
Happy Birthday to the
Church
May 23
is the Day of
Pentecost. To Christians, this day
it is forever associated with our Lord’s promise to “send another
comforter”---the promised Holy Spirit---after he returned to the Father
following his death, burial and triumphal resurrection.
(Read John 14-16 and Acts 2).
It was on the Day of
Pentecost after Jesus' resurrection that the Apostle Peter preached to a large
crowd gathered in Jerusalem for the holiday. He
proclaimed that the risen Christ had poured out the Spirit promised long ago
through the Prophet Joel, that forgiveness was now available to all who will
respond to the gospel, even all who are “far off” (i.e. from Jerusalem, from
God, from the old covenant). The
Spirit’s outpouring on that Pentecost Sunday signaled the beginning of a New
Covenant, the success of God’s great work of redemption in Christ and the
beginning of the new community of faith, the church.
In this new fellowship, racial and ethnic distinctions and legalistic or
ritual claims of virtue that had meant so much for so long are set aside.
The invitation Peter extended to come to Christ for salvation is
the invitation to be part of a “chosen race (of all races), a holy nation (out
of every nation), a people for God’s own possession” (1 Peter 2:9) based on the
merits of Christ and the perfection of His work.
Jesus had promised that
out of the hearts of those who would receive the promised Spirit would flow
“rivers of living water” to quench the soul’s deepest thirst.
Surely this blessing includes the specific things Jesus said the Spirit
would do including that through the Spirit, the Father and the Son would “make
their dwelling within us” (John 14:23).
We proclaim the same
message Peter announced all those days of Pentecost ago: God raised Jesus from
the dead and invites all of us to turn to Him in faith, trusting that because
Jesus lives (by his sinlessness, he alone could overcome sin and death) we can
live also….forgiven and hopeful.
We extend the same
invitation Peter made so long ago to those who believed this word: “Repent and
let each of you be baptized for the forgiveness of sins and you will receive the
gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38).
This promise is for you
too! Let us know if you’d like to
know more about it and how to accept it.
Question? You can use the envelope icon on our home
page to send us an email.
Come Worship with us next Sunday!