(Series: “The Early Church of Jerusalem” post #1)

What we call the “church age” began on the Jewish feast day known as Pentecost that is described in Acts chapter 2. It was on that day that God the Holy Spirit began indwelling Christ’s followers. Jesus had said, “I will build My church” (Matthew 16:18), and what happened on that day of Pentecost was the official beginning of that work.

This new ministry of the Holy Spirit fulfilled four promises that Jesus had made:

• On the last night of His earthly life, He had told His chosen 12 apostles concerning the Holy Spirit, “…for He dwells with (emphasis mine) you and will be in (emphasis mine) you” (John 14:17, N.K.J.V.).
• Later in that same teaching session, He had told them, “…if I do not go away, the Helper (the Holy Spirit) will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you” (John 16:7, N.K.J.V.).
• After His resurrection and in the last seconds prior to His ascension back to heaven, He had stood on the Mount of Olives just outside Jerusalem and commanded a group of approximately 120 of His followers to stay in Jerusalem and wait because, “…you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5, N.K.J.V.).
• Seconds later as part of those same departing words, He had told that group, “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, N.K.J.V.).

So, that group of approximately 120 stayed in Jerusalem and waited for God the Holy Spirit to “come upon” them, “baptize” them, and grant them “power” even though they didn’t have a clue what all that might look like or feel like. All they knew was that Jesus had promised that it would happen. That was good enough for them.

How long did they wait? 10 days. As for how we arrive at that number, let’s talk about three specific Jewish feasts.

First, the Feast of Passover was a one-night meal that commemorated Israel’s exodus from Egypt in the days of Moses. Jesus’ so-called “last supper,” which was a meal He shared with His chosen 12 the night before He was crucified, was a Passover meal. It is commonly believed that Jesus and His chosen 12 ate the Passover meal on Thursday night of that week and that Jesus was crucified the following day, Friday, breathing His last breath Friday afternoon around 3:00 p.m.

Second, on the first Sunday following the Passover, the Feast of Firstfruits was observed. In regards to the week of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, that Sunday coincided with the day of Christ’s resurrection. The week’s timeline was as follows:

• Jesus ate the Passover meal on Thursday night
• He died on Friday afternoon around 3:00 p.m.
• the weekly Jewish Sabbath day began at sundown on Friday afternoon and lasted until sundown on Saturday afternoon
• the next day, Sunday, was the Feast of Firstfruits

This means that the Sunday morning upon which Jesus arose from the dead was also the Feast of Firstfruits. In other words, Resurrection Day was Firstfruits Day. This, of course, makes perfect sense in light of the fact that 1 Corinthians 15:20-24 calls Christ’s resurrection “the firstfruits” of all the resurrections of believers that will take place at the moment of the Rapture (1 Corinthians 15:50-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

Third, the Feast of Pentecost was celebrated on the 50th day from the Sunday of the Feast of Firstfruits. The Feast of Pentecost was also called the Feast of Weeks because it was celebrated on the 50th day following seven weeks of weeks (49 days) from the Feast of Firstfruits. It was on that 50th day (The Feast of Pentecost/the Feast of Weeks) that Jesus fulfilled His promise to send the Holy Spirit to indwell those 120 or so believers.

Now let’s do the math. Jesus resurrected on a Sunday (the day of the Feast of Firstfruits), and then He spent the next 40 days making periodic appearances to His followers in His resurrected/glorified body (Acts 1:1-3). That left 10 days to be accounted for to get to the 50th day of the Sunday called The Feast of Pentecost/The Feast of Weeks. Consequently, those 120 or so believers waited in Jerusalem for 10 days before they received the Holy Spirit. That number of days also fits with Christ’s promise that those believers would be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from the day of His ascension (Acts 1:5).

As for what lesson we can learn from the beginning of the church age, the obvious one centers around the necessity of the indwelling Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian (the believer in Jesus). Putting it simply, if you haven’t been baptized with the Holy Spirit in this church age, the Holy Spirit does not dwell inside you. This means two things. First, no matter how long you’ve had your name on a church roll, how much Bible you know, or how much morality you showcase in life, you are not an authentic Christian (Romans 8:9). Second, you are like a car that has no motor under the hood in that you have no real power when it comes to living for Jesus and serving Him.

God the Holy Spirit coming to dwell inside the believer is the “born again” experience of which Jesus spoke (John 3:3). In Titus 3:5, this experience is called “the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,” and 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that it makes you “a new creation” for which old things have passed away and all things have become new. If all of that sounds not only eternity-altering but also life-changing, it is!

And unlike those believers who first enjoyed this experience on that day of Pentecost, no one who places saving belief in Jesus today has to wait for it. Now the new believer is baptized with the Holy Spirit the moment that God rates the person’s belief as real and saving. That’s why the apostle Paul could confidently write, “…Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” (Romans 8:9 N.K.J.V.). It’s also why He could rightly describe the indwelling Holy Spirit as being the believer’s inner guarantee of a heavenly inheritance (2 Corinthians 1:21-22; 5:5; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30).

Therefore, in light of all this, I guess the only thing left to ask is, “Does God the Holy Spirit dwell inside you?” Rest assured that if you have placed legitimate saving belief in Jesus Christ, He does. But rest just as assured that if you haven’t placed legitimate saving belief in Jesus Christ, He doesn’t. The difference really isn’t hard to understand.

You see, there are various religions that teach that adherence to their rules can in some way make you either God yourself or very close to Him. Christianity, however, is the only one that teaches that God Himself — in the person of God the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity — will come to you and literally take up residence inside your earthly body. That’s a whole different ballgame, and it’s one in which Jesus wants you to participate.