2015.11.29_The Blessing of the Pentecost
/in 2015 Lord's Day, Ki Dong Kim /by Suna IHM
Senior Overseer Ki-Dong Kim
[Acts 2:1-4]
God
gives blessings.
As God
blessed the seventh day (Ge 2:3)
and rested on it, it is a great and holy day.
God rests where there is His blessing,
and the blessing of God’s rest is an everlasting blessing.
On the Sabbath, all flesh (Ex 20:8-11)
can rest with God,
but their souls cannot (Mt 4:17).
The soul’s rest was prepared separately,
namely, the Lord’s Day (Mk 2:27-28).
This is the day the Lord Jesus atoned for the sins of mankind (Heb 10:19-25)
and achieved the victory of resurrection with mankind.
Truly,
those empowered by the merits of Jesus and redeemed by faith (Jn 3:16)
gathered together and prayed out loud,
and were thus all filled
by the Holy Spirit (Ac 2:1-4).
They all began speaking in tongues and finally,
the church, the body of Jesus Christ, was born (Eph 1:20-23).
○The church is the body of Jesus,
purchased by His blood,
and formed by those that are partakers of His resurrection.
○The church is a gathering of those who obeyed the words of the Lord Jesus
and received the fullness of the Holy Spirit
just as the Lord had commanded.
○The Church of Jesus Christ
has been formed according to His desire;
the Triune God was glorified.
※As we are all gathered together,
we ought to be blessed as our Lord Jesus said
and be filled by the Holy Spirit.
God is He who gives blessings. Blessing belongs to God; it is uniquely His. The blessing which the Bible speaks of refers to God’s blessedness which only God possesses forever. God shared that to those He loves, that they may share in God’s blessedness.
People believe that blessing is when they are successful in their endeavors in this world. However blessing is unique to God, and He desires to give them to us. Yet we cannot receive blessings just by sitting still. Our faith is about longing for God’s blessedness, and also asking to receive it.
When we seek God’s blessing, our attitude should not be like that of people who stand in line to receive aid from relief organizations, for we are not unworthy people who have to put on a pitiful look and beg God to receive His blessings. The only one who can partake in the Father’s glory is the Son. In the same way that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, inherited Heaven, we who call God as our Father in Jesus Christ will also inherit Heaven as children of God.
One of the reasons that God’s blessing is different to the blessing the world defines is that God’s blessing does not only go to the one who receives it but also to his children, family and every member of his household. The members of one’s household can be defined broadly as those who are under the influence of a particular person. So for example, if the CEO of a company was blessed by grace, the employees of that company can all receive grace. However if the members of the household of a person blessed by God were not sharing in God’s blessing, then the Lord’s will is not actually being fulfilled. God’s blessing does not cease with one individual or his family only; when it spreads to all the members that belong to him, that is when that blessing is fully effective.
God created heaven and earth over six days and blessed the seventh day. God blessed the seventh day in order for Him to rest on that day (Gen 2:3). Blessing is God’s resting place. When the Israelites came out of Egypt, the first commandment they received from God was “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, for the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God” (Exo 20:8). He commanded them to rest from their own work on the seventh day, just as God finished creating the world over six days and rested on the seventh day.
Then 1,500 years after God gave the commandment of the Sabbath through Moses, Jesus commanded the believers to keep the Holy Day. The Holy Day Jesus commanded to keep was the day after the Sabbath, which is called the Lord’s Day. Many Christians seem to confuse the Sabbath and the Lord’s Day although they are two different days. Christians are saints who keep the Lord’s Day, not the Sabbath. God ceased from His work on the Sabbath. But on the Lord’s Day, God raised Jesus from the dead. The Lord’s Day is a day of resurrection and victory. This is the day that God raised Jesus to life, not when He rested.
John 7:37 says, “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink’”. The feast mentioned here is referring to the Feast of Weeks, and the last day of the feast was the first day after Sabbath, seven weeks since the people harvested wheat and dedicated the firstfruits to God. In other words, it was the Lord’s Day. This day is called the Pentecost in the New Testament Church. And the day on which the disciples received the Holy Spirit in Mark’s Upper Room as Jesus promised was also the Pentecost. Thus, the day of the resurrection of Jesus and the day on which the Holy Spirit first came upon the believers were both the Lord’s Day.
The Lord’s Day is a day we receive God’s revelation. The day when Apostle John received the revelation written the Book of Revelations was also the Lord’s Day (Rev 1:10). The Lord’s Day is the day Christians gather together and celebrate the Lord’s flesh and blood. In regard to this, Acts 20:7 says, “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread”. The Lord’s Day is also the day we give offerings to God. It says in 1 Corinthians 16:2, “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come”.
On the day of Pentecost, the disciples gathered in Mark’s Upper Room just as the Lord instructed them. Most of the people gathered there were from Galilee. They had personally witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion, His resurrection after three days and ascension to Heaven. For a dead to be resurrected after three days is astonishing news for anybody to hear. And if anyone witnessed it, he would probably want to go back to his hometown first and tell his family and friends all about it. Nevertheless, those people did not leave Jerusalem even after many days, for Jesus had told them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4).
People were also gathered outside Mark’s Upper Room at that time. They were people who came from all different nations to celebrate the feast. While those inside Mark’s Upper Room were witnesses of the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, the people outside did not know much about Jesus. But they came to witness what happened to the people inside the room. Just as the Lord said, “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”, when the people gathered inside the room received the Holy Spirit, the Jews who had come from different nations over the world witnessed the testimony of the risen Jesus. And among them, three thousand people repented and accepted the Lord on that day. As the disciples were blessed, the people around them were also blessed through them.
We must receive God’s blessing. This is God’s command (Num 23:20). Some people say, “I’ll be lucky if God blesses me. But if He doesn’t, well, what can I do”. However Christians are those who have renounced fate. God commanded us to be blessed. Thus if we do not receive His blessing, it is equivalent to disobeying is commandment.
As God first blessed the seventh day and then rested on it, it is after God’s commandment is given that we can receive the Holy Spirit. And that commandment is the command to repent (Matt 4:17). God sends the Holy Spirit to those who have confessed that they are sinners and repented. That is why Peter said, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). The disciples in Mark’s Upper Room were not sitting around idly either; they repented and prayed, waiting for the Holy Spirit to come.
When the day of Pentecost arrived and the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, they started to speak in tongues. Believers receive the Holy Spirit and speak in other tongues as the Holy Spirit gives them utterance even today. Some church members want to see newcomers receiving the Holy Spirit and settling in the church quickly, that they even try to teach them how to speak in tongues. However this is not at all advisable. A person does not have to be forced to receive the Holy Spirit, for he will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit when he truly receives the forgiveness of sins.
Jesus said that speaking in tongues is a sign that follows those who believe (Mark 16:17). The gift of speaking in tongues is a gift that any Christian who believes in Jesus should essentially have. Some people regard speaking in tongues as the least of all the spiritual gifts, and look down on those who speak in tongues. However, the gift of speaking in tongues is not the least but the most fundamental. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are very diverse, and speaking in tongues can be said to be the first of all those gifts (Acts 2:4).
Some people disregard the gift of speaking in tongues by saying, “What’s the use of saying something you can’t even understand?” Indeed, we cannot understand what is spoken in tongues. The only one who understands is God, as 1 Corinthians 14:2 says, “For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.”
The devout Jews who had come from different nations throughout the world on the day of Pentecost did hear the disciples speaking in tongues. However the disciples in Mark’s Upper Room were not speaking in foreign languages, but the Jews who heard them speaking in tongues hear them in the language of their own country. Thus the Jews did not say, “How do those Galileans speak our own language?” but instead they said, “How is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born?” (Acts 2:7-8).
Speaking in tongues is not another language, but our spirit’s prayer which God hears. Because of sin, man was unable commune with God; but now he is able to, and that is the very significance of speaking in tongues. The fact that we speak in tongues means we received a “new tongue”. The tongue that was used to communicate worldly knowledge and emotions with people has now become the tongue by which we commune with God.
The Bible reveals that receiving the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues was not just an occurrence limited to Mark’s Upper Room. When Peter was preaching to Cornelius’ household, the Holy Spirit came upon those who were listening and began speaking tongues (Acts 10:1-47). Also when Philip went preaching in the church of Samaria, those who heard him spoke in tongues (Acts 8:5-17). It also happened that when Paul went to the church in Ephesus and laid his hands on the people, they received the Holy Spirit, spoke in tongues and prophesied (Acts 19:6-7).
Even today, the Holy Spirit continues to come upon those who believe and pours His gifts on them. The Lord spoke of the Holy Spirit as “the Holy Spirit who comes out of the Father” (Jn 15:26). As the river never stops flowing, the Holy Spirit continues to come out of the father and into those who believe. To cast out demons and speak in tongues are common manifestations for the believers. Whoever received the Holy Spirit should not be content with being able to cast out demons and speak in tongues, but diligently carry out God’s work in order to experience the abundance of His gifts which He freely bestows on us.
It is important that we understand that the Lord’s command is greater and more fearsome than the Law. That is why we must repent according to the Lord’s commandment, and be filled by the Holy Spirit as the Lord commanded. In the past, God commanded the Israelites to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. But after Jesus came, He commanded us, “On the last and greatest day of the feast, a river of living water will flow from within you! This is the Holy Spirit whom the believers will receive. Receive the Holy Spirit!” This word remains unchanged even today.
In order for us to be filled by the Holy Spirit, we must first resist the devil’s scheme, who ceaselessly tries to condemn us. As long as we have the flesh, it is impossible for us not to sin. However we have already been justified by the Lord’s grace. Even so, the devil condemns us saying, “Your sins are too big. You will never be forgiven.” Thus we have to rely on the power of Jesus’ blood all the more so. Revelation 12:11 says, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” Only when we confess the power of the Lord’s blood will we be able to fight and overcome sin.
God gives the gift of the Holy Spirit to those who are filled by the power of the precious blood. The Lord’s blood and the Holy Spirit work together. As the people were gathered together in Mark’s Upper Room on the day of Pentecost, we must also gather together on the Lord’s Day and receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
I have seen things going on the earth and learned much from it while I have been living this world. There is a limitation in the world, and it is like a fish caught in a net so we could not but suffocating soon. In this same manner, the world is hopeless so all people struggle but only leave. When I came off as insignificant, the world showed no interest whatsoever. But when God gave me glory, the world began to persecute me. Religious bodies joined in on the suppression, eventually letting me go. Though to my memory God received the past half century as a pleasing offering, the rest of the world wanted to destroy me out of envy. Nevertheless, my life belongs to the Lord. He has therefore spared me a long walk, and has even used me in the presence of His perfect will. Surely, there has been nothing more beautiful than this. My joy is not the result of spending flurries, nor the glory of this world. I had but poverty, an ill-temper and a lack of education. But after having received the Holy Spirit, I became filled with power, wisdom, truth and hope, the elements by which I live in joy and thanksgiving. Now, I seek to pour out all that He has given me into the works that He desires. I am at the center of two extremes. On one end, I have the world in all its slander and envy; and on the other, God, who loves me ever so dearly. The choice is clear. I must pour out my heart and strength. If I am but Oh my soul, there is no greater joy than to walk with Jesus. Though the flesh that coats me is weary and sapped of strength, I seek to live as a servant of the Lord. Though the bitter oppressions of the world grow, I hope to commit my soul to the Lord. The world tries to sympathize with me, but they do not know the bliss of my soul – indeed there is nothing to sympathize. My one desire is to be “filled with the Holy Spirit”. In the Holy Spirit, I hope to possess the holy wonders of Jesus Christ’s healing and power all the days of my life. This is my earnest prayer. In light of this, I have seen the sick rise in joy after laying hands on them. How can I keep from giving thanks to the Lord who gives me this great power? I am filled with the joy of daily witnessing His works in my life. Daily, my soul looks unto the Lord. Daily, I see Him. Pastor Ki-Dong Kim
[gmedia id=53]
It might take long to open the video because it is the full version of the worship.
Outline and Summary translated by Sarah Nam Chief Editor: Helen Nam
a heap of dirt, the Lord God will sculpt me to become a vessel. If I were to be a tree, He would tend me and mend me to become a great temple pillar. Even if I were to be a donkey, perhaps the most hopeless and frail one of all, I would strive to have Him take up my back, that He may use me.
Lord’s Day Worship Column
Letter translated by Jeremy Kim
Interpretations by Sarah Nam
Korean Summary by Ki-Taek Lee
