24/05/2026
Theme: Pentecostals who are We?
Text: Acts1:8, 2:1-4
proposition/ Thesis:
The word Pentecost comes from the Greek word pentecostos which means fifty. It is a feast that was celebrated fifty days after the feast of first fruits. It was one of the three Jewish harvest feasts to thank and honour God for all He provided. They would count seven weeks after the harvest and after that they would have the feast of Pentecost. The Passover lamb was sacrificed on the 14th day of the month of Nisan/April, on the second day the 15th was the passover and the third day the 16th was the feast of first fruits. This third day was the same day that Jesus resurrected. The feast of Pentecost was a celebration of the harvest hence in essence Pentecostalism is a celebration of the harvest of souls that would take place after the resurrection of Christ.
At a Bible school in Topeka Kansas, Charles Fox Parham the director of the Bible college, holding to a firm belief that the complacent, worldly, and coldly formalistic church needed to be revived by another outpouring of the Holy Spirit. He instructed his students, many of whom already were ministers, to pray, fast, study the Scriptures, and, like the Apostles, await the blessings of the Holy Spirit. On January 1, 1901, Agnes Ozman became the first of Parham’s students to speak in an unknown tongue. Others soon had the same experience, and Parham claimed that speaking in tongues was the “initial evidence” that one had been truly baptized with the Holy Spirit.
Azusa Street Revival (1906–1909): Led by African American preacher William J. Seymour in Los Angeles, this three-year revival is considered the catalyst for the global movement. It was notable for its in*******al worship and emotional expressiveness.
Denominational Growth: Early followers formed major denominations like the Assemblies of God (1914) and the Church of God in Christ (1897/1907).
Sadly many Pentecostals do not know their identity or appreciate their history. It is out of this backdrop that I thought to share on a subject I am calling Pentecostals Who are We?
Background:
The book of Acts was written by Luke the Physician. Luke was a careful reseracher and accurate historian, displaying an intimate knowledge of Roman laws and customs, as well as the geography of Israel, Asia minor and Italy. He was Paul's companion, travelling friend as well as his physician. The book of Acts is written to a man by the name of Theophilus, a name which means a lover of God. Luke gives him an account of the things Jesus had accomplished during his earthly ministry. Acts continues with these noting that Jesus accomplished through the early church, beginning from the Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, the birth of the church on the day of Pentecost, to Paul's preaching at Rome, Acts records the spread of the gospel and the growth of the church, as well as the mounting opposition to the gospel. The chapters we have read records Jesus's promise of the Holy Spirit, ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Allow me from this background to draw a few points that relate to our distinctives as Pentecostals. The first thing is that:
1. Pentecostals believe that Jesus Christ is the Saviour and Sanctifier, Acts 4:12, John 3:16
2. Pentecostals believe that Jesus Christ is the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit, Acts 1:8, 2:1-4
A great word and we are never the same. We look forward to seeing on Sunday and may God bless you as you come!!
