Today is a very special day in church history.  A day that we celebrate the birth of the church, really we could argue that as on Resurrection Sunday we rejoice in the victory over sin and death that Jesus won, on Pentecost Sunday, we rejoice in the gift of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church.

Pentecost is a celebration that is significant in the Old Testament, as well as in the passage that we are covering today. At Pentecost, the promised Holy Spirit comes. There is fire and wind, both show us the power of God is at work in amazing ways.  The wind shows us that God is at work, and the fire a reminder from the OT of the presence of God.

Remember as we study this, that Pentecost is a one-time historical event that we now are impacted by.  So we are not trying to repeat this event, rather we are seeking to live in light of it. 

This is an amazing historical event that shapes our history now…