What Should We Be Doing Right Now In Preparation For Pentecost?

By Eric Wheeler (original post 6-3-11 repost 5-7-15)
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Immediately after Jesus ascended, His disciples just stood there looking up toward heaven (Acts 1:10). Suddenly, two angels appeared and, in a sense, gently reminded them to not just idly stand around gazing up into the heavens, but rather, do what Jesus said and return to Jerusalem and earnestly wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit which Jesus said would soon be given to them (Luke 24:47-53; Acts 1:1-13). To wait literally means to earnestly desire and look forward to with great anticipation and unwavering hope. Notice in these verses that the disciples “returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God” (Luke 24:52-53). “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and with His brothers” (Acts 1:14). What were they in constant prayer and supplication for? It is obvious – for the fulfillment of the promise of the Holy Spirit to be given them, and the subsequent power that He was going to grant to each of them so that they could be the witnesses that God had called them to be!

Notice these verses:

“And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, ‘which,’ He said, ‘you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’” (Acts 1:4-5)

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

“Then He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.’” (Luke 24:46-49)

“But Peter and John answered and said to them [the religious leaders], ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.’ So when they had further threatened them, they let them go… And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said, “… Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.’ And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness… And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.” (Acts 4:19-33)

Brothers and sisters, just like the disciples were left standing after Jesus ascended into heaven, we too find ourselves ten days from the day of Pentecost (Acts 1:2-4). But are we just standing around idly gazing up into the heavens too as they initially did? Or are we too going to heed the message of the two angels who appeared to them and told them to go back into Jerusalem and eagerly wait for the promise of the Spirit of God to be given to them. How are we going to spend our “ten days”? What does Scripture say they were doing during their ten days – that is, during the ten days between Jesus’ ascension and the actual Day of Pentecost? Scripture says that they continually spent their time joining together in prayer and supplication! Pentecost literally means “count fifty days” – that is, fifty days after Passover. The Bible tell us that Jesus taught and instructed His disciples regarding the Kingdom of God, and was personally seen by over five-hundred of them during the forty days that followed His bodily resurrection just prior to His heavenly ascension (Acts 1:2-3; I Cor. 15:3-6). At the end of these forty days, He instructed His disciples to wait in Jerusalem the remaining ten days until Pentecost for the fulfillment of the promise of the Holy Spirit to be poured out on them. Likewise, we also should be earnestly praying and supplicating with one another looking for the promises of God to be fulfilled among us in the here and now as well. For it is written: “Ask the Lord for rain in the time of the latter rain. The Lord will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, grass in the field for everyone” (Zech. 10:1). And again, the Lord says, “For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring; they will spring up among the grass like willows by the watercourses” (Isa. 44:3-4).

We know that when the Lord poured out His Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost in the first century upon the hundred and twenty believers who were gathered together that it was literally the fulfillment of the “former rains” of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that had been prophesied by the prophet Joel to be given to His people (Acts 2:16-21; Joel 2:23-32). We also know that according to the prophet Hosea that after “two days” (two millennia – see II Peter 3:8) the Lord “will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth” (Hos. 6:2-3). God commands us in Zechariah 10:1 to ask Him for the latter rain to come upon us! According to Joel 2:23, the former rains that fell during the first century came “moderately” – that is, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was only given in limited measure – that is, it was only poured out on the believers. The latter rains are going to be poured out in a much grander scale! That is, the Holy Spirit is going to be poured out in abundance – upon all flesh the Bible says (Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17)! And the entire world is going to witness the saving power of Almighty God (Luke 3:6)!

Brothers and sisters, we should be earnestly praying for these things – that this great outpouring of the Holy Spirit might happen in our day. That is what these “ten days” before Pentecost are all about! This world desperately needs a witness of the mighty power and delivering hand of God and to truly hear the real Gospel – the good news of the Kingdom of God. We need to be earnestly praying to God that these things might happen to us so that we can fulfill all that God has called us to be, and so that the world might know and recognize that there is a God in heaven who is all-seeing and all-knowing, and that Jesus Christ, His Son, is alive and well, and that He is in control of all things both in heaven and on earth. We are all called to be witnesses of His resurrection – showing the world that He is alive and involved! Therefore, let us all be about our Master’s business while it is still yet Day – because the night is soon coming when no man can work (John 9:4; I Thes. 5:4-9).

God bless you all.
Eric Wheeler
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