A Post-Pentecost Church

Acts 2:1-21
 
Any reading of the Pentecost story in Acts 2, would reveal a number of truths with which we are familiar: It was a global, spectacular, symbolic, innovative, and transformative event. 
 
We know well that the gift of the Spirit poured out at Pentecost offered the believers then as now some cardinal promises:
 

• Divine Presence – the comforter… 
• Divine Programme and Priorities – will remind you of my teachings and guide you according to my will… 

• Divine Power – and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and in the uttermost part of the earth…

 
Based on Acts 2, and given the era in which we live, there are three passions we ought to exercise as a church community:
 
1. A Passion for Evangelism – A church on fire to Go. Acts 2:41-47: Those who accepted his message were baptized and about three thousand were added to their number that day. And the Lord added to their number daily. 
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Are we on fire to go? To traverse the nooks and crannies of our spaces including where violence, abuse, and terror abound? Or is our primary focus on having people come to us.
 
Two things are critical when a church is on fire to Go:
 
Firstly, the church on fire must have God’s Vision – God invites us to see our contextual experiences through divine lenses. Where we see disillusionment, God sees possibilities; where we see despair, God sees hope; where we see destruction, God sees restoration and renewal; where we see the impossible, God sees the possible; where we see obstacles to ministry engagement, God sees stepping stones; where we see cantankerous, intolerant people, God sees potential saints; where we see failure, God sees possible new life. If we cannot see the possibility of adding to our numbers daily through the ministry of evangelism, then trust me the fire to Go is either non-existent or is diminished.
 
Secondly, a church on fire to Go, needs Active Engagement – The text makes it clear that God will not do for us as much as God will do with us! A church without the passion for evangelism, whether we like it or not, whether we accept it or not, slowly and ultimately dies!
 
2. Secondly, A Passion for Discipleship – A church on fire to Grow. Acts 2:42: And they devoted themselves to the Apostle’s teaching, to fellowship and the breaking of bread and to prayer. 

Is there a passion for discipleship expressed as a deeper desire for the understanding of Scriptures as “lamp and light,” a passion for prayer rather than mere lip service; a coming together in one accord in rich and rewarding fellowship and a gathering around the symbols of God’s gifts of grace, peace, and love at the Communion Table? These are indeed the elements of discipleship, learning about God, God’s Word, practicing the spiritual disciplines, and living out our calling to be in fellowship one with another.  
 
Is the story of our worshipping communities’ journey to this point, one which demonstrates a passion for discipleship? Are we are growing by numbers and equally growing in our discipleship?
 
3. A Passion for Ministry – A church on fire to Give. Acts 2:44: All the believers were together and had everything in common.  

They sold property and possession to ensure needs were met, shared space and time with integrity, and enjoyed the favour of the people.
 
The early church engaged in a passion for ministry, which was rooted in the principle of a needs-meeting community characterized by a willingness to give of one’s self and one’s possession for the greater good of all. A community where solidarity and agitation and advocacy with those broken and on the margins were key life-giving features.
 
Note well it was this connecting community feature, which allowed them to add to their number daily. They not only talked the talk; they walked the walk! There was integrity in what they said and did in acts of ministry. Clearly absent were elements of paternalism, engagement from a distance;, it was not pity characterized by levels of hierarchy; it was, everything in common.
 
When a church is on fire to give, then when I groan there are enough of us to groan with me, when I moan, when I struggle, when I am voiceless, powerless… we do this when we share out time, our talent and our treasure…
 
A Post-Pentecost Church shares a common vision and mission, expressed and exercised in a common ministry – a passion for evangelism, a passion for discipleship, and a passion for ministry.
 
—Norbert D. Stephens
General Secretary
The United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands