, 1 John 4:1
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There is no chaos, confusion or a DIVERSITY of doctrines by the Spirit. The only DIVERSITY in the HOLY SPIRIT are Gifts. But even with that diversity is one united body. I believe DIVERSITY might have been a better description than adversity.
 
Douglas Summers said:
There is no chaos, confusion or a DIVERSITY of doctrines by the Spirit. The only DIVERSITY in the HOLY SPIRIT are Gifts. But even with that diversity is one united body. I believe DIVERSITY might have been a better description than adversity.
Click to expand...

What I wrote was not meant for offense to any believer. I remain with a great deal of respect for both aspects of Gods Speech, Love and Judgments.
 
SHINY4UJESUS said:
"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us." 2 Cor 4:7. Praise God that Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit, for truly our efforts would be very arduous for little gain without what began on the day of Pentecost. However, we now have constant access to mediator, intercessor, life-giver, a light that never fades, a power that cannot be matched, and so much more; all thanks to what was given first on that day! Yay Jesus!
Click to expand...
Hi Shiny, ALL of the OT Feast Days in Deuteronomy and Leviticus are called "TYPES". A TYPE in Scripture is a forerunner or a future look of the work to be fulfilled in Christ. This is His proof of who He is (The Messiah). The Passover (Christ was the unblemished Passover Lamb) Feast of First Fruits (Christ was the First Fruits of The Resurrected) Pentecost or Feast of the Harvest (Christ harvest believers by the Holy Spirit, Born again). So every Feast Days celebrated in The OT. Was fulfilled by Christ. This would be a fruitful study for all believers.
 
I grasp these things Douglas, they "were shadows of the things yet to come," kind of prophetic symbolisms of the later age of/after Christ. I simply tend to avoid theologically complicated presentation; as not all Christians have the benefit of a highly analytical mind, seminary/theological degree, or extensive doctrinal training. There are far too many who would read such posts and have no clue at all what was being said, LOL! Please know this is not any argument against such things, as I admire and have great respect for the great dedication and hard work such things require. I have found that such form of expository teaching is almost solely understood and appreciated by those who tend to already have such knowledge and understanding. Sometimes a simpler approach is both more receivable and understandable. That being said: I do like a challenge, so I will undertake a specific study of these things as they relate to Christ and delve deeper to build upon the insights already given. However, since I am undertaking something that you have advised; I request a similar task of you! Read through the attachment I have included and offer your feedback. So far almost everyone has stumbled greatly upon it; misinterpreting context, misappropriating the principles, and simply cannot see the greater scope. You strike me as one with a very keen mind and sharp scriptural intellect. It even has allusion to OT TYPE regarding sacrifice. Good luck and God Bless!
 
Sinthesis said:
It is tempting to focus on powerful gifts, but the real significance of this baptism is seen in the way the Holy Spirit directs us to freely use whatever gifts we've been given in the service of others to further Christ's unselfish purpose. We don't need flashy, blatantly supernatural gifts in order to have a supernatural effect on those around us as long as our efforts are directed by the Holy Spirit.
Click to expand...

Brilliant deduction.

When the Spirit came/rested upon those in the upper room, the Spirit showed it's work, with subtlety, via the "cloven tongue" of fire. This is a showing of the TWO FOLD work of the Spirit.

The Spirit "operates" quite passionately in a TWO fold manner. It is the same with the TWO EDGED Sword.

The very basic sight here is that the Spirit is for good, even for eventual Perfection. And simultaneously against evil/sin, the "works/workings" of the adversary(s.)

Over time believers often become confused by this working, because they don't understand that the Word is both FOR and AGAINST what we "falsely" perceive as us. We all tend to lean on the "for" us side only. And this is what creates a Sword that can not swing and does not work and does not even exist.

When Jesus spoke of feeding the masses, of clothing them, of visiting prisoners, the blind, the lame, the afflicted, yes, this can all be seen in the external without any doubt.

But it can also be seen in the INTERNAL application, which in Gods Eyes is MORE important.

Anyone chasing after external signs and applications is wasting their time. Jesus applies to the internal man.

It is the internal man who is "blinded" by the god of this world. 2 Cor. 4:4. There, WE, by sharing the Gospel, bring "SIGHT" to the BLIND. There, right there, is a MIRACLE that every believer can "participate in." A person, even if "healed" in the external sense, would still end up dying, perhaps in "unbelief." Such healing is only temporary. We LOOK for the permanent INTERNAL healing of the BLIND.

The "naked" are those who are not clothed with the RIGHTEOUSNESS of faith in Christ.

The prisoners are those imprisoned by sin and evil that controls their lives.

The "hungry" are to be fed the Word of Gods Life.

None of this is to say that "external works" don't have their places as well, but it is the internal applications of the Word and Spirit where Jesus does His Finest and Permanent Working.

Even in the working of "external good works" it is to draw and to entice to the internal man.
 
We are very fortunate receiving this power Chopper.If I understand Acts 1, 4-5 correctly not even the Apostles who walked and were taught by Christ during His time on earth had this powerful weapon ,if I may call it that.It is a major responsibility imposed on us all who profess to be "Believers".I don't think one can be a Christian without witnessing and using that "weapon" Christ gave at Pentecost.That power must be quite special for Christ to instruct his disciples not to be loose canons, as far as witnessing is concerned "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait (my bold) for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.5.For John baptised with water , but in a few days you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit."(Holy Bible N.I.V)
 
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