The Day of Pentecost
The story of the Day of Pentecost, as recorded in Acts 2, is one of the most vivid and memorable scriptures in the New Testament. Each year as we celebrate this holy event that led to the rapid expansion of the early church, we tell the tale of dancing tongues of fire that rested on the heads of the believers and powerful, violent winds that shook the walls of the house where they were staying. Perhaps the fiery tongues in this scene scare us a little or at least confuse us, but violent winds? That’s nothing new for us Midwesterners.
Years ago, our family lived in a small apartment in a tiny town. One summer evening, we were watching TV when suddenly the wind picked up, and the power went out. As the town’s tornado sirens began to wail, we followed proper protocol and immediately went outside to stare at the sky. Our neighbors, whom we had never met, soon joined us, and together, we marveled at the menacing atmosphere. However, it wasn’t long before we realized the seriousness of the situation. The clouds kept getting darker and darker, and the strength of the wind nearly drowned out the sounds of the sirens.
As I said, we lived in an apartment at the time, but thankfully, our neighbors had a small house with a basement, and they invited us in to ride out the storm. Over the course of the next hour, we discovered how truly wonderful these people were. They gave us cookies. They helped keep our daughter distracted from the danger that loomed outside, and we later learned that they, too, were Christians. That night as I drifted off to sleep, I reflected on the absurdity of how it took a near-death experience to drive us out of our apartment to meet someone who lived thirty feet away from us.
The next day, propped up by this new perspective, I ventured across the street to meet another neighbor who was outside examining the fallen tree that had narrowly missed his house. As I crossed the road, I was hoping and praying that this encounter might be as memorable as the one from the night before, and it did not disappoint. I introduced myself, made a comment about the storm, and within 90 seconds of meeting him, this man took off his prosthetic thumb and tried to hand it to me. When I politely declined, this generous soul asked if I would rather touch his glass eye. I didn’t go in that guy’s basement.
Sometimes we need something powerful to drive us out of our comfort zone and into the world. Sometimes faithful and devoted Christians need a dramatic windstorm to push us into new places to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with all the people of the earth. At all times, Jesus promised that God’s Holy Spirit would be with us and embolden and empower those who believe. ??
The Book of Acts is built on that powerful promise. It’s widely accepted that the author of this work is the same person who wrote the Gospel of Luke. In fact, most scholars agree that Acts was meant to be a sequel to Luke’s Gospel. Perhaps they were even intended to be a singular book read as one. Both works include a similar story regarding the ascension of Jesus to heaven, and both provide the promise of a holy power and a divine directive for his disciples. Listen to what Jesus says in both.?
You will be my partners in ministry, my witnesses to the ends of the earth, but you must wait. Wait until you have received the gift my Father promised, the power of the Holy Spirit. With this, the book in which the Gospel advances at breakneck speed begins with a pregnant pause. Perhaps, then, before we get to the dramatic fire and wild winds of Pentecost, we should explore what these believers did in the stillness of this moment.
To suggest that the apostles and the others who joined them in Jerusalem were any less motivated to spread the Gospel before the Day of Pentecost than they were after is woefully short-sided. These believers had seen the Risen Jesus, and they wholeheartedly believed that the time had come for the fulfillment of all things. In Acts 1:6, the apostles asked Jesus, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” The apostles were eager to rebuild what had been lost. Perhaps visions of renewed political power even crept into their hearts and minds as they asked this question, but Jesus continued to point them to the far superior power of the Holy Spirit. Wait for the promise of the Father to be fulfilled. Wait for the power of the Holy Spirit to come to you. ?
Following Jesus’ ascension to heaven, the apostles and others went about the regular business of the church. They gathered, they governed, and they grew. The remaining eleven apostles and the female disciples who had been so prevalent throughout Luke’s Gospel, along with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and his brothers, all gathered in an upper room and prayed constantly. The apostles chose a replacement for Judas from those who had been present the whole time, and the church numbered about 120 people in those days.
Many churches in our day probably long for that kind of stability. Many would undoubtedly be happy to exist in their little corner of the world with solid numbers, stable leadership, and a sustainable pace. If we’re being honest, if we could reach that level, pray that passionately, and throw a weekly or monthly Bible study on top of it, we’d probably call it good and call it a day. But the apostles’ world demanded more, and so does ours.
As the apostles waited and prayed, they probably didn’t have any idea what they were getting themselves into. Maybe Mary did. As the mother of Jesus, she had experienced the power of God’s Holy Spirit in a way that no one else could. Still, I imagine even she was taken aback by the miracles recorded in Acts 2.
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?” (Acts 2:1-8)
Much is made of the tongues of fire and violent winds that mark the Day of Pentecost, and rightfully so. These are acts of God that humans cannot duplicate. We could spend hours upon hours studying the significance of fire and wind, or the breath of God, in the scriptures. We could search the Bible for revelations about this powerful Spirit that Jesus promised to believers. We might ask what is meant by the phenomenon of the apostles speaking in unfamiliar languages and everyone understanding them in their own. Perhaps, we’d wonder aloud if such a powerful display of God could happen in our time.
Or, and hear me out, we could focus our hearts, our time, and our energy on the other miracles recorded in this chapter. You see, there is something else of God that cannot be duplicated by human effort alone at work in this scripture. On the day of Pentecost, the people of God, enabled by the Holy Spirit, spilled into the streets and preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And those who heard, whose hearts had previously been hardened against Jesus, suddenly felt a softening in their souls. As Peter preached, the Holy Spirit was at work powerfully among them, filling his mouth with words and filling their hearts with the desire to know the peace, love, and forgiveness he spoke of. By the time Peter stepped down from his pulpit that day, 3,000 people had repented and were baptized and added to their numbers.
There’s plenty about the Pentecost story that’s difficult for us to wrap our heads around, but here’s one part that isn’t. The church of Acts 1 is not the church of Acts 2 and beyond, and that’s not just a numerical distinction. The Acts 2 church was different. They were a new kind of people with a new kind of purpose operating with a new kind of power, the power of God’s Holy Spirit. As we read on in Acts 2, we discover that all the believers were together and had everything in common. They ate together, prayed together, and praised God together. They sold their possessions and gave the money to anyone in need. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. By Acts 4, the number of those who believed had surpassed 5,000.
Now, to be clear, the Acts 1 church was no less faithful than the Acts 2 church. They did what they were supposed to do. They waited on God’s power. All the while, they met together and prayed together constantly. They were responsible stewards of what they had been given and made sure that the proper leadership was in place to support all the members of their community. Many of them had traveled with Jesus and learned directly from the Messiah for three years, so you know they didn’t lack knowledge about the kingdom of heaven. Again, most of us would look at that list and say sign me up for that church. But their influence ended at their doorstep as they stowed away from the rest of the world. It wasn’t until they were filled with the power of God’s Holy Spirit that they burst onto the scene powerfully and became a transformational church that effectively preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all the ends of the earth.
We no longer have the need to collectively wait for the Holy Spirit to be poured out upon us as it was with these first Christians. Peter the Apostle says in Acts 2:38 that the Holy Spirit is a gift given to all who repent and call upon the name of the Lord. The Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 1:13-14, “You also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession to the praise of his glory.”
Our Christian tradition affirms that the Holy Spirit comes to every believer at the time of conversion, creating in us a new heart and filling us with new power, the power of God’s Holy Spirit. Throughout our lives, the Spirit has been working powerfully, drawing us toward God. And now that we believe, that power dwells in us. We need not pray for God’s Holy Spirit to come to us through violent winds and tongues of fire because the power of God is already inside each one of us. The gift that God’s people eagerly awaited for generations, the promise that was fulfilled on Pentecost, has been generously poured out to us through our faith in Jesus Christ. What are we going to do with that Holy Spirit power?
Might I suggest that we begin with prayer?