Start of the Early Church, The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost

The beginning Acts 2:1-13, 30th May AD32 or 24th May AD33.

This date was chosen as the start of the early church because the Holy Spirit descended on the day of Pentecost onto the apostles and believers.

The Holy Spirit breathed life into the early church.

The early church was mainly made up of Jewish believers but this changed over time.

Background Reading:

The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost

2:1 When the day of Pentecost was being celebrated, all of them were together in one place. 2 Suddenly, a sound like the roar of a mighty windstorm came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated, and one rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in foreign languages as the Spirit gave them that ability.

5 Now devout Jews from every nation on earth were living in Jerusalem. 6 When that sound came, a crowd quickly gathered, startled because each one heard the disciples speaking in his own language. 7 Stunned and amazed, they asked, “All of these people who are speaking are Galileans, aren’t they? 8 So how is it that each one of us hears them speaking in his own native language: 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, 10 Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the district of Libya near Cyrene, Jewish and proselyte visitors from Rome, 11 Cretans, and Arabs, listening to them talk in our own languages about the great deeds of God?”

12 All of them continued to be stunned and puzzled, and they kept asking one another, “What can this mean?”

13 But others kept saying in derision, “They’re drunk on sweet wine!”
Acts 2:1–13

More Information:

The person of the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost with the sound of a mighty wind and anointed each one in the upper room. He appeared as a tongue of flame sitting upon each one present.

Pentecost is the old Greek and Latin name for the Jewish harvest festival The Festival of Weeks. Jewish people call it Shavuot or Shevuot, which literally means: Festival of Weeks, This festival commemorates God giving the Ten Commandments, and giving the Torah, and Israel became a nation committed to serving God, at Mount Sinai fifty days after the Exodus. Wereas on Passover or Pesach, the Jewish people were freed from their enslavement to Pharaoh. Pentecost and Passover belong to two of the three feasts ordained by God. The other Feast is?”


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