When I was a member of my home
church, East San Diego Presbyterian, back in my college days, the minister
assigned us to attend different churches for four Sundays, then we met to
discuss our experiences at our college group meetings. I don't recall much about three of the
churches, but I vividly recall our experience at a Pentecostal church here in San Diego .
A rock band blared loudly as you
entered the sanctuary. That caught my
attention. People were dancing in the
aisles, waving their arms, shouting amen, falling down on their knees in tears,
and speaking in tongues. The preacher
yelled for people to receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit and worshippers
rushed forward. The preacher would slam
their foreheads with the heal of his hand, and they would fall back into the
arms of awaiting ushers.
At one point the preacher
proclaimed that at the second coming of Christ, when Jesus returns in glory,
Jesus will grab the hand of a Catholic, who will grab the hand of a Lutheran,
who will grab the hand of a Methodist, who will grab the hand of a Presbyterian,
swing them around and around and fling them off the end of the earth into the
eternal flames of hell. Now that really
got my attention. Yes, it sounds like another ordinary Sunday
morning here at PBPC?
Are we a Pentecostal church? My answer may surprise you. I certainly hope so. I pray we are. For biblically, the church of Jesus Christ
Biblically, Pentecostal worship
can be earsplitting or contemplative.
Pentecost is about God’s Spirit penetrating the hearts and minds of
God’s people. Pentecost is about the Holy
Spirit inspiring the worship and ministry of the people.
A Pentecostal church is alive in
the Spirit of God. And if the Holy
Spirit isn’t present in our midst, if the Holy Spirit is absent, then we may be
a social club, or a 501 c3 non-profit organization, but we are not the church of Jesus Christ
Pentecost is a Greek word meaning
50th day. On the day of Pentecost, fifty
days after Easter, when the disciples were gathered in a home in Jerusalem , God sent His
Holy Spirit upon them. Our story
describes the Spirit's coming like a mighty wind and tongues of fire, spiritual
gifts were imparted, and those present were united into a body of believers and
empowered for their coming mission into the world.
On the Day of Pentecost, a day of
mystery and awe, a miracle occurred; people came to Jerusalem from all around the Mediterranean
world, speaking a variety of languages, but they heard these Galileans, who
spoke Aramaic, speaking about God's deeds of power in their own languages. The
message here is that the gospel is for the whole world. It transcends racial ethnic groups,
nationalities, and languages. Let's go a
little deeper.
A Pentecostal church understands
why it exists? It embodies Jesus’ Great
Commandment: “Love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind and love your
neighbor as yourself.” It incarnates
Jesus' Great Commission: “Go forth and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, teaching them to
observe all that I have commanded you, for Lo, I am with you always to the end
of the age.” A Pentecostal church
knows that the Great Commandment combined with the Great Commission makes a
great church. Our mission is rooted in
our name - Pacific Beach Presbyterian Church, PBPC, People Bringing People to
Christ.
A Pentecostal church is flexible
and adaptable in a changing world, able to change the way it carries out its
mission. And we know human nature resists change. Once a man stood up at a lecture that the
famous rocket scientist Dr. Werner Von Braun was giving and asked: “Why can’t we just forget all these
new-fangled ideas about going out into space and be content to stay at home and
watch television like the good Lord intended?”
God didn’t establish the church
at Pentecost for Christians to stay at home and watch television. God has empowered us with the mission of
loving and reaching people in the name of Christ in the world.
A Pentecostal church is a church
where believer’s lives are being transformed, where spiritual energy,
enthusiasm and joy is evident in the life of believers. Does this mean every Sunday or every day in
the church will be as dramatic as that first Pentecost? No.”
God doesn’t expect the church to go full steam ahead 24-7. But since the church is Spirit infused,
Spirit inculcated, signs of the Holy Spirit, in small and powerful ways, will
be evident always in the life of the people of God.
A Pentecostal church is where
people discover and use their Spirit given gifts and talents and abilities to
glorify God. If its singing, you sing,
its its playing a musical instrument, you play, like Larry Cox, who is blind,
but is a gifted bass player, if its teaching, you teach, if its leadership you
lead, if its service, you serve, if its caring for people you care, if your
gifted technically, you might help in the sound and projection booth or help
with computers or networks.
A Pentecostal church strives to
worship in the Spirit. Author A. W.
Tozer wrote: “God is delighted with all
that is good and lovingly concerned about all that is wrong. God pursues His labors always in a fullness
of holy zeal. No wonder the Spirit came at Pentecost as a sound of a rushing
mighty wind and sight of tongues of fire on every forehead. ... Whatever else
happened at Pentecost, one thing that cannot be missed by the most casual
observer was the sudden upsurging of spiritual enthusiasm.”
In worship and prayer we grow
stronger through loving and glorifying God.
In ministry, we grow broader through serving and loving others in the
church, the community and the world. In
evangelism, we grow larger through reaching out to unbelievers and making
disciples. In fellowship we grow warmer
through building and deepening caring relationships. In discipleship we grow deeper as people grow
in faith and spiritual maturity through teaching, meditation, prayer, Bible
study, and developing skills in service to the glory of God.
A Pentecostal church is loving
and joyful and caring and faith filled and prayerful. People support and encourage others in the
midst of brokenness, grief and death.
There is compassion, kindness and empathy. People come alongside one another in times of
joy and celebration and in times of crisis and tragedy. Like Mavis, our Coordinator of Congregational
Care, and her team of visitors and many of you who pray, who send cards, who
visit people in need. People rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those
who weep.
Our Sunday Night Ministry which
reaches out to homeless people in our community is a good example of the work
of the Holy Spirit. Our Friday Night
Family movie and Pizza gatherings for families in our community is another
example of the work of the Holy Spirit.
Christ calls us to engage in a dynamic, purpose-filled, faithful, loving
and vital ministry.
A Pentecostal church is committed
to the gospel, the unchanging word of God.
The letter of Hebrews 13:8 says:
“Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday and today and forever.”
And we bring that unchanging gospel to ever-changing world. The message of the gospel never changes, “God so loved the world that He sent His Son
Jesus to save sinners,” but the methods we employ to spread the gospel and
reach people must be open to change. The
church’s strategies must be flexible, creative, and innovative. The church’s mission must always strive to
be relevant to the community.
Missionary Leslie Newbigin said:
"Mission
I think of another example. Young adults from our Sunday Night Roots
ministry go out on on Garnet Ave
once or twice a month, just as the bars are closing, and pass out free water
bottles and talk to young people. They
set up a sign and hand out flyers identifying our church. Why – it has to do with Pentecost. It has to do with the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit. I think of how generously people
here give to support our youth for camperships.
Why – it has to do with Pentecost.
What is the test of a
Spirit-filled church? Is it rock bands,
speaking in tongues and dancing in the aisles?
For some churches the answer is yes.
And I say amen. I respect them.
But I also turn to the letter of Galatians 5:22 which says: “The
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity,
faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” If those spiritual qualities permeate the
life of a church, in whatever form, we are Spirit-filled.
We are all on a spiritual journey. By the grace of God we are and are becoming a Spirit-filled church. Let us open our hearts and minds to God’s power and inspiration. Let us be alert and aware of needs and opportunities around us, and minister to those needs in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen
We are all on a spiritual journey. By the grace of God we are and are becoming a Spirit-filled church. Let us open our hearts and minds to God’s power and inspiration. Let us be alert and aware of needs and opportunities around us, and minister to those needs in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen
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