The Church year revolves around two cycles: the CHRISTMAS cycle (Advent, Christmas, Epiphany) the EASTER cycle (Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Pentecost).

If you go back and read the Old Testament, you will discover that Pentecost was one of the Jewish feast days. Only they didn’t call it Pentecost. Pentecost is the Greek name. The Jews called it the Feast of Harvest or the Feast of Weeks. It is mentioned five places in the first five books — in Exodus 23, Exodus 24, Leviticus 16, Numbers 28, and Deuteronomy 16. Pentecost was the celebration of the beginning of the early weeks of harvest.

The Day of Pentecost marks FIFTY days since Easter Day and brings the Easter season to an end. It is a major feast of the Church’s year when Christians recall how God’s HOLY SPIRIT was given to the disciples after Jesus’ ascension, empowering them to begin the work of making DISCIPLES of all NATIONS – THE HARVEST OF SOULS (Acts 2.1-47). Ascension and Pentecost are closely linked. The Church is now to be the new body of Christ, filled with his life through the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The COLOUR most often associated with PENTECOST IS RED, representing the TONGUES of FIRE  which the Acts of the Apostles describes appearing above the heads of the disciples as a sign that they had received the Holy Spirit.

According to the Old Testament, you would go to the day of the celebration of Firstfruits, and beginning with that day, you would count off 50 days. The fiftieth day would be the Day of Pentecost. So Firstfruits is the beginning of the barley harvest and Pentecost the celebration of the beginning of the wheat harvest. On the day of Pentecost, the sermon of Peter brought great HARVEST of SOULS as FIRSTFRUITS of the HOLY SPIRIT.

To be Pentecostal therefore is to be FILLED and be LED by the HOLY SPIRIT. It is therefore noteworthy that any individual or Church that believes in Christ, filled and led by the Holy Spirit is PENTECOSTAL. Being gifted or manifesting (using) the gift of the Holy Spirit is to be CHARISMATIC. Pentecostalism is not a denominational expression. PENTECOST is about the FILLING and FOLLOWING of the HOLY SPIRIT.

Happy Pentecost Sunday

The Venerable Oluwalusi Titus is the Assistant Chaplain 1, Chapel of Resurrection, University of Ibadan.

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