“And gathering them together, He (Jesus) commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, ‘Which,’ He said, ‘you heard from Me;
For John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”  Acts 1:4-5

Pentecost Sunday is the seventh Sunday after Easter Sunday.  So today May 19th this year we celebrate Pentecost.  We know Acts chapters 1 and 2 well, but let’s look again at the wonders of the first Pentecost.

In Acts 1:6 the disciples with Jesus ask a question. 
“Lord is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”  (They still were thinking the Roman rule would be lifted from their land.)
“He said to them. ‘It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.
And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.”  Acts 1:7-9

The men returned to Jerusalem (a Sabbath day’s journey/about 0.6 of a mile)
to the upper room where about 120 persons were gathered together praying.

Chapter 1 ends with the casting of lots to see who would be the twelfth apostle.
“And they drew lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.”  Acts 1:26

“Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.
And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.
And they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.  Acts 2:1-4

Verse 1 does not tell us where this other ‘one place’ is but it is where other foreign people were as well.  (Read Acts 2:5-12.)
“And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born?
Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes’
Cretans and Arabs--we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.”  Acts 2:8-11 

Many were amazed and perplexed while others mocked and accused them of being drunk. But Peter was with the other 11 apostles and he (Peter) gave that wonderful sermon Vs. 14-37.  (Read it again.)

And what happened?  Many heard, believed and were baptized.  And remember the commission in Matthew 2819-20 says,
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
Teaching them to observe all that I commanded you;
And lo I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

The command went to these few disciples, but read what happened on Pentecost!
Acts 2:41,  “So then, those who had received his (Peter’s) word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”

All praise, honor and glory to God our Father and Jesus for sending the Holy Spirit so that in His power, guidance and strength we can live the life we now have in Jesus Christ.  Let’s all have a glorious Day of Pentecost!
Amen