Pentecost Year B 2024

Title

The Birth of Mission

Outline

Pentecost is the missional empowerment of the church

While many call it the birth of the Church, they fail to realize that the Church was already functioning. Peter was taking leadership and replacing the missing apostle in the Twelve. They were worshipping in the daily prayers of the Temple. They were meeting together in one house and very likely celebrating Eucharist daily. They seem to have grown, given that 120 were present in the previous chapter, although all seem to be Aramaic speaking Jewish Christians. But they were also waiting for the signal to “go into all the world.”

God chooses Pentecost because on that day Jews and Proselytes from around the then-known world were gathered in Jerusalem for the feast most spoke Greek, although not as their first language and few spoke Aramaic. The Spirit comes in the form of “tongues” of fire and inspires “tongues” meaning languages. The Spirit directs their speaking and a crowd gathers and is amazed that these Galileans (from their dress) were speaking “the mighty acts of God” in their own native languages including Greek. Three thousand will be converted after Peter’s speech and most of these will go back to their own communities taking the good news and the Jesus way of life with them. Instant Mediterranean world evangelism. Shortly thereafter the Greek-speaking leaders will be forced out of Judea and will follow them, providing pastors and bishops.

Paul points out that these gifts of the Spirit are still functioning in his day

The same Holy Spirit gifts various persons with various gifts, not all of which are in the list. All of them are gifts needed for the mission of the church in the world. None are better than others.

But they need discernment. If someone feeling inspired says “Jesus be accursed” it may be inspiration but not by the Holy Spirit, no matter what language it is in. This is probably a differentiation between the Christ and Jesus, between the Word and the human being, which the Council of Nicea will address in a careful way.

In other words, one can function in what Thomas Aquinas terms the external gifts of the Spirit, needed for mission and yet not be filled with the internal gifts of the Spirit, those necessary for holiness, those that produce the fruit of the spirit, as in Gal ch 5:16-25, our alternative reading. Caiaphas is an example, for he prophesied in plotting the murder of Jesus.

For Christian life and holiness one needs the internal gifts

Here we come to John ch 20. We are back to Easter. The disciples are together, but fearful of the Jews, and likely discussing the disturbing news of the empty tomb. Suddenly Jesus is there and his first words are “Peace,” “Shalom,” which is the opposite of their fear but also the fruit of the Spirit in Gal ch 5. Then he shows them the evidence that he is indeed the One who was crucified. But after that he again says, “Peace,” commissions them to go as his sent ones (but does not tell them when), and then gives them the internal requisite to represent him, “Receive the holy Spirit.” Without the Spirit of Isa ch 11, which had come upon Jesus at the beginning of his ministry, they will not have the wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge or fear of the Lord to properly use the authority Jesus gives, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” Here is the basis of Christian virtue so that mission will be truly Christian and communities will be formed to be like Jesus.

Now we take a deep breath and draw some conclusions

First, we see that the Pentecostal gifts are secondary, missional, not necessary for being a holy follower of Jesus but very necessary for going into all the world as a witness. Focus on the internal gifts, the Isa ch 11 gifts, the Gal ch 5 gifts that lead to fruit. Otherwise your mission will go wonky. That has shown up in spades lately in Protestant charismatic churches.

Second, the Pentecostal gifts are not all given to every Christian nor are is any of them always constant in any given Christian. They are tools given in and for mission and you never possess them. Pentecost thrusts the Church into mission, but its gift of foreign languages was particularly needed for that multilingual Pentecost situation. It will show up in the Patristic writings for times the Church needs to cross linguistic barriers, such as in Sts Cyril and Methodius. (And it was a gift of languages, even the early Pentecostals knew that; it was only later that the phenomenon of “prophesying” seen in the “sons of the prophets” will be labeled “tongues” and be expected to be universal.)

Third, we need the 1 Cor ch 12 gifts of the Spirit for mission. Evangelical Protestantism in the late 1800’s developed “means” or “formulas” for converting or “saving” people. While there was prayer for God to lead and bless, it was not Spirit impelled and could even be abusive. The result has been huge percentages who have “prayed the prayer” but show little or none of the internal gifts of the Spirit or its fruit, which in turn has led to the “great dechurching” and scandal in the post-Christian world. Again, the internal is the foundation for the external.

So, [Brothers and] Sisters, seek the Spirit. Pray for the Spirit. Spend time before the Spirit-giver. Beg God to give you growth in virtue. Do this informed by proper examination. But that foundation being laid, pray for the Spirit to come and thrust you into mission, giving you as you go the gifts you need for each context, for the Church is designed for mission.