And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. (Acts 2:1)
The day of Pentecost originated with the Jews in the Old Testament. It was also called the Feast of Harvest or the Feast of Weeks. The holiday normally fell in the middle of May or sometime in early June. When you count 50 days after the Passover, you come to a Sunday that represents the Pentecost. It represented major festivals, but few people identify it with the birth of the Lord’s church.
In Isaiah chapter 2:2-4, the prophet describes the establishment of the Lord’s house, the church. The beginning would take place in Jerusalem, when “out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”
The Apostle Peter stood up that day and preached the Gospel to all who attended that holiday. The number of people present would be tens of thousands. Jesus had earlier told Peter that upon his confession that He was the Son of God, He would build His church, and that He would give Peter the keys to the Kingdom. (Matthew 16:15-19)
Peter preached boldly and powerfully in Acts 2. “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). The response was significant. “Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit…Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:38, 41).
From that day forward, the church grew mightily. From that origin on Pentecost, it became a force that not even the power of Rome could stop. Congregations of the churches of Christ spread around the world, and today, groups of baptized believers assemble every Sunday to observe the Lord’s communion on the holiday of the birth of His church.
Kerry Knight
Emerald Beach Church of Christ
