Pentecost Makes Fools of Us All
Pentecost Sunday has just passed and I’ve been thinking how Pentecost makes fools of us all.
Pentecost shames our best efforts to pursue God’s mission. Without Pentecost there would be no mission. Jesus’ closest disciples had all fled and deserted him. Despite his example, and his training, their best efforts led to failure.
Luke wrote his Gospel to tell the story of all that Jesus began to do and teach (Acts 1:1). He wrote the book of Acts to tell the story of all that Jesus continued to do and teach through his people in the power of the Spirit.
That’s why Pentecost is important. Without the Spirit there could be no mission to the ends of the earth. They had his command to make disciples of the nations. Now they needed his power to complete the task.
Pentecost makes fools of us all when we predict dates for the Second Coming. The disciples pressed Jesus for a timeline. Jesus told them: You don’t need to know times and dates. You have a job to do. Take the gospel to the ends of the earth in the power of the Spirit (Acts 1:7-8).
Pentecost makes fools of us when we contain the work of the Spirit to our prayer meetings and worship events.
Jesus told them to wait for the Spirit and so they joined together constantly in prayer (Acts 1:14). Suddenly a sound like a violent wind came from heaven as the Spirit fell upon them. The very presence of the living God was among his people. Tongues of fire rested on each one filling them with the Holy Spirit. They began to speak in other languages. Prayer erupted into worship.
Pentecost begins with God’s people lost in prayer and adoration in the upper room. Almost immediately, it spills over onto the street. The Spirit would stay behind closed doors in the upper room. The Spirit comes, the church is born, the mission begins — immediately.
Pentecost makes fools of us all.
Outside the building there are Jews and Jewish converts from every nation amazed they could hear the wonders of God declared in their own languages. They wanted to know: What does this mean? (Acts 2:12).
Peter stood up and declared the Word of God. This outpouring the Holy Spirit on the young and the old, men and women, without distinction, marks the beginning of the last days. This has happened because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth who is Lord and Messiah.
Peter urged them: Call upon his name and you will be saved. You must repent and be baptised in his name for the forgiveness of sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).
Pentecost makes fools of us all when we separate the power of the Spirit from proclaiming the Word.
At Pentecost, we see this wonderful partnership between the Word of God and Spirit of God. The Spirit and the Word bear witness to the Lord Jesus. The story of the early church is the story of the progress of the Word from Jerusalem to ends of the earth in the power of the Spirit. When God speaks the universe is flung into existence. God’s Word is God in action. The Word and the Spirit leave the building together and take the church with them.
Pentecost makes fools of us all. It shames our foolish attempts to contain the living Word to the edification of settled believers. The Word is a living force going out into the world to bring salvation. The sermons recorded in Acts were preached to people far from God. The Word spreads, grows and multiplies in Acts. The fruit of its work is new disciples and new churches. Everywhere. That’s the core missionary task.
Pentecost is the real thing. Don’t be fooled by the alternatives.
