![\"restout-pentecost-8.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/94\/import\/photos\/restout-pentecost-8.jpg\")
<\/span>What does the word “Pentecost” mean?<\/b><\/p>\nThe English word “Pentecost” is a transliteration of the Greek word pentekostos<\/i>, which means “fifty.” It comes from the ancient Christian expression pentekoste hemera<\/i>, which means “fiftieth day.”<\/p>\n
But
\nChristians did not invent the phrase “fiftieth day.” Rather, they
\nborrowed it from Greek-speaking Jews who used the phrase to refer to a
\nJewish holiday. This holiday was known as the Festival of Weeks, or,
\nmore simply, Weeks (Shavuot<\/i> in Hebrew). This name comes from an
\nexpression in Leviticus 23:16, which instructs people to count seven
\nweeks or “fifty days” from the end of Passover to the beginning of the
\nnext holiday (pentekonta hemeras<\/i> in the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scripture).<\/p>\n
Shavuot<\/i>
\nwas the second great feast in Israel’s yearly cycle of holy days. It
\nwas originally a harvest festival (Exod 23:16), but, in time, turned
\ninto a day to commemorate the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai. This day
\nbecame especially significant for Christians because, seven weeks after
\nthe resurrection of Jesus, during the Jewish celebration of Shavuot<\/i>\/Pentecost,
\nthe Holy Spirit was poured out upon his first followers, thus
\nempowering them for their mission and gathering them together as a
\nchurch.<\/p>\n
What actually happened on that day of Pentecost? <\/b><\/p>\n
This
\nevent is recorded in the New Testament book known as The Acts of the
\nApostles. Chapter 2 begins, “And when the day of Pentecost [ten hemeran tes pentekostes<\/i>]
\nhad come, [the first followers of Jesus] were all together in one
\nplace” (2:1). All of a sudden, a sound came from heaven, like a strong
\nwind, filling the house where the people had gathered. Something like
\ntongues of fire rested on their heads. “And they were all filled with
\nthe Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit
\ngave them the ability to speak” (2:4). (Notice the tongues of fire on
\nthe heads of the people in the painting by Restout.)<\/p>\n
The
\nlanguages spoken by the early Christians were intelligible (not other
\nworldly) and were heard by thousands of Jewish pilgrims who had come to
\nJerusalem to celebrate Shavuot<\/i>. The content of the miraculous
\nmessages had to do with God’s mighty works (2:11). Many who heard these
\nmessages in their own languages were amazed, though others thought the
\nChristians were just drunk (2:12). <\/p>\n
At some point, Peter, one
\nof the leading followers of Jesus, stood up and preached his first
\nsermon. He interpreted the events of that morning in light of a
\nprophecy of the Hebrew prophet Joel. In that text, God promised to pour
\nout his Spirit on all flesh, empowering diverse people to exercise
\ndivine power. This would be a sign of the coming “day of the Lord”
\n(Acts 2:16-21; Joel 2:28-32). <\/p>\n
Peter went on to explain that
\nJesus had been raised and had poured out the Spirit in fulfillment of
\nGod’s promise through Joel (2:32-33). When the crowd asked what they
\nshould do, Peter urged them to turn their lives around and be baptized
\nin the name of Jesus. Then they would be forgiven and would receive the
\ngift of the Holy Spirit (2:37-39). Acts reports that about 3,000 people
\nwere added to the church that day (2:41). Not a bad response to Peter’s
\nfirst sermon!<\/p>\n
Should we believe that all of this actually happened?<\/b><\/p>\n
If
\nyou are one who believes the Bible is God’s inerrant or infallible
\nWord, you will take for granted the truthfulness of the account in
\nActs. But if you’re uncertain about biblical authority, then you might
\nwonder if the account in Acts is to be trusted.<\/p>\n
In fact, some
\nscholars have questioned the historicity of Acts 2. They observe that
\nthis event appears in the New Testament only in Acts, and that it
\ndescribes miraculous events that are beyond the scope of historical
\ninquiry. These scholars tend to view Pentecost as a powerful metaphor
\nfor the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the early church, rather than
\nas an event that gave birth to the church. <\/p>\n
Whether we believe How is Pentecost related to Pentecostal<\/i> Christians?<\/b><\/p>\n Pentecostal How do Christians celebrate Pentecost? <\/b><\/p>\n As Some What is the spiritual significance of Pentecost? What might God want to do in our lives and in our churches on Pentecost?<\/b><\/p>\n I’ll try to answer these questions tomorrow. Stay tuned.<\/p>\n P.S. Beliefnet has a couple of interesting items for Pentecost, including an online quiz<\/a> and This coming Sunday, Christians across the world will celebrate Pentecost. In fact, not all Christians recognize this holiday (holy day). But it is generally honored in liturgical churches (Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox, etc.), in Pentecostal and Charismatic churches, and in many other Protestant churches as well. Pentecost is not as well-known or as…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48,157,158],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-church-life","category-holidays","category-liturgical-year"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nthe biblical account of Pentecost has everything to do with our
\nestimation of the historical trustworthiness of Acts of the Apostles
\nand the possibility of miraculous events actually happening. If you’re
\nfamiliar with my book Can We Trust the Gospels?<\/i><\/a>,
\nyou won’t be surprised to learn that I believe that Acts 2 describes
\nwhat really happened. For reasons I can’t explain here, I believe that
\nthe author of Acts, the same “Luke” who wrote the Third Gospel, was a
\nreliable historian. Of course, as a Christian, I also believe that God
\ncould send the Spirit in astounding ways and empower people to speak in
\nlanguages that they did not know.<\/p>\n
\nChristians have had a powerful experience of God’s presence, which is
\nusually accompanied with speaking in tongues (generally not a known
\nlanguage). Pentecostal Christianity used to be a small segment of
\nProtestantism, but today it has spread throughout the world and is the
\nfastest growing form of Christianity. Many Christians who are not
\nPentecostals nevertheless celebrate Pentecost and hope that the Holy
\nSpirit will renew and empower the church, though not necessarily with
\nthe particular manifestations of the first Pentecost.<\/p>\n
\nyou might expect, there are a wide range of Christian celebrations of
\nPentecost. Some churches do not recognize the holiday at all. Most
\nchurches at least mention it in prayer, song, or sermon. Some churches
\ngo all out, with worship focused on remembering the first Pentecost and
\npraying for a similar outpouring of divine power. <\/p>\n![\"st-mark-pentecost-balloons-5.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/94\/import\/photos\/st-mark-pentecost-balloons-5.jpg\")
<\/span>Churches
\nthat employ liturgical colors generally use red on Pentecost as a
\nsymbol of power and fire of the Spirit. (If you’re interested, you
\nmight check out my chart of the liturgical year<\/a>,
\nits seasons, themes, and colors.) A couple of years ago, my church, St.
\nMark Presbyterian Church in Boerne, Texas, celebrate Pentecost with red
\nballoons and other symbols of the Holy Spirit. (Photo: The communion
\ntable of St. Mark Presbyterian Church on Pentecost.) <\/p>\n
\nchurches receive new members on Pentecost, thus commemorating the first
\n“new members class” that joined the church after Peter’s Pentecost
\nsermon. Centuries ago in Britain, those joining the church wore white
\nfor baptism. Thus the Sunday was called “White Sunday” or “Whitsunday.”<\/p>\n
a post on Pentecost\/Shavuot<\/a> by Beliefnet blogger Rabbi Brad Hirschfield. (I got 18 of 20 right on the quiz. Can you beat me?) <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"