On Pentecost 1986, Pope John Paul II released an encyclical entitled On the Holy Spirit in the Life of the Church and the World, in which he exhorted Christians to follow the Spirit as they prepare to enter the third Christian millennium: “The Church's mind and heart turn to the Holy Spirit as this twentieth century draws to a close and the third Millennium since the coming of Jesus Christ into the world approaches, and as we look toward the great Jubilee with which the Church will celebrate the event.”[1] Now situated within the twenty-first century, the church once again turns towards Pentecost to commemorate the Spirit’s work within the church. Yet, this year we may be tempted to experience more anguish than joy—more hopelessness than hope. Given the hardships we face medically, economically, among others during this global pandemic, some may wonder if the Spirit has all but left.
Of course, we cannot escape the Spirit’s presence (Ps. 139.8). Still, some may wonder. This is especially true of those communities that have trended towards triumphalism. My own tradition, Pentecostalism, is but one example. Born on the margins of society, the Pentecostal movement was inspired by the first Pentecost, which depicted God not remaining distant and aloof, but reaching down through the power of the Spirit to transform human hearts amid life’s turmoil.[2] Through the Spirit’s ministry, Christ continues to bring good news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives, heal the blind, free the oppressed, and proclaim God’s favor (Luke 4.18-19). Harvey Cox has argued that this message of hope is one of the major reasons that Pentecostalism has become the fastest growing religious movement of our times.[3] At its best, Pentecostalism has provided a gospel of radical hope in the midst of life’s troubles. Yet, at its worst, this gospel of hope amid life’s difficulties has at times been misconstrued as a message of hope beyond life’s difficulties. While this may be more pronounced in my own tribe than others, I do not think this triumphalistic expectation is isolated to merely one tradition. As Western churches have grown accustomed to affluence and comfort, we together have struggled to respond to anguish and suffering. These considerations compel me to ask:
In this time of uncertainty and difficulty, how should we understand the Spirit’s coming at Pentecost? How should the church respond in such times?
The Direction of Pentecost
Perhaps this time ought to help us challenge any romanticizing of Pentecost. Just as the prophecies regarding the rejection of the Spirit-led Christ were fulfilled (Luke 2.34-35; 4.16-30), the reader arrives in Acts awaiting persecution of the disciples.[4] In fact, Jesus predicted that his disciples would suffer (Luke 12.1-12; 21. 12-15). In Stephen’s case, becoming a Spirit-empowered witness of Christ cost him his life (Acts 7.60). And while Luke’s second volume begins on a high note of promise and fulfillment, it concludes with Paul’s imprisonment in Rome. Although Paul is continuing to bear witness with boldness, he is still bound in chains (Acts 28.20). Thus, we might consider that life in the Spirit is not devoid of suffering, but rather, full of it.
According to Paul, ‘the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us’ (Rom. 8.18). But let us not misunderstand: this does not mean that our current sufferings are merely compensated by the future glory, but rather, it is through our sufferings that we are enabled to participate in the sufferings of Christ, which are revealed to us as God’s glory. As Paul says elsewhere, though the message of the cross is foolishness to the world, for us, it reveals the glory of God (1 Cor. 1.18). Because God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength (1 Cor. 1.25), the way to glory is suffering. Put another way, the only way to Easter and Pentecost is through Gethsemane, Golgotha, and Good Friday.
Living in the direction of Pentecost, then, leads to groaning (Rom. 8.22-23). We groan. The creation groans. Yet as Emil Brunner points out, even the indwelling Spirit of God “groans in us, with us, for us.”[5] God as Spirit chooses to grieves with us, “crying out in the birth-pains of creation”.[6] However, the Spirit not only grieves and groans with us, but keeps hope alive in us as he acts for us, by working towards the goal of freeing His people, along with the cosmos. Therefore, as we live life in the Spirit of Pentecost, the Lord transforms us through our suffering into his likeness “from one degree of glory to another” (Heb. 3.18).
All of this suggests that we must understand the Spirit’s coming at Pentecost to oftentimes lead us into glory through suffering. However, this glory we receive is not our own possession, but a possession of the Spirit that is bestowed upon us for the purpose of becoming witnesses.
Becoming Witnesses
Ultimately, the goal of Pentecost is to become Spirit-empowered witnesses: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1.8) In Acts, the power and presence given to the church sacramentally and charismatically was granted for the sake of its vocation to be a missional, witnessing community. [7] Thus, how might the church today respond to this vocation?
In sum, I believe the church is being called by the Spirit to bear witness to Christ, offering the hope of Jesus during this time of uncertainty and difficulty. May we always be ready to give account for the hope that is in us, despite the trouble! (1 Pet. 3.15) No matter our own uncertainty and struggles, we too can follow Paul’s example of “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.” (Acts 28.31) As we allow the message of Christ to dwell in us richly, we can share with others the gracious hope that God has granted to us (Col. 3.16). For church leaders, it is a time to adopt creative, Spirit-led discipleship practices that will equip the church in becoming followers of Christ who endure faithfully in the face of suffering and anguish. In this way, may we follow in the footsteps of the first believers filled with the Spirit at Pentecost.
Let us pray:
O Thou who camest from above,
The pure celestial fire to impart,
Kindle a flame of sacred love
on the mean altar of my heart!There let it for Thy glory burn
With inextinguishable blaze,
And trembling to its source return
In humble prayer and fervent praise.Jesus, confirm my heart's desire
To work, and speak, and think for Thee;
Still let me guard the holy fire,
And still stir up the gift in me.Ready for all Thy perfect will,
My acts of faith and love repeat;
Till death thy endless mercies seal,
And make the sacrifice complete.Charles Wesley
Andrew Williams is the Lead Pastor at Family Worship Center in West York, PA. He is a PhD candidate in Theology at Bangor University. He is a member of the St. Basil Fellowship of the Center for Pastor Theologians.
Notes:
[1] John Paul II, Dominum et vivificantem, May 18, 1986. http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_18051986_dominum-et-vivificantem.html
[2] Harvey Cox, Fire from Heaven, 20.
[3] Harvey Cox, Fire from Heaven, 20.
[4] Martin Mittelstadt, The Spirit and Suffering in Luke-Acts, 87.
[5] Emil Brunner, The Letter to the Romans, 76.
[6] Paul Fiddes, Participating in God, 186.
[7] Clark Pinnock, Flame of Love, 119.
