After Pentecost, Then What?

Last Sunday we celebrated Pentecost Sunday, regarded by Christians as the birthday of the Christian Church. A study of the book of Acts reveals the church went to work; using their Pentecostal gifts and began building the Lord’s church. They didn’t start by planning a church building but they started by going into the work places, the market places and the streets and telling people about the resurrected Christ.

Everywhere they went, they spread the word of God and the teachings of Christ; meeting people where they were and ministering to them the gospel of Christ. Just as Christ had done, if there was sickness or infirmities, they healed them; while telling them that it was by the name of Jesus that these miracles of healing and faith were accomplished. People, by the thousands, began to believe on the name of Jesus. Lives were dramatically changed and people were added to the church daily as they were saved.

The young church had only one mission and that was to carry the life changing gospel to the people. It worked wonderfully well as thousands were miraculously saved and their lives transformed from the servitude to sin to the saving and cleansing from sin by faith in Jesus Christ. They became powerful witnesses for Christ themselves. They became extensions of Christ himself as they carried on his ministry. Instead of Christ alone ministering to those close by, they became a great army of countless thousands; carrying Christ to the whole world.

What has happened to the church in the last two thousand years? Granted, there are still faithful Christians who are carrying on the work of spreading the gospel. However, they have been upstaged by the church, in general, that has turned worldly, materialistic and apostate. The worldly church has lost its vision and commission and seemingly has become more interested in growth in numbers rather than growth in the things of the Spirit.

The true church has remained true to the great commission and has held on to her Pentecostal roots and is still at work today just as if yesterday were Pentecost. She still believes in her high calling of God to, “Come out from among them and be ye separate saith the Lord and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you.” (2Corinthians 6:17) She has kept herself separate from the things and ways of the world but she knows the world is her field of harvest in which she must work.

The true church is not a denomination. It is not even a building. It is a people who have been transformed by Jesus Christ and have had their Pentecostal outpouring and are faithfully and tirelessly working to fulfill the great commission of, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16: 15)

“Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:37–38, KJV)

I feel a renewed sense of burden to spread the word of God.