A Second Pentecost

The birth of the church, the new covenant community of the King, was celebrated on June 4 this year, Pentecost Sunday, Whitsunday. I love the story of Acts chapter 2, with the Day of Pentecost experienced and described in a manner similar to the covenant-making experience of Moses and Israel on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19 & 20). The experience of those 120 disciples in the upper room had the same kind of covenant-making significance, establishing a new chapter in the story of the King coming, and with him, a new expression and dimension of the Domain of the King. All of the essential elements and dynamics of the church were established in that early Acts Two experience. "And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved" (2:47) End of the story. 

Until Acts chapter 4. "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit" (4:31). I've always wondered what happened between chapter 2 and chapter 4. Did the Holy Spirit leak out?! Was the experience in chapter two not enough? Why a second Pentecost?

This story actually started the day before in chapter 3, with Peter and John going into the temple at the hour of prayer. On the way in the Holy Spirit focused their attention on a beggar lame from birth. I'm sure they must have passed this man every day, but not this day. Instead of giving alms, Peter and John declared, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." And he did!

But it wasn't just the healing of this man that was at stake. As is true with so many miracles, this one set the stage for a Gospel encounter. With new legs, this man was seen and heard "walking and jumping and praising God." And it drew a crowd, just as the Holy Spirit had intended. 

You know the story. Peter preached one of his most powerful sermons to the gathered crowd. "By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see" (3:16). And the result? "Many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand" (4:4). 

Peter and John were in trouble with the authorities. They threw the preachers in jail to await trial on the next day. In fulfillment of the promise made by Jesus, the Holy Spirit empowered Peter to give a moving defense to the Sanhedrin, testifying that the same Jesus Christ they had convinced the Romans to crucify had been raised from the dead, and that the authority in the name of the Risen Christ was responsible for the healing of the lame man. "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved" (4:12). 

The authorities commanded Peter and John to cease their preaching, threatened them, and let them go. However, the men were clear about their commitment to continue teaching and preaching the good news of Jesus. "We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard" (4:20). They had personally experienced the life and ministry of Jesus and were eyewitnesses to his resurrection. They had been visited by heaven on the Day of Pentecost and given a mission and a mandate they could not and would not ignore. 

It seems to me that all of this was clear evidence of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit at work in the lives of the disciples. So why do we see them evidently experiencing a second Pentecost later in this story? 

This is the first time these disciples had experienced a miracle of healing resulting in a great revival. And it was the first time they had been officially and publicly opposed by the leaders of Jerusalem and Judaism. While they were determined to continue announcing the message, it was now clear that doing so would exact a price. They simply needed something fresh, something more from heaven.

I like how Watchman Nee and Billy Graham have described being "filled with the Spirit." Being filled with the Spirit is not so much a matter of you having more of the Spirit as it is the Holy Spirit having more of you. The fullness of the Spirit is not an event but rather a necessary lifestyle. Every time we experience an obvious need for a new level of the Holy Spirit's presence, power and truth coming to us and through us, we can become open to a new level of yieldedness and responsiveness to God's Spirit. We become candidates for a new release of God's Spirit in a new dimension in our lives.

It's clear that Peter and John realized their need for a fresh, new dimension of the fullness of the Spirit in their lives. It's no wonder that their first response after rejoining their faith community was to call a prayer meeting. "When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God" (4:24). They realized what every "revivalist" has stated since then, that no revival has ever come apart from prayer - concerted, persistent, passionate, corporate prayer. 

In their prayer they acknowledge the sovereign authority and power of God. They remembered that an ancient Psalm (2) had spoken of "the rulers banding together against the Lord." But even these plots were under the larger plan and purpose of God. Now, their obedience to the mission was being officially opposed by the authorities in Jerusalem. They were not going to be afraid or intimidated. They were committed. But they also understood their absolute dependence on the power of God's Spirit, the very authority of heaven, empowering them and superintending their witness. 

And so, they asked God for two things: (1) "Enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness" (4:29). They asked for even greater boldness, even greater freedom of speech, to declare the good news of the King and his Kingdom. (2) "Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus" (4:30). Their public witness would require a demonstration of God's power to show that they weren't just preaching "another gospel" but were joining with heaven in extending the mission of God throughout the earth.

As a result, "After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit" (4:31). A second Pentecost.

And the result? (1) They spoke the word of God boldly, and (2) with great power [they] continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Part of the miraculous working of God in the community was the selfless way they loved and cared for one another. "And God's grace was powerfully at work in them all" (4:33).

So, my question is simply this. Do we feel the need for something more? Are we committed to the mission no matter what the cost? Are we facing an assignment that requires God's supernatural involvement? And if so, what is our response? And how do we think God might answer our prayer? I suggest that the time has come again for us to simply pray, "We need you! More, Lord!" And then be ready to receive whatever God might have in store for us.