Why is it that so much of the Western church thinks that we can either be careless about our mission or make excuses as to why we are not doing anything?
In Acts chapter 2 One of the most powerful events occurs. Certainly the most significant events outside of Creation and the resurrections of Jesus Christ. This is the day of Pentecost. It was also the day when mission was empowered.
The disciples were told to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit and wait they did. Gathering quietly with fear and not a clue as to what was about to happen.
Now there is a common belief that the disciples were hidden away in their prayer. Possibly in a house somewhere or someplace where they could meet in secret. This is not the case.
Pentecost Festival of First Fruits
The word from which we get Pentecost is the Greek for 50. It came into being as the Greek for of the Jewish festival of weeks. A very holy festival is held seven weeks or 50 days after the festival of the first fruits.
This is important for 2 reasons:
- It gives us a timeline of events from Jesus Crucifixion in that Jesus died just before the beginning of passover. He is in the grave at the beginning of the feast of unleavened bread. A festival that runs for 7 days, starts the day after Passover. It is considered part of the passover festival (passover itself is a one day festival). He is raised from the dead on the festival of first fruits. The second day of the feast of unleavened bread. He then spends 40 days with the disciples and then ascends to heaven.
- Since 50 days are counted from the festival of first fruits that means that the disciples were alone for 10 days before the coming of the Holy Spirit.
It tells us where the disciples were at the time of the coming of the Holy Spirit. It was the first day of the festival of weeks. Pentecost, 50 days after the feast of first fruits and 50 days after the Resurrection. The disciples were huddled together in a corner of the temple. They were not in a secluded place or a member’s house. There were 120 of them and that’s the reason why people were suddenly everywhere wanting to know what was going on. They were out in public.
They Were Confused And Bewildered
Yes, they were confused and bewildered about what was to become of them but they were continuing their normal lives as best they could. Just as any grieving family would. And in amongst this suddenly there is the beginning of the most significant missionary movement ever.
I wanted to detail the above because I didn’t want to be accused of playing down the significance of the coming and baptism of the Holy Spirit. However, I am constantly confronted with extreme errors that I think are a major source of a troubled Western church.
A concentration on the gifts of the Holy Spirit to the point of failing to be prepared.
Jesus spent 3 years preparing his disciples and then a final 40 days of preparation as we have seen. Yet many in the Western church are happy to say “I’ll just go and be led by the Spirit”!
The result is in many cases, except by the grace of God, a disaster for the ministry, the person who went and the people who were supposed to receive the word. Yet Acts 2 is their point of reference when they are asked why.
A Total Dismissal Of The Power Of The Holy Spirit
I remember being told in my youth that the reason why there were people who could not be involved in ministry was that they had not had enough training. When I asked what they meant I was told that Jesus had given his disciples 3 years of training before He set them loose into ministry. When I replied that this was not true because Jesus had them doing much of the healing, etc before he was crucified, I was told that was different. That was before Jesus died. Jesus was with them then and He is not now. I was not a very popular person when I almost screamed out of frustration “But you taught me that Jesus is not dead”!
Neither of these is seen in the events of Pentecost. So why is it that so much of the Western church thinks that we can either be careless about mission or make excuses as to why we are not doing mission?
Beats me.
Richard
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