Just A Thought

Who are those Pentecostals? A better question to start with might be: What is “The Day of Pentecost?” Pentecost is a national Jewish feast day that was established under the Mosaic law. “Pentecost means fiftieth and the feast was named accordingly since it took place fifty days after the Feast of the Passover. The feast was instituted to celebrate the end of the grain harvest; it was a kind of thanksgiving feast.

The Day of Pentecost became significant to Christians because it was the day God chose to pour out His Spirit on His followers. In other words, The Day of Pentecost became the birthday of the church. (See Acts chapters 1 & 2) When Jesus ascended into heaven, He instructed His followers to go to Jerusalem and wait for power. They did as He commanded and were not disappointed. After ten days of prayer and waiting, some astonishing demonstrations of God’s power took place. The Bible tells us there was “a sound as of a rushing might wind”, that there appeared “cloven tongues like as unto fire,” and that “they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:1-4) The church service that ensued was spontaneous, noisy and joyful. The whole town noticed. Some people thought they were drunk. Peter preached a powerful sermon, explaining that this outpouring of the Holy Spirit had been predicted by the prophet Joel. Thousands of people became believers on that day.

Modern day Pentecostals are quick to identify the Day of Pentecost as their roots. More recently, however, the movement was fanned into flame in the early 1900s. People like Charles Parham and his Bible school students began studying the Bible to determine what was the primary evidence of the infilling of the Holy Spirit in the first century Church. These pioneers read the accounts in Acts 2, 8, 10 and 19 which recorded the conversion experience of early believers. They noticed that the Bible almost always clearly stated that these people spoke in “other tongues” when they were baptized with the Holy Spirit.

Inspired by these re-discovered conversion accounts, people from many faiths began seeking to know God in the same measure as Jesus’ disciples, Jesus’ mother, and other first century Christians knew Him. Soon many people began to experience this “infilling.” Powerful meetings broke out in places like Houston, TX, Los Angeles, CA, and Topeka Kansas. A meeting on Asuza Street in Los Angeles became particularly influential in spreading this new “fire”. The Pentecostal/Charismatic movement has since jumped denominational lines and affected all of Christianity.

“Many call Pentecostalism Christianity's most notable development of the last 100 years, and its phenomenal growth could make it the biggest church story of the next century as well… Scholars estimate that there are 10 million Pentecostals in the United States and 400 million to 600 million worldwide, or about one-quarter of the world's Christian population. The movement is far larger outside the United States, in Latin America, Africa and Asia, where Christianity is experiencing its greatest growth.” (www.religionlink.org/tip_060130.php)

Pentecostal churches tend to focus on vibrant singing and worship, anointed preaching, and a whole-hearted response to the “moving” of the Holy Spirit. Their services are often marked by divine healing, sincere commitment, and times of prayer in which people continue to experience the infilling of the Holy Spirit, initially evidenced by speaking in a language they do not know. This dynamic interaction with the Almighty God makes church a powerful and interactive experience. Perhaps that is why it is the fastest growing movement in the Christian community.

Who are those Pentecostals? They are people who want the twenty-first century church to be just as powerful and responsive as the first century church. May 27, 2007 is Pentecost Sunday. You might consider furthering your religious education by visiting a Pentecostal Church on Pentecost Sunday.

Not to worry… this is not an alarm that the sky is falling, nor is it a warning that the ozone is deteriorating. The hole I refer to is a much more significant and encouraging hole than any hole in the atmosphere could ever be; it is a hole made by the Creator Himself.

Each Easter believers celebrate the fact that Jesus overcame sin, death and the grave when he punched a hole in the ground. First century eyewitnesses told of an earthquake and an angel who moved the stone that covered the tomb where Jesus had been buried. The tomb was revealed to be empty, ergo, there was now just a hole in the ground. That hole testifies that Jesus was who He said He was, and that He now has authority over death and hell.

Forty days after His resurrection Jesus punched another hole – this time it was a hole in the sky. In a dramatic demonstration of His authority over the laws of nature, the risen Savior physically rose through the clouds and into the heavens, with the promise to return in like manner. This is referred to as His ascension, and it stands as evidence that there is life after death. Jesus left the Mount of Olives and entered into an eternal dimension beyond our temporal world. (see Acts 1:9-11)

Jesus, as God in flesh, became our role model. He showed us how to live, die and enter eternal life. He was the first fruits of them that slept. (see I Corinthians 15:20) He then led the way to Heaven. He is The Way. The portal He made from earth to heaven is better than a gateway into time travel, space travel, or some other life-form here on earth. This hole that Jesus made insured that not even the sky is the limit for true believers. When He ascended (with the promise to return) He proved that heaven was more than a theory.

A few weeks before His crucifixion when Jesus predicted His death He also predicted His return to earth. He said, “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes. Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.” (Matthew 24:37-42 NLT)

Jesus did not foretell His return as a scare tactic for unbelievers. He meant it as a great source of hope and strength to those who believe in a whole new dimension that lies beyond our small world. No other religious leader has ever risen from the dead. No other religious leader has risen into the sky before the eyes of 500 witnesses. Jesus was, in fact, much more than a religious leader. He was the Creator, robed in flesh. He lived among us. Then He punched one hole in the ground and another in the sky! Now He bids us to follow.

That hole in the sky is supposed to give courage to His followers. St. Paul admonished first century Christians like this: “We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words.” (I Thessalonians 4:15-18 NLT)

May I en-courage you: There’s a hole in the sky! It is the portal through which believers will one day travel, as they follow Jesus to the place He has prepared for those who love Him. Can’t wait!