1. Pentecost
Acts 2

2. Pentecost is Our Story Happy Birthday, Church! No Spirit, No Church!
The very same Spirit is here with us today

3. 1. The Spirit Fulfills Disciples are in Jerusalem for 2 reasons:
Jewish festival of Pentecost (Weeks/Harvest)
Jesus told them to wait there until they received the Spirit (Acts 1:4-5)

4. 1. The Spirit Fulfills Festival of Pentecost
In OT - Feast of Weeks or Harvest/First Fruits (Leviticus 23:15-22)
50 days after Passover
Harvest Celebration
Acts 2 is the inauguration of a New Harvest

5. 1. The Spirit Fulfills Jesus’ Promise Wait in Jerusalem until…
“you will receive power and be my witnesses to Jerusalem, Judea and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8)
Power and witness cannot be separated

6. 2. The Spirit Empowers
“It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the advocate will not come to you” (John 16:7)
The apostles are evidence that Jesus knew what he was talking about
With Jesus: Confused, cowardly, fearful
With the Spirit (after Pentecost): Empowered, Bold witnesses

7. Power is not an end in itself
2. The Spirit Empowers
Power is not an end in itself
The Spirit empowers us for a reason
Simon the Magician (Acts 8)
Sees the power of the Spirit as magic for “show and tell”
Power always has a purpose beyond ourselves
What is the purpose of the power of the Spirit?

8. 3. The Spirit Sends
The spirit empowers the church for mission—to be witnesses
For the Sake of Others
The work of the Holy Spirit is to point people to Jesus
What was the best thing about Pentecost?
3,000 people baptized and receive the Holy Spirit

9. Being a Pentecost People
Celebrate
The birthday of the Church
The Spirit is here with us today
Wait
For the Spirit to fill us afresh
Be expectant, but don’t know what to expect