Acts 2:1-11
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans, and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”
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While the original Pentecost was a Jewish holiday, the Church took over the day in order to celebrate the arrival of the Holy Spirit upon the people of God as the Church. There are three important things going on here with the Christian Pentecost. Fifty days after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the disciples were gathered together and the Holy Spirit came upon them all, as a whole, not as individuals, accomplishing three things.
First, Jesus did not leave the Church on their own after his ascension but he sent the Holy Spirit to fill and guide the Church as they continued to move forward, continued to grow, and continued to preach the Gospel to the known world. Second, historically, Pentecost is considered the birthday of the Church, when proof of the transition out of the Old Covenant and into the New was made obvious. The Old Covenant had its promises, blessings, curses, and symbols that explained and articulated how the people of God were to think, speak, and behave. Now, with the cessation of the Old Covenant and the initiation of the New Covenant, the identity of the people of God have nothing to do with race, nationality, gender, or economic status.
Third, the fact that people from all over the known world were in Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish Pentecost and heard the gospel being taught in their own native languages is a sign that communicates two things. One, being part of the people of God is not longer about being Jewish, and two, it is an undoing of the confusion that was imposed on mankind with the confusion of languages at the Tower of Babel.
When all of these people, from so many different places heard the gospel being preached, it showed them that being part of the people of God is for anyone and everyone. It is important to note that people from Rome were present at Pentecost, which means that Peter was not the primary voice that preached the Gospel to the Romans. Those who heard the gospel brought that message back with them when they returned home after celebrating Pentecost in Jerusalem.
Technically speaking, it is irrelevant who first preached the Gospel anywhere, whether it be Peter in Rome, Thomas in India, or Cyril and Methodius in Russia. The important point is that there is one holy, apostolic Church under the headship of Jesus Christ.
The beauty of the one, holy apostolic, historic Church is that someone can be anywhere in the world and worship in the exact same manner as anywhere else that celebrates the Divine Liturgy. Yes, the language will be different, and the music will be different, but the structure and meaning is the same regardless.
The arrival and manifestation of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost clearly shows that the Old Covenant has been fulfilled, has been replaced, and has ceased having any authority in the life of the people of God. No longer are the people of God identified as Jewish, as needing to follow the dietary laws, the cleanliness laws, or the law of circumcision. No longer do the people of God follow a written set of laws as was done under the Mosaic law but instead, the people of God are expected to behave as adults, thinking through, and practicing the idea of loving God and loving your neighbor. The people of God are expected to be mature and responsible, applying love to every situation, not merely following written rules like a child.
The importance of Pentecost cannot be overstated, as it is the clear, definitive beginning of and identification of the people of God, outside the boundaries of Judaism and Jerusalem. The book of Acts begins with the ascension, then speaks of the Church gathering together to wait for the arrival of the Holy Spirit, as Jesus had promised, and the metaphorical explosion of the spread of the Gospel across the known world, beginning with foreigners hearing the preaching of the mighty works of God.
This is where it all begins. Jesus taught his disciples, he gave his life as a sacrifice to free mankind from the power of sin and death, he rose from the dead proving that he had defeated death, which is all a fulfillment of the Old Covenant and the beginning of the New Covenant. He then gave the Holy Spirit to empower and guide His Church, the people of God. And all of this has been continuing since that day. There is one holy, apostolic Church, teaching, preaching, and practicing what Jesus taught the disciples and what the disciples have passed on to the first generation of the people of God.
The only need for division was because of those who began to teach contrary beliefs and practices, setting themselves outside of the boundaries of the apostolic faith. There was no need for a Reformation, as the Church has been living, practicing, and teaching the apostolic faith since the first century. There was no great apostasy that needed to be removed and replaced. The one holy, apostolic faith is still in place, is still practicing, and is still directed and guided by the Holy Spirit.
OrthrosGnosis 