The Benefit of Having the Holy Ghost!

TEXT:  ACTS 2:1-4 “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.  And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance”.

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED AT PENTECOST!!!

Pentecost is the Greek word pentekoste’ meaning fifty.  It was the fiftieth day from Passover.   In the Hebrew, it’s pe’cach, meaning exemption, the festival or victim.  In the Greek, pas’cha, it's the Passover or special sacrifices connected with it - Easter.  It commemorated the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage and the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for us.

The day of “Pentecost” was with the Israelites “the great feast of the harvest” (qatsiyr-kawtseer), as reaped or the victim thereof; sacrifice.  Exodus 23:16:  "And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field:  and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field."  (or “the day of first fruits”)  Numbers 28:26: "Also in the day of the firstfruits, when ye bring a new meat offering unto the LORD, after your weeks be out, ye shall have a holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work."  It was celebrated on the fiftieth day after the Passover.

 Jesus became our Passover Lamb, and the fiftieth day afterward was the fulfilling of Joel’s prophecy.   And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord (harmonious; unanimous; with one mind) in one place  (space unbound, in the spirit).  And suddenly (at once; quickly; instantaneously) there came a sound (e’chos or echo, a report; message) from heaven (ouranos’ – the higher realms of spiritual elevation) as of a rushing mighty wind (pnoe’ – respiration; breath).  This is the same “breath” the LORD God breathed into the “man” (adam) in Genesis 2:7;  the same “breath” or “wind” that was breathed in the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37);  the same breath Jesus breathed on the disciples (St. John 20:21-23).  So the disciples had the Holy Ghost before they went into the upper room, but at that time they received the “fire baptism”.  “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance:  but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear:  he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.” (St. Matthew 3:11)

And it filled all the house where they were sitting.

When you define Spirit, whether in Hebrew (ru’wach) or Greek (pneuma), it means air, breath, wind, life; to make of quick understanding.  It is the very mind of God; His wisdom and understanding; counsel and might; knowledge and fear or reverence, all of which comes out of God’s “righteousness”!  It is the very life of Christ breathed into His people!

And there appeared unto them cloven tongues (glossa’ – languages).   They were cloven or diameri’zo, meaning to partition thoroughly (in distribution), so as to speak to every man (person) there in their own native language.  Isn’t God awesome!!  Acts 2:5:  "And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.  Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.  And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans?  And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?"

Like as of fire.  One of the characteristics of “fire” is that it will consume all that isn’t consistent with it.  "But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries."  (Hebrew 10:27)  "Our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrew 12:29)

And it sat upon each of them.  The Spirit of God “sat”or kathi’zo, meaning settled, dwelled, continued  with them.  The kingdom of God was established in them.  The power of the anointing of God through Christ was now given as a “universal” gift!!!!  The prophecy of Joel 2:28 had come to pass.  St. John 14:2 had come to pass, when Jesus said to the disciples, “I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, 'I' will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also”.  This place was not out in the sky up beyond the blue, but it was a place of dominion, authority and power!!! 

Jesus came back to them just as He said He would, “AT PENTECOST”, and they were established in the same place of power He was in - a place of “dunamis” (power)!  Acts 1:8:  "Ye shall receive power (dunamis), after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:  and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

These men and women (the church – ecclesia –called out ones) were now being driven by the Spirit of God!  They weren’t acting or speaking of their own but by the power of the Almighty God that had taken up residence in them!

IT IS BENEFICIAL, ADVANTAGEOUS FOR US TO HAVE THE HOLY GHOST!!

Pentecost brought forth the first-fruits!  "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept."  (1 Corinthians 15:20)

FIRSTFRUITS is the Greek word aparche’, meaning a beginning of sacrifice.  “For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God”? (Hebrews 9:13-14)

Exodus 23:19:  "The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God."

At Pentecost, those that were with one accord in one place and were filled with the Holy Ghost and fire became “the first" of the firstfruits and brought in the other 3000 “firstfruits” by the Word of the Living God!  It is still happening today, and to God be glory!!!!

St. John 19:30:  "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, 'It is finished':  and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost."

When He said, “IT IS FINISHED”, that’s what He meant:  “mission accomplished”!

·       He ended the sacrifices:  (Daniel 9:27)  "And he shall confirm [establish; validate] the covenant with many for one week:  and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."

·       He destroyed the works of the devil:  (1 John 3:8) He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning.  For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil."

·       He ushered in eternal life:  (St. John 10:27-28)  "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:  and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."

So I guess that erases backsliding for New Testament Christians, especially if no man can pluck us out of His hand!!  Romans 8:38-39:  "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  Also we must move beyond just being “saved” and take on “the new birth” or “being born again”.  There is a difference because when one becomes “born”, he or she cannot sin!  Romans 10:9:  "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” [forgiven].  But "Whosoever is born [regene-rated] of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him:  and he cannot sin, because he is born of God"!  (1 John 3:9)

·       He destroyed the curse - Galatians 3:13-14:  "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."

·       He conquered sin and death - Romans 8:2:  "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:  that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."   HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!!

·       He ushered in divine health - 3 John 2:  "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth."

Isaiah 53:5:  "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities:  the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

1 Peter 2:24:  "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness:  by whose stripes ye were healed."

This is just to name a few things that happened in relation to Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, and giving us the fullness of His Spirit as a universal gift!   I can’t thank HIM enough for what He’s done, what He’s doing, and what He shall do in our lives as we believe His Word and walk by faith!

I think back years ago about how I would go out as many of us did, and some still do, looking for something new to get dressed up in for Easter!  Now that God has taken the scales off my eyes and let me see that Easter means “victim” or “one slaughtered”, I now know that Jesus became the slaughtered victim so that I (we) would become the victor over the works of the devil!!  The only thing NEW I (we) have to put on is “the new man” in Christ Jesus!!

Ephesians 4:23-24:  "And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. 

2 Corinthians 5:17:  "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:  old things are past away; behold, all things are become new"!

~ Apostle Gracie Perry