Pentecost: God's People, God's Church, God's Mission
A Church Built on Participants, Not Spectators
We celebrate Pentecost because it marks the birth of the New Testament church and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on believers. But why does the church matter so much? Because the church is God's chosen vehicle to fulfill His mission.
Ephesians 3:8-11 says, "Though I am the least deserving of all God's people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning. God's purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord."
The church was and is God's plan. The church is God's idea. He cares about the church because it is His mission in the world. So if we love God and want to value what He values, we should care about the church too and long to join Him in His mission.
Somewhere along the way, many people began to believe that ministry belongs only to pastors. But the early church was never built around spectators. It was built around Spirit-filled believers who understood they were part of God's mission. In the Gospels, Jesus invited others to come along. He called disciples, walked with them, and then empowered them to carry the gospel forward. That is the pattern, and it is still true today. The Holy Spirit empowers every believer to participate in God's mission.
The Foundation of the Church
When Jesus asked His disciples who they believed He was, Peter declared the truth that would become the foundation of everything.
Matthew 16:16-18 says, "Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.' Jesus replied, 'You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means rock), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.'"
Jesus is not saying the church is built on Peter himself, but on the truth Peter confessed, that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Peter would play a significant role in the birth of the early church, but the foundation of the church is Jesus Christ. The church is built on who Jesus is and what He has done.
Before His ascension, Jesus gave His followers a mission.
Matthew 28:18-20 says, "Jesus came and told his disciples, 'I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'"
The purpose of the church is to take the gospel to the world. But Jesus also told them not to rush ahead in their own strength.
Luke 24:49 says, "And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven."
Acts 1:8 says, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere, in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
This brings us to the day everything changed.
Acts 2:1-6 says, "On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers."
Peter then preached the gospel, and 3,000 people were saved and baptized. What followed was a community unlike anything the world had seen.
Acts 2:42-47 says, "All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity, all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved."
The Holy Spirit united them into a church. They met together, miracles happened among them, needs were met, and they longed to worship and live in community. Because of the Spirit's work, people kept responding and saying yes to Jesus. This leads us to the heart of Pentecost.
The Holy Spirit Empowers Every Believer to Participate in God's Mission
That single truth shapes everything that follows. The Spirit came to empower us, transform us, unite us, and send us.
The Holy Spirit Empowers Us
On the day of Pentecost, the Spirit filled the believers and they began speaking in other tongues as He enabled them. As Pentecostals, we believe that same experience is available today. Speaking in tongues is a Spirit-given prayer language that allows us to pray and worship God beyond our own words. It is not something we manufacture or learn. It is something the Holy Spirit enables. And it is not the goal. Jesus is the goal. We seek the Holy Spirit because we want to know God more deeply and be empowered to live for Him and share His love with others.
The Spirit did not just fill the believers at Pentecost. He moved them to proclaim the gospel boldly. We see this all through the book of Acts as Peter and the apostles share the gospel even under persecution, prison, and the threat of death.
Stanley Horton put it this way: "The baptism in the Holy Spirit is an enduement of power for life and service." The filling of the Holy Spirit is not meant to be only an experience. It gives us what we need to live on mission.
Acts 4:28-31 says, "But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will. And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.' After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness."
When facing persecution, the early church prayed together for boldness, and the Holy Spirit filled them. Think of Peter, who denied Jesus three times. With the help of the Holy Spirit, that same man stood up and boldly preached the gospel. The Spirit empowers us to do what we could never do on our own. He gives us boldness to witness, power to live holy lives, and spiritual gifts for ministry.
1 Corinthians 12:4-6 says, "There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us."
The Spirit gives gifts to help one another, such as wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, and discernment. We are each given unique gifts that contribute to the church, the body of Christ.
The Holy Spirit Transforms Us
Throughout Scripture, when people encounter the Holy Spirit, they do not stay the same. Peter became bold. Stephen showed courage in the face of death. Paul went from persecutor to missionary. Ordinary people were formed into a community that supported and encouraged one another.
Galatians 5:16, 22-23 says, "So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!"
The Holy Spirit produces real transformation. We begin to let go of our old sinful nature and take on more of God's character. One of the greatest evidences of the Spirit is not what happens at the altar but what happens after the altar. Someone once told me they noticed it first in their road rage, of all places, with more patience and self-control behind the wheel. It shows up as more kindness toward the coworker who drives you crazy, as choosing to do the right thing when no one would notice, as becoming a more patient parent.
2 Corinthians 3:17-18 says, "For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord, who is the Spirit, makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image."
The Holy Spirit brings freedom, and as we become more free, we become more like Jesus. When we allow Him to transform us, we begin to notice it in our everyday lives.
The Holy Spirit Unites Us
God's mission was never meant to be carried out alone. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, something unites us. The early church preferred one another over themselves. They used their resources to help each other, prayed together for boldness, sacrificed, and met together regularly. The church community was a priority because God's mission was their priority. If there was a need in the church, they found a way to meet it together. They worked to build a church that could reach those far from Jesus and welcome them into the community.
1 Corinthians 12:12-13 says, "The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit."
Donald Gee said, "The gifts of the Spirit are not badges of spirituality but tools for service." Background and status did not matter. Every believer had a purpose and a valuable part to play in the local church. We each have something to offer to help accomplish God's mission of reaching those who do not yet know Jesus.
Ephesians 4:2-4 says, "Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future."
We do not have to manufacture unity. It already exists in the Holy Spirit. When we are filled with Him and making the effort to stay in step with Him, unity follows. This is why community matters, and it is why one of our core values is to build community. When we submit ourselves to the Spirit, we find more grace for one another and a deeper desire to be united on the same mission.
The Holy Spirit Sends Us
The Spirit empowers us, transforms us, and unites us, and all of that leads somewhere. He does not fill us simply so we can have an experience. He fills us so we can be sent. The church is not merely a place we attend. It is a people God sends.
That is exactly what we see throughout Acts, Spirit-filled believers becoming Spirit-sent believers. Peter preached at Pentecost and 3,000 were saved. Philip was directed to share Jesus with an Ethiopian official, who believed and was baptized. Ananias was sent to pray for Saul, the persecutor who would become the Apostle Paul. Peter was sent to the home of Cornelius, where the gospel began reaching the Gentiles. Barnabas and Saul were sent out as missionaries to new cities and regions. Even when Paul and Silas were imprisoned, God used their situation to bring salvation to a jailer and his family. Again and again, the Holy Spirit does not just fill believers. He sends them.
Romans 10:14-15 says, "But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, 'How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!'"
Someone was sent to you. Someone invited you and told you about Jesus. I know that is true in my own life. God placed a few special people in my path, and that is how I came to know Him.
This Is God's Plan for the Church
Imagine a church where every believer is empowered, every believer is transformed, every believer is united, and every believer is sent. This is God's plan for the church, for Word of Life, and we want you to be part of it. The Holy Spirit empowers every believer to participate in God's mission.
Wherever you find yourself today, there is a next step. Maybe you do not yet know Jesus, and this is your starting point. If that is you, you can pray a prayer like this from your heart:
"Lord Jesus, I believe you died for me. I want to follow you. I invite you to be Lord of my life. Help me follow you every day. I want to leave my old life of sin behind. Heal my broken relationship with God. In Jesus name, Amen."
Maybe you have never been filled with the Holy Spirit, or you have drifted from the mission and need to recommit to joining God in His plan. Or maybe you simply need a fresh filling of the Spirit today. Whatever your next step, the same Spirit who moved at Pentecost is ready to empower, transform, unite, and send you.
