Feast of Pentecost (Sunday, May 24, 2026)

Jesus Christ chose the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot in Hebrew) or Pentecost as the day on which God first granted His Spirit to the New Testament Church. Also, according to a respected Jewish tradition, God gave the ten commandments from Mount Sinai on the Day of Pentecost and covenanted with ancient Israel they would be His holy people.

It was on Pentecost that God first made His Spirit available to all who would repent. (Pexels)

The annual Holy Day of Pentecost is the anniversary of the beginning of Christianity under the New Covenant. It was on Pentecost that God first made His Spirit available to all who would repent—thus beginning the Church, which He commissioned Christ to build.

After Christ was resurrected He told His disciples “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). In other words Christ gave the disciples and the members of the Church down through the ages the job of preaching the Gospel message to the world. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19)

Before Jesus was crucified He promised His disciples He and the Father would come and dwell in them (John 14:17, 20, 23). That promise was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost 31 A.D. Acts chapter 2 describes this magnificent event. "Now when the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues [languages], as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:1-4).

The speaking in various languages occurred as a crowd of people from many nations gathered in Jerusalem, with each visitor hearing the speech of the disciples in his own native tongue (Acts 2:6-11), demonstrating the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Peter explained this was a fulfillment of Joel's prophecy: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh" (Acts 2:17; Joel 2:28), telling his listeners how they could also receive this Spirit: "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. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call" (Acts 2:38-39).

God used these miracles and Peter's preaching to add 3,000 people to His Church in one day. These converts were all baptized and received the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:40-41). From this pivotal point, God's Spirit has been available to all who truly repent and are properly baptized.

The Holy Day of Pentecost annually celebrates God’s gift of His Spirit which began the fulfillment of the prophecies in Jeremiah 31:31-33 and Ezekiel 36:26-27 and will be completely realised at Christ’s return. Our responsibility is to grow in grace and knowledge, aware that we are part of the spiritual temple God is building, as the annual Holy Day of Pentecost commemorates: “For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be my people’” (2 Corinthians 6:16).

• Source:

  Bible Study Course - Lesson 12

• https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/bible-study-course/bible-study-course-lesson-12/pentecost