"When Pentecost, the fiftieth day after Passover, came, all the believers were together in one place. Suddenly, a sound like a violently blowing wind came from the sky and filled the whole house where they were staying. Tongues that looked like fire appeared to them. The tongues arranged themselves so that one came to rest on each believer. All the believers were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak.
Devout Jewish men from every nation were living in Jerusalem. They gathered when they heard the wind. Each person was startled to recognize his own dialect when the disciples spoke.
Stunned and amazed, the people in the crowd said, “All of these men who are speaking are Galileans. Why do we hear them speaking in our native dialects? We’re Parthians, Medes, and Elamites. We’re people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the country near Cyrene in Libya. We’re Jewish people, converts to Judaism, and visitors from Rome, Crete, and Arabia. We hear these men in our own languages as they tell about the miracles that God has done.”
All of these devout men were stunned and puzzled. They asked each other, “What can this mean?” Others said jokingly, “They’re drunk on sweet wine.” Acts 2:1-13
50 Days
Pentecost comes from the Greek word meaning 'fifty'. Pentecost is the 50th day after that last Passover meal Jesus shared with his closest followers, before being nailed to a cross.
On this fiftieth day, the "dawn" of the church made its first appearance. The "light" of this beginning was unmistakeable. Lots of people saw it happen with their own eyes.
Scriptures do say that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Light. And this light became "visible" and was desribed as a "tongue-like fire". People who majored in the study of the scriptures parallels this with creation when God said, "let there be light."
This dawn, was also unmistakeable, because lots of people heard it happen, as a "fierce wind-like sound" preceded the light.
This again was likened to the dawn of creation where Scriptures record that in the beginning, the "Spirit of God" hovered over the waters. The Hebrew word for spirit translates to 'wind' and also to 'breath'.
Genesis records that God breathed the "breath of life" into the nostrils of (cosmic) dust that He had formed out of the ground (earth) to make humankind.
Earth, Wind, (Water) and Fire
So, as in the beginning (when God created the heavens and the earth), and mankind, He pretty much birthed the church the same way.
One "evidence" being after the church or the first believers, were filled with the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of God) they were able to do the "impossible" (Matthew 19:26) -- to instantly speak in different languages to be able to express God's goodness to the people around them, in their own native tongue.
Of course until this day, like what happened that very first day of the church (or the Body of Christ), they have been "misunderstood" and made fun of.
But such is human nature and human behavior. Nothing has changed and will ever change. Well unless they themselves have experienced being "filled with the Holy Spirit". Until then, these people will always be unable to understand and will make fun of, those who have understood or have an understanding, or as they say have "experiential knowledge".
Many of those who do not yet understand became 'fearful' of this "church". And like in any other time, these confused, ignorant and terrified people become bullies as they formed groups pushing their own or other people's viewpoint, agenda or belief system and often singling out these 'brainwashed' or uneducated/unsophisticated Christians.
But don't get any of them wrong. The same people they are making fun of, were very much like them themselves -- not knowing a thing about what was going on, not knowing any better and yes jeering at the sidelines, as they too were once outsiders, people standing from the outside and looking into a glass house filled with people who they did not understand, until the Spirit of God schooled them and let them in.
"For people who are stumbling toward ruin, the message of the cross is nothing but a tall tale for fools by a fool. But for those of us who are already experiencing the reality of being rescued and made right, it is nothing short of God’s power." 1 Corinthians 1:18
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