Pentecost Sunday is quickly approaching. As a committed continuationist, it should come as no surprise that Pentecost is of interest to me in the present tense. Lots could be said (and have been said) with regards to its significance and relevance both then and now. The fireworks of the coming of the Holy Spirit, the manifestations, the prayer, the preaching, and the results are all noteworthy and a high water mark for the early church. For me, Pentecost should be added to the list of significant moments in Christian history and theology like the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. Pentecost was the activation and empowerment of all that Jesus provided and promised. In one sense it was a culmination of the passion narrative; in another way it was just the beginning.
As I think about the many discussions I have had regarding Pentecost, I was struck today by the fact that there was one simple principle at work in that upper room which is blatantly obvious but either minimized or overlooked.
They were gathered together…
In one accord…
In ONE place…(Acts 2:1)
THEN…it happened.
Hypotheticals and speculations make for terrible theological discussions. Could Pentecost have occurred without everyone being in the same place? Perhaps, if the fall back answer to all hypothetical questions is simply, “God can do anything”, then sure, Pentecost could have happened in hundreds of different homes spread out all over the city of Jerusalem. But that’s not how it happened. It took place when they were “gathered” in the same place in unity of purpose.
I guess I’ll just say it…
I want to suggest that Pentecost and the gathering together in ONE place was essential.
There is something being communicated to us at this point that I believe often times gets overlooked. There are some things that God has for us that can only be released when we gather together. That doesn’t diminish the possibilities of the Spirit’s work in isolated or individual circumstances. It simply reminds us that the gathering of what would eventually be identified as the Church is not a trivial thing. Can you be a Christian and not gather with those of like faith? Perhaps, but I am convinced that it is neither wise nor spiritually prudent. There is something about the gathering that is spiritually enlarging. To hear the prayers of the saints and the preaching / teaching of the Word contains a power which transcends human reasoning. The agreement which can be released as the Church is physically present is (in my opinion) exponentially more powerful than our isolated praying.
I am frustrated that as I write I feel like I must pit God’s work corporately with God’s work individually. In truth, it is a false dichotomy. There are plenty of stories of both dynamics within the Scriptures to adequately illustrate that God is not bound to those boxes. That said, when the Church gathering is diminished or pragmatically trivialized, then there needs to be voices which call us back to the whole counsel of God. While it is true that church attendance alone will not save you, it is equally true that isolation from the gathering is foolish, dangerous, and a fruit of disobedience. (But I digress)
This Pentecost Sunday has a prophetic consideration in my opinion. I think it’s time for the Church to gather. Somehow, someway, taking into account your situation and location during this pandemic, there needs to be an emphasis on gathering. I talk to scores of pastors regularly, so I “get” the dynamics, logistics, and even optics, of reopening the church doors. I hear the tentativeness in their voices. They really want to make a good decision for their church and they certainly don’t want to promote any harm. I have been careful not to be a voice of provocation in their decision making and respect their local authority. I will obviously maintain that spirit. However, those early believers in the upper room faced their own brand of adversity too. There were challenges and concerns. Yet, the call of the Lord to gather simply could not be ignored.
Perhaps Pentecost Sunday is saying something to us profoundly simple…
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