Every year seven weeks after we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ at Easter, we come upon Pentecost. While not as many people celebrate Pentecost today, there is good reason for us to focus on what happened that day. The events leading up to and including Pentecost profoundly impacted the new believers at that time and changed the world. As we look closer at that day, maybe the church needs another outpouring like the one at Pentecost.
Should we still celebrate Pentecost?
There is an old saying, success leaves clues. It means at a certain level of success; a person can point directly to the steps taken to achieve it. Pentecost leaves clues. What happened that day should be a reminder of the steps to bring success to the church in the 21st century. To be sure we are all on the same page, I am judging success in the church by preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and making disciples. If these two things do not result from everything we do, then the church cannot succeed. Being able to recognize and practice the clues of Pentecost is among the reasons we should still celebrate it today. Let’s identify some of those clues.
The Power of Prayer
“They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.” - Acts 1:14
Before the church was formed or the first gospel message was preached, 120 men and women were in an upper room in Jerusalem. They joined together, constantly praying, marking the foundation the new church would be built upon. The church wasn’t started because the believers thought it would be a good idea. The church began with a prayer meeting. One hundred twenty believers praying and seeking God together set the foundation for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, giving life to these new believers.
This clue for success points to the need for the church to come together in prayer. It is amazing how we gather to worship and hear good preaching or teaching, but the body of Christ does not come together collectively to pray. We have prayer breakfasts and conferences where we talk about prayer, but one element these events lack is time spent collectively in prayer. The early believers’ commitment to prayer propelled the church forward. Imagine if we would take this clue and run with it now. I believe collective prayer would move the church forward in this hour. Could it be that everything the church needs could be obtained if we committed to praying? The early believers prayed together at Pentecost, changing the world around them.
The Power of Unity
Another clue and a good reason why we should celebrate Pentecost is the unity of the believers. Let’s remember Jesus had risen and ascended into heaven. They were living in a time where they had to be unified because who else was in their corner? Rome clearly wasn’t cheering them on, nor were the Pharisees or the teachers of the law. The early believers stuck together because they needed each other. This is a great lesson to learn from Pentecost. We need each other. It should not matter what denomination, race, social status, or economics believers defer to. If we belong to Jesus, then we belong to each other. That may seem a little too simplistic for some, but it worked well for the early believers. Their unity made them stronger, and after the Holy Spirit was poured out, they were able to accomplish far more together than they ever could separately.
The Power of the Holy Spirit
“When the believers prayed together in one accord the power of the Holy Spirit fell on them and the church was born. 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.” - Acts 2:1-4
Perhaps the greatest reason we should celebrate Pentecost is the movement of the Holy Spirit that day. Every believer praying and united in the upper room was filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit radically changed every person who was in the room. They were filled with power, boldness, and courage to leave that room and be witnesses for Jesus in the world around them.
Reoccurrence of Pentecost
As I consider the condition of the church today, I believe we need another Pentecost. I am not saying we need tongues of fire (if that happens, then fine), but we need a fresh move of the Holy Spirit that brings with it radical transformation. However, for this to happen, we need to embrace the same things the early church embraced. We need to be praying in one accord. Should the church ever get to a place where we seek God earnestly with no agenda but the power and glory of God, we will see the Holy Spirit fall as he did at Pentecost. Before Jesus left, he gave the disciples this promise.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” - Acts 1:8
Jesus promised power from the Holy Spirit so we could be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. Somehow, we have missed this and have churches committed to worship, preaching, or teaching. Yet, wonderful and necessary as those things are, people filled with the Holy Spirit praying collectively brings power.
For too long, we have sought transformation through political or social means, and as results illustrate, it hasn’t worked very well. For as much as people have sought political power and put the right candidates in office, it has not transformed the hearts of men. As well-intentioned as social programs are, they have not changed the hearts of men either. That’s because they were never designed to do that. What will bring about real transformation in the hearts of men and, by default, our culture is when God’s people, full of the Holy Spirit, become true witnesses for Jesus Christ. Our number one desire should be to point people to Jesus, the only one who can save them. We will see transformed lives when we connect people to Christ and the Holy Spirit dwells in their hearts. This is the power of what happened at Pentecost.
We should celebrate Pentecost today because the Holy Spirit remains alive and active on earth. He is waiting to empower men and women who will commit their hearts fully to him. The same God who fell at Pentecost and changed those men and women wants to do the same thing today. I pray we will come together, seek him, and allow him to do what he wants. I invite you to join me in seeking God and watch what he will do.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Esa Hiltula
