Pentecostal Power
By: Pastors Rodney & Adonica Howard-BrownePublish date: 05/30/2020
Foundation Scriptures:
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 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. Acts 2:1-4 KJV
1. Passover, Pentecost, and Feast of Tabernacles.
a. The three principal feasts, instituted by God under the Old Covenant, were Passover, Pentecost, and Feast of Tabernacles.
b. Exodus 23:14-16 AMPC - Three times in the year you shall keep a feast to Me. 15 You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. None shall appear before Me empty-handed. 16 Also you shall keep the Feast of Harvest [Pentecost], [acknowledging] the firstfruits of your toil, of what you sow in the field. And [third] you shall keep the Feast of Ingathering [Booths or Tabernacles] at the end of the year, when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field.
2. Pentecost—the Empowerment of The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
a. The Old Testament feasts were types and shadows, which were all fulfilled and completed, once and for all, through Jesus Christ.
b. The day of Pentecost, in the book of Acts, brings all the major feasts into one when the Church was empowered to preach and demonstrate the Gospel, and win souls.
c. Acts 1:8 AMPC - But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth.
3. Pentecost and Passover.
a. Every year, a spotless lamb was sacrificed for the atonement of the sins of the people.
b. Its blood was poured on an earthly altar—the mercy seat—and merely covered their sin.
c. Jesus was the perfect, sinless sacrificial Passover Lamb, whose blood was poured onto a heavenly mercy seat, and it washed and cleansed us of all sin.
d. He died and rose again for our salvation—we are saved, born again, healed, delivered, and forgiven—we are now dead to sin and alive unto God in Him.
e. We are delivered from the kingdom of darkness, represented by Egypt, and translated into the Kingdom of God’s dear Son.
f. From the Day of Pentecost, the Gospel of salvation was preached throughout the world—to Jews and Gentiles—and all those who believed were washed in the Blood of the Lamb and received eternal life.
4. Two days of Pentecost.
a. The word, Pentecost, means: Fiftieth--only called by that name in the New Testament.
b. There were fifty days from the Passover, and the Exodus from Egypt, to Pentecost.
c. The Law was given to Moses, on the mountain, on the fiftieth day (Pentecost).
d. On the Day of Pentecost, Peter preached the life-saving message of the mercy and grace of God toward all mankind.
e. In the Old Testament, it was known as the Feast of Weeks, held seven weeks after the beginning of the wheat harvest (Exodus 34:22; Deuteronomy 16:10), the Feast of Harvest or Feast of Ingathering (Exodus 23:16), and the Day of First Fruits (Numbers 28:26a).
f. It was a time to thank and praise God for the harvests they had reaped, bringing generous, joyful, free-will offerings, according to the blessings they had received.
g. They also gave first fruits offerings out of honor to God—recognizing His place as first in their hearts and that they were dependent on Him—and also as worship to Him for His blessing on their future harvests.
h. In the upper room: They offered themselves to the Lord—men and women—first fruits.
i. We are His first fruits as we offer ourselves wholly, freely, and willingly to Him (James 1:18).
j. On that day, as Peter preached, 3000 believed and were saved.
k. Pentecost marked the beginning of a great harvest of souls, that continues to this day.
5. Pentecost and Feast of Tabernacles.
a. Leviticus 23:34-44
b. Eight days—from sabbath to sabbath—it was a statute they were to keep forever.
c. It involved a gathering together (assembly) of everyone who lived in their towns.
d. Deuteronomy 16:11 AMPC - And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and daughter, your manservant and maidservant, and the Levite who is within your towns, the stranger or temporary resident, the fatherless, and the widow who are among you, at the place in which the Lord your God chooses…
e. On the Day of Pentecost, they were gathered in unity—both men and women—when the Spirit blew in, the fire fell on them, and they were ALL filled with the Spirit and spoke in tongues—heavenly languages—and prophesied.
f. Joel 2:28-29 KJV - 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, your young men shall see visions: 29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
g. On the first day of the feast, they made booths to dwell in—fulfilled when the Holy Spirit came to live in us and with us.
h. Offerings made daily by fire—the fire that cleanses and the fire that empowers—fulfilled when the Fire of God came and burned in and on each of them.
i. Seven full days of rejoicing in the Lord—representing the joy we receive when we are filled with the Spirit.
j. Romans 14:17 KJV - For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
k. And the last day (the great day of the feast) was marked by special ceremonies and meat and drink offerings.
l. John 7:37-39 AMPC
m. Jesus made a proclamation concerning the Holy Spirit on the final and most important day of the Feast of Tabernacles, “If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink!”
n. He spoke of rivers of living water flowing, continuously, out of the belly (innermost being) of those who believe on Him.
o. This was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost—and those, who believe and receive, can and are still experiencing all of the blessings of Pentecost today!