Communion With the Christ:: Pentecost: Brought Together in Jesus

Pentecost- or Sha·vu·oth- in Hebrew= Feast of First Fruits

Pentecost has been seen as an Inarguable event that starts a “season” called- “Whitsuntide”.

We can read of humanities' attempt to have a form of forced unity and the results of this human inspired effort in Gen:11:1-9. This leads us to understand that there is a difference between unity and conformity.

After the great flood humanity came together in pride and arrogance in a humanly devised attempt to “reach heaven” . This attempt ended in God confounding the languages of men so that their attempt failed.

The nations were brought together as one for their own purposes. All speaking the same language yet, after the intervention of the great God , now humanities speaks in each in their own language , and all in regard to their own agenda, and there has been strife and separation among the nation of the world from that day until our present time.

Acts: 2:1

Often we view the events surrounding Pentecost, as if Pentecost has a kind of separation from those events just 50 days prior, that is , the crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. But , when we view Pentecost in this way, we can develop the idea that the Church emerges after the other great occurrence in Jesus’ life and see the Church as being somehow distinct from the events in Jesus' life and death and resurrection.

That is, we see Pentecost as an in “event” which inaugurates the Church. But we can better understand it when we see Pentecost not as a delayed reaction to all those thing surrounding Jesus, but as an immediate result of those things, that is, all Pentecost did was demonstrate what was already true , that Jesus lives and is the Son of the living God. Pentecost simply shows us this truth.

Pentecost is, in truth , a summery of what has come before , especially the Death and Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus. Pentecost reflects that the Holy Spirit has, and is at work, not that he has just begins to work , albeit in a new way bringing humanity into a grand participation with the living Jesus affirming that the great God through the incarnation has united us to himself all through Jesus, the eternal Son of God the second person of the Holy Trinity.

Whereas humanity, in the post-flood world attempted to reach "unto heaven" resulting in a scattering of the peoples of the Earth . God has , through the incarnation and the manifestation of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost into the lives of people from all nation has brought unity to us in Jesus and the Spirit , showing that Heaven has reached down to us and brought us together in unity.

The Church then are those, regardless of from what nation they come, who have begun to participate with Jesus having entered into the forgiveness of sin which God has made freely available through his Holy Son Jesus, and now have surrendered to the lead of the Holy Spirit in their lives making them a type of symbolic "first fruit" along with Jesus.

"But each in turn: Christ, the first-fruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him." 1Cor:15:23a

"He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first-fruits of all he created"Jam:1:18

The Ancient Church Compelled

The Ancient Church saw Pentecost as more of a day to recapitulate what is already true , that salvation has come and is available for humanities participation.

Through Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in our lives, what the day of Pentecost in Act :12 does , is to demonstrates what those who have come to believe are to do ; we are to tell the world around us about the living Jesus.

In St. Luke's account , in Acts:2, the 120 Disciples could not be contained to the upper room where they had been assembling, the Holy Spirit compelled them to enter the streets of Jerusalem and proclaim Christ and his Kingdom.

St. Paul tells us , in his Epistle to Geek Christians at the city of Corinth that the proclamation by the Church of the Gospel message was motivated by the love of God shown toward all humanity thru Jesus and his saving work.

"For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died." 2Cor:5:14

The day of Pentecost does not mark the beginning of the Holy Spirit’s work in the History of salvation, but demonstrates that the Holy Spirits has, and is, and will be at work in the world now through the Church that is all Christians.

The Church

Pentecost is the day that we note the Church as a body empowered by the Holy Spirit and moves through the world and presents the risen Savior to humanity. This same group of people who hid in fear just a few short weeks prior, now empowered and embolden go forth and tell the world about Jesus, thru their words and actions.

Pentecost, Not Bable

Pentecost demonstrates that the curse of Bable , in Christ , has been Broken.

At Pentecost God brought many people from many nations all , manifesting different languages , but speaking in “one” voice about Jesus not reaching up to heaven but heaven reaching down to men.

A Hymn of the Post Apostolic Church

“Filled with the Spirit’s power, with one accord

The infant church confessed its risen Lord.

O Holy Spirit, in the church today

No less your power of fellowship display”

For Us

The very same Holy Spirit who empowered the Church and manifested the Resurrected Jesus 2000 years ago and throughout the ages is the same Spirit and same Jesus , which is manifested in the live of the church even at this hour, who is here in our midst and who indwells us through out the ages. Pentecost reminds us of this truth now and forevermore. that in Jesus we are brought together as one.

Benediction: May we each and all ever rejoice this Pentecost that we are brought together in Jesus, today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen,