How Peter Explained Pentecost: Prophetic Ministry for All Believers
Pentecost was a major Jewish holiday also called the Festival of Weeks in the Pentateuch. In New Testament times this Jewish holiday was referred to by its Greek name of Pentecost. The holiday occurred 50 days after Passover (Easter) and Pentecost literally means 50 days. In Jewish tradition, Pentecost was the traditional date on which God visited the Israelites with the covenant of the Law on Mount Sinai after their deliverance from Egypt.
In Acts 2, the believers met in prayer together on Pentecost when a roaring wind and tongues of fire came upon them, they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other languages. The noise of the wind was loud enough that many people came running to the location where the disciples were meeting together. The holiday had caused a significant crowd from all over Israel to gather in Jerusalem.
Peter spoke to this crowd and started his discourse by saying "let me explain this to you..." (Acts 2:14, NIV). He had clarity about what was happening, why it was happening, and how it fulfilled prophecy. The roaring wind, tongues of fire, the infilling of the Spirit, and speaking in other languages, all indicated that this moment was what had been spoken of by the prophet Joel concerning the pouring out of the Holy Spirit.
"I will pour out my Spirit on all people...and they will prophesy" (Acts 2:17, 18 NIV). Peter told the crowd that this moment of Holy Spirit visitation was that moment that had been prophesied hundreds of years earlier. The spontaneous outburst of foreign languages by the disciples was a sign to Peter that the Holy Spirit was speaking through those who were present and that Holy Spirit inspired speech was the same type of prophecy foretold by Joel.
Peter perceived that Pentecost had been imbued with a new meaning. Pentecost historically celebrated the covenant signified by the presence of God at Sinai, but the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus was the moment the Spirit was poured out on all believers. God no longer spoke to only a select few, the Spirit now spoke to and through all believers. In an instant, a new era started that was marked by the presence and speaking of the Holy Spirit through every believer.
This baptism of the Holy Spirit represented the moment believers knew and experienced Christ more deeply and received power to witness boldly. Peter's explanation to the crowd on Pentecost helps us understand that one way he and the disciples interpreted the events of that day was as the presence and communication of the Holy Spirit to every believer. This is what is available to us today – that we can hear from the Lord in order to experience a deeper relationship with him.
