As Christian believers, we can take for granted the stunning fact that God's spirit empowers all of us

for ministry. It wasn't always the case. In the Old Testament, only certain of God's people were

anointed by the Holy Spirit with gifts for ministry, and often only for a limited time for

particular purposes. Moses was given the Holy Spirit,

and at one point he famously cried out, would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord

would put his spirit on them. But through the Prophet Joel, God promised that the day would

come when his spirit would be given to all believers in a new and more powerful way.

It shall come to pass afterward, he says, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh.

That promise began to be fulfilled in Jerusalem 2,,000 years ago, on the day of Pentecost.

In fact, the Apostle Peter quotes that exact passage in his sermon on the day of Pentecost,

drawing attention to the fact that on that very day, the prophecy had been fulfilled.

Pentecost literally means 50th day. Originally, Pentecost was a Jewish

holiday that was held 50 days after Passover. Among other things, it reminded God's people of the day,

50 days after their deliverance from Egypt, that God had given them his law on Mount Sinai.

So what are the connections between that 50th day event on Mount Sinai in the Old Testament

and the 50th day event in Jerusalem in the New Testament? Well, on both of these Pentecosts, God drew near to his people. In the Old

Testament, the Lord descended on Mount Sinai in fire. In the New Testament, tongues of fire appear on

all the believers in Jerusalem. In Exodus, there's loud thunder and the sound of trumpets.

In the book of Acts, there's a mighty sound of rushing wind. In Exodus, God gives his people his

law and in Acts God gives them his spirit, empowering them to keep that law. So there are similarities, but there are some differences

we're supposed to notice too. The fire and thunder of Mount Sinai said very loudly and very clearly to

God's people, keep your distance. God warned them through Moses that if they tried to come up the mountain,

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