The Christian Church celebrates there birth on Sunday, June 5th this year, in what is known as Pentecost Sunday. In Judaism, the Festival of Weeks was celebrated seven weeks and one day (50 days) after the first day of the Feast of Unleavened bread or Passover. It is referred to as “Pentecost” because it is the Greek word signifying the fiftieth part of something. As this feast was fifty days after Passover, it was referred to as Pentecost.
The Christian Church honors their birth on Pentecost as it was during this feast when God’s Spirit was first poured out on His followers. We find in the book of Acts, which is the history of the Church, there are one hundred and twenty people located in an upper room who are praying and waiting for the promise of the Father, which is stated to be God’s Spirit in Acts chapter 1. It was on the day of Pentecost or Festival of Weeks in which we read they are filled with God’s Spirit and began to speak in languages unknown to the speaker (Acts 2:4).
As this happened during the Festival of Weeks, there are people from all over the world in Jerusalem for this celebration. News of what just happened spreads of these people speaking in languages unknown to them causing a crowd to gather and question what is happening. It was the Apostle Peter who stood up and began to explain what had happened and hence gave the first sermon of the New Testament Church.
During Peters sermon, he quoted from the book of Joel in which it states “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. (Joel 2:28-29). Peter explains what they are now seeing and hearing, the speaking in unknown languages, is fulfillment of this prophecy from Joel.
Peter continues by speaking about David and prophetic words spoken about Jesus. In closing, Peter very pointedly told the crowd they had crucified Jesus, who was their Lord and Messiah. (Acts 2:5-36) This strong closing brought a response from the crowd in which they asked the Apostles what they could do to be saved. Peter answered their question by giving them the message of salvation: Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. (Acts 2:37-39)
After this, we read them saying they needed to “Save yourselves from this untoward generation”. (Acts 2:40) When he was done, we find about three thousand people were baptized. Hence, the beginning of the New Testament Church on the day of Pentecost.
Therefore, on Sunday, June 5th of this year we will celebrate Pentecost Sunday. For it was on this festival in which God first poured out His Spirit on the one hundred and twenty in an upper room beginning the Christian Church. We find throughout the book of Acts that God continued to pour out His Spirit on believers just as He did on Pentecost. Even today God continues to pour out His Spirit to those who call on Him just as He did on the day of Pentecost, for “the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” Let everyone join together this day in celebrating the birth of the Christian Church expecting to receive the same outpouring of God's Spirit the early Church received throughout the book of Acts.
