Pentecost: An amazing event for rather ordinary, fearful believers

In Acts 2:1–47 we read about the most amazing event that happened to a rather ordinary, fearful group of Jewish believers. The chapter begins with a chaotic street scene in Jerusalem: streets filled with devout Jews assembled in the Holy City to celebrate the Feast of Weeks; and it ends with a description of the foundational character of a brand new entity, the church. It is the story of Pentecost – the coming of the Holy Spirit, who causes this church to be born.

The dramatic, flow-of-consciousness style used by Luke paints a brief but graphic description of the actual happenings in the house where the disciples had gathered. Rapidly the author takes the reader on to the milling streets where the pilgrims wonder what has just taken place. They are “amazed and perplexed” by the use of diverse languages, including that of their own country of origin.

Luke’s pattern of having an apostle interpret a specific event through a sermon or public discourse is a favourite of classical historians. Indeed, Acts has some 28 speeches/sermons, mostly by Peter and Paul. First promise and then fulfillment are seen in these sermons. The story of Jesus is concretely linked with the Old Testament.

Central to this chapter is the coming of the Holy Spirit. In this case He comes on a group of Jewish Jesus-followers, and all are filled. The tendency today is to focus on the phenomena accompanying the event (tongues like fire; other languages, etc.). Yet the arrival of the Spirit to change and empower the disciples is the real central theme to be grasped here. This is a redemptive event; the Holy Spirit changes lives and makes them fruitful.

Never before

Verse 42, which concludes the Pentecost story, provides a kind of four-point summary statement of the quality of new life given to this newly-formed community of believers. Never before had there been such a group, soon to be called the church (the gathered-together-ones). These spiritual resources were the result of the Spirit’s presence in the body; and they in turn yielded the end result of daily additional growth.

This first N.T. church evidenced:

• vital teaching experiences

  This means instruction provided by the apostles, no doubt signifying sound teaching in the doctrines of the faith, embracing those principles of kingdom living emphasized by Christ.

• vital relational experiences

  The word koinonia refers to their participation in sharing the essence of new life in Christ with one another, thus encouraging each other in the faith, and promoting a sense of acceptance.

• vital worship experiences

  Taken together with the concept of koinonia, the breaking of bread could easily refer to their frequent common agape meals (somewhat similar to contemporary potluck or fellowship suppers), but more than likely refers to their participation in the Lord’s Supper. Probably the best understanding of this spiritual resource of breaking bread is a combination of the two – a common agape meal (as noted in 1 Corinthians 11:20–34) followed by the worshipful celebration of the centrepiece of the Christian faith, the Eucharist.

• vital devotional experiences

  Prayer was a way of life for this first church. The importance of waiting on God had already been indelibly imprinted on them, and modelled for them by Jesus Himself. Corporate, shared prayer would soon become absolutely essential for them as they encountered persecution and suffering in a hostile state. Perhaps prayer, more than anything else, defined the church at and after Pentecost.

Because of His presence

These spiritual resources so vital to the nature of the early church in Jerusalem produced certain consequences – manifestations of new life in/of the Holy Spirit. Briefly noted, these expressions of the Spirit’s presence were:

• an attitude of awe and reverence (2:43).

  The Greek imperfect tense is used in the verb denoting that everyone “kept on feeling” a sense of fear, realizing that God was in their midst.

• a manifestation of divine power (2:43).

  Many signs and wonders were accomplished, affirming the reality that a truly spiritual church manifests God’s power.

• a display of generosity and a spirit of liberality (2:44–45).

  Spirituality expresses itself not just in pious words, but in the sharing of goods and possessions. All things were held in koina (common); that is, they were ready to pool their resources to be shared for the good of some as needed. (Some intentional Christian groups have sought to implement this “common purse” model of living as an institutional form – and distinctive – of their life together. Still others have sought to recognize this as a valid principle without absolutizing it, or making it into a utopian paradigm.

• a unity of mind and purpose (2:46).

  Their life together happened “in the temple” – perhaps evidence of their resolve to share their new-found faith with crowds of other Jewish worshippers. It appears from 2:46 that the temple was the place for public witness, while their homes were the place for a more intimate “eating fellowship.”

• an expression of sincere joy (2:46).

  The Holy Spirit produced His fruit of joy in the lives of these saints of His. This quality of gladness was a deep settled conviction that they were a forgiven people, and that what they had received (God’s grace and mercy) should be joyfully shared with others. Their joy did not (and must not) remain subterranean; it bubbled into praise of God and resulted in the favour of the non-believing Jewish community. New converts were added to the group on a daily basis.

In all these ways the young Christian community expressed the Holy Spirit’s powerful presence. Luke paints a beautiful picture of what some have called an ideal church. Yet his later accounts of this church (and others) in Acts will reveal that even this church did not remain an ideal. Nevertheless, this model of the early church in Jerusalem stands for the church of today as an example of what can and should happen in terms of essential spiritual resources, characteristics, and results.

Edmund Janzen is Professor Emeritus of Biblical and Religious Studies at Fresno (Calif.) Pacific University. This study is excerpted from Turning the World Upside Down: Studies in the Acts of the Apostles in the Luminaire Studies, recently released by Kindred Productions. Used with permission.