Happy Birthday to the Church!
Do you know how old the church is? Well, Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd turned 51 years old last month. But how old is the Christian “church”: the whole church, from the beginning of time? Many people say that the Christian church was “born” at the first Pentecost.
So, when was that? “Pentecost” comes from the Greek word for “fifty”, because the first Pentecost was exactly fifty days after Jesus rose from the dead at Easter, and 10 days after His ascension. That would make the church 2007 years old: the year is now 2007 A.D. (after [Jesus’] death).
But, how does that make Pentecost the church’s birthday? Well, Jesus’ mother, and His disciples, and His friends were gathered in Jerusalem, in the house where the Last Supper took place, about 120 people in total. They were in the city to celebrate the Jewish harvest festival, Shavuot. But they didn’t feel like celebrating. They were still confused about what to do next, now that Jesus was back in heaven. They were gathered together to pray and talk.
When they were praying, a strong wind rushed through and filled the house, and tongues of fire descended and rested on their heads! This was the Holy Spirit coming down from heaven to empower the followers of Jesus. Suddenly, they all went out into the streets, in the middle of the festival, and began to preach the gospel of Jesus, with boldness and vigour. Not only that, they talked in languages that they didn’t even know! And people who had come from all corners of the Roman Empire could hear the Word of God in their own language for the first time!
This was very exciting and amazing. In fact, on that day, 3,000 people were added to the numbers of Christians and baptized that day. That is why Pentecost is known as the birth of the Christian church, and the beginning of its mission to the world. Read Acts chapter 2.
What did the Holy Spirit do?
Pentecost was not the first time Jesus’ disciples preached the gospel. So, what was different about this day? What was so compelling about their words that made people, Roman citizens, listen to them? Not only listen, but to choose to be baptized into the faith that they once tried to destroy?
The difference was the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit descended on them, they got, for the first time, the full message, the empowered mission. They weren’t just a group of friends following Jesus; they had become an entity joined together in spirit: a church.
What exactly is the Holy Spirit? What does He do?
Well, according to the Nicene Creed, He is the “Lord and Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father. Who, with the Father and Son together, is worshipped and glorified. Who spoke by the prophets.”
The Holy Spirit and Jesus are inseparable, working together in a joint mission to bring sinners into communion with the Father. Jesus was “conceived by the Holy Spirit”, born of the Virgin Mary. At Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Spirit descended on Him like a dove, and that began Jesus’ public ministry – the teachings, the healings, the suffering and death, rising, and ascending. Read Luke 3:21-23.
On Pentecost, Jesus’ followers received the gift of the Spirit, which united them together with Jesus in the mission of the Spirit. That is why they went out declaring the love of Jesus and baptizing in the name of the Triune God (Father, Son, & Holy Spirit). In that way, every baptism, even yours, is a “little Pentecost”, where God sends His Holy Spirit to live in us.
But baptism is not our work. It is not something we do to show Jesus that we are committed to Him, or as a condition of yielding to the Spirit. Baptism is God’s work: His sure promise and gift of grace to us where the old, sinful us is drowned in the water, and the new, forgiven person is raised to a new, Christ-like, Spirit-filled life.
Our lives in the Spirit:
So, what does a Spirit-filled life look like? It is a life shaped after Christ’s life, because the same Spirit that He bears also lives in us. Jesus was filled with the Spirit, but He was still not immune from the devil’s attacks. Satan tempted Him in every way that he tempts us. But, just like Jesus, we are equipped to fight against the devil and defeat him, with the help of God, and the “Spirit’s sword”: the Word of God.
Jesus was also not immune from suffering. And our Spirit-filled lives are not immune also. We will still have struggles, hard times, and pain. The difference is, we have the Holy Spirit in us and with us, and we are not alone. We have the “peace that surpasses all understanding”. We know our suffering is temporary. God’s plan for us is not that we should perish in this world, but should instead live with Him forever in paradise. Read John 3:16.
For more information, you can read the article from the Lutheran Witness, entitled “What is the Holy Spirit? What does He do?”
Don’t Forget:
The closing picnic is this Sunday, July 15th, starting with the service at 9:30am; picnic to follow. And, don’t forget also, a special blog post on Sunday with a special “thank you” gift to all participants in this year’s VBS.
Also, it’s not too late to order your VBS “Follow the Lamb” 2007 t-shirts. Visit the LCGS VBS website for more information.
Click HERE to view Volume 5 of the "Follow the Lamb News"; the final volume of our VBS newsletter!
Words of the Day:
Pentecost: Derived from the Greek word for “fifty”, Pentecost occurred exactly 50 days after Jesus rose from the dead on Easter Sunday. Pentecost is seen as the birthday of the Christian church.
Holy Spirit: The Lord and Giver of Life. With the Father and the Son together, the Holy Spirit forms the third part of the Triune God. The Holy Spirit enters the hearts and lives of the catechumen at their baptism.
NOTE:
If you don't have access to a Bible, but would like to read the passages I have been listing, you can read the Bible online, in many Bible versions, at http://www.biblegateway.com/.
