I will make some brief points about Pentecost below. Up front, I want to make an overarching point. There is no Christian faith without the community of the church. Vast numbers of people today are fleeing “organized religion.” Some are leaving faith in God altogether, but many, many others are moving to a private faith, apart from a community of faith. A personal relationship with God is vitally important, but if that’s all there is, it’s not Christian, even if one thinks about Jesus a great deal. Biblical faith has always been about being part of God’s people. While we must listen to those who are walking away from churches, we dare not walk away with them. Churches, filled with people who sin, are often messy places—yes, filled with hypocrites. But churches have a Savior and a Healer; we have the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in the church; and we have one another. Pentecost tells us this.
A Birth from God
The beginning of the church was miraculous. No mere human founded it—not Peter nor any of the twelve. The church was born not a second before the Holy Spirit came with power. To be sure, it was anticipated and there were labor pains before Pentecost, but without the Spirit, the church would have been stillborn.
It is very difficult, and I think nearly impossible, to explain the existence of the church apart from the resurrection and exaltation of Jesus. Why would these once disillusioned Galileans give their lives for a lie? And why would anyone follow them? Of course, history is filled with charlatans and imposters, but they are rarely willing martyrs. There is something profoundly genuine about these Spirit-filled witnesses who experienced the risen Messiah.
Out of Israel
Pentecost was the Jewish Feast of Weeks, which celebrated the early harvest. It was one of the three pilgrim festivals where Jews were obligated to appear before the Lord. As Jesus fulfilled the Passover (the year’s first pilgrim festival), the church fulfills the early harvest and points to the greater harvest to come.
As I said in my last post, Christianity is not a brand-new religion, nor a disconnected dispensation. We, though mostly Gentiles, are the Israel of God.
Many Tongues, One Church
The story of the Tower of Babel is one about people speaking one language and being united in evil rebellion against God. They became disunited by a confusion of languages. As often mentioned, Pentecost reverses this. People of many languages become united in the miracle of tongues. This unity was displayed in their communal life together (Acts 2:42-47).
That Galilean disciples speaking in many languages foreshadowed the worldwide reach of the church to “the ends of the earth.” It began that reach in a “second Pentecost” in the home of a Roman Gentile named Cornelius (Acts 10-11). As the church became more ethnically and culturally diverse, unity became more difficult and more important. Recognizing this, Paul would later tell diverse churches in Asia Minor, that it falls upon us to “keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3 NIV).
The Message is Jesus
The powerful display of the Holy Spirit gave an opening to Peter’s message. That message was not “Look at us and our gifts,” rather it was to look at Jesus whom they killed, but God raised. Jesus, crucified, raised, and exalted, was and should always be our message. I believe that the Restoration Movement has badly neglected speaking of the Holy Spirit, but too often and too easily this message can become, “We, who have these Spiritual gifts, are the only real Christians (See 1 Corinthians).
The Gospel is not that we are the true church, but that we have the true Savior. Three thousand didn’t respond that day to “Look at us.” The Good News that swept through the first century Roman world was Jesus.
The Gift for All
In his message, Peter quotes Joel 2:28-32, which says that the Spirit of the LORD will be poured out upon all people, regardless of status or gender. That was filled full on Pentecost. It may mean that among those who were speaking in other languages, were women upon whom the Spirit came. Regardless, this Gift was given to ALL who repented and were baptized in the name of Jesus. That’s the promise given, not merely an opinion.
Pentecost insists that there are no second-class Christians. All are gifted and all are called to serve the Messiah, who gave this supreme Gift.
Rejoice in Pentecost, where there is great joy!
Tim Kelley