Last week we began our series of messages entitled Churchology 101. And we said that this series is not designed to deal with the intra-workings of the church, nor is it designed to discuss deep theology or deep doctrinal issues related to the church. Rather these messages are intended to look at the church and the role it plays in the lives of believers today.
In our discovery, we recognized that the word church, in the original language, is the word – ekklesia. This is a compound Greek word where the first word, ek, means “out” and the second word, kalleo, means “to call.” So in essence, the word church in the New Testament simply means, “those whom have been called out”. It really denotes that the church is made up of God’s people (those who have been born again) which have been called out from the world; called out from sin, and called together into service for Jesus Christ.
But what’s interesting is that the word ekklesia never speaks of a building or of a stationary structure of any kind. Ekklesia paints the picture (or speaks) of an assembly or of a gathering of people for a specific purpose in mind. So for all intents and purposes, those of us whom are apart of the family of God by relationship, make up the body of the church by partnership.
Welcome again, to Churchology 101 – The Beginning.
First of all, we must realize that the idea of ‘the Church’ came from the very mind of God. From the beginning of time, before the foundation of the world, God already laid out the plan for His church to be conceived. He ensured that His church would be built on a solid foundation – that being the declaration (found in Matthew 16:16) of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
So not only was its foundation solid, God also made sure His church would be eternally secure. For it says in Matthew 16:18, “…and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it.”
But just how did this foundationally solid, eternally secure Church come into existence?
It is in the 2nd chapter, in the Book of Acts, where we find the origin of the Church. It’s really in conjunction with the Matthew 16:18 passage (after the stated prophecy and given promise) that we find the church in its beginning stages.
For in our discovery, we find that it all began on the day of Pentecost.
With the exception of the Gospel itself (the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for our sins) there has probably been no single event in history which has been more misunderstood, more misinterpreted and more maligned than that of the Pentecost experience. Some individuals equate the Pentecost experience with that of a holy rollers event. Others equate Pentecost to that of some emotional extremism - something that changes your countenance, controls your character and alters your communication. Some view the Pentecost experience as that of only an expressed denominational movement and a certain denominational message. And then there are those of us who have no idea as to what the Pentecost is all about!
So the question needs to be asked and answered what is the Pentecost?
The first mentioning rendered of the Pentecost was originally that of an Old Testament festival – the festival of weeks – for which there are no specific dates given for its celebration. However in the book of Leviticus, 23:15, it instructs the people of God to count 7 weeks from the day after the Sabbath; from the day they brought in their measurement of the wave offering. After the wave offering, they are instructed to count 50 days, beginning the morning after the 7th Sabbath, to come and present a meat offering to the Lord. The day the people came to present God their meat offering, that day was considered the Day of Pentecost. Let me stop here long enough to us, that’s exactly what the word Pentecost means in its original language, it means the fiftieth day.
So after the people of God honored God with their wave offering (it was called that because their offerings were placed in the hands of the priest and the priest literally waved them before God as to appease his sense of smell), God says, count fifty days starting the day after that offering and come back and give me a meat offering. That was Pentecost.
Now, what’s really interesting, regarding the first mention of Pentecost, is this idea of the meat offering.
Some translations say meat offering and others say grain, meal or cereal offering. Regardless of what translation you’re reading from, the connotative meaning of that offering is this; this particular offering was used to provide sustenance to the priest and security for the people and was sanctified to the Lord. Leviticus 6:17 helps us out with that.
What’s the point here? The Pentecost offering was required so that when we gave to God, at the appointed time and the appointed place, He gave to us sustenance for life, security for living and sanctified us in His love.
And after looking at the purpose for the Pentecost offering back then, the provision of the Pentecost still hold true today. Because of the Pentecost experience in the early church, God provided the church’s sustenance for life, security for living and set it apart for His love.
What did the Pentecost experience do for the early church? First of all, it showed how God is,
-Timelessness
The timing of God is revealed in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. It was God’s sovereign time to pour out His spirit. The disciples were faithful to wait till God’s time to receive His promise. They did not give up their tarrying before God’s time. When the time came they were ready and waiting to receive His promise. God has a time for every promise to be fulfilled. We must not give up before that time and miss the blessing.
So not only was God’s revelation timeless, but it brought about,
-Togetherness
There was unity and one-mindedness among the disciples in that room. Wherever there is unity the blessings of God come down. The spirit of God flows where there is love and unity. On the day of Pentecost, they were all in one accord and in one place. Even today the Spirit of God is waiting to flow where there is one accord. Let us not miss the blessings of God because of our discord and divisions.
So not only did Pentecost reveal God’s timelessness and bring about togetherness, but it happened in a,
-Twinkling
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit happened suddenly. Sometimes the blessings and the promises of God are bestowed upon us suddenly when we least expect it. When the time comes for God to bless us, the process can be very sudden and surprising. Before we realize what is happening, the entire situation is changed and we are completely delivered from our bondages. Joseph in the Old Testament had such a surprise for him. Though he spent days in a pit, only to be placed in prison, he eventually ruled the Palace!
So God revealed His timelessness, which brought about togetherness, that came about in a twinkling, which caused a major,
-Transformation
The lives of the disciples were completely transformed on the day of Pentecost. No longer were they fearful and powerless. No longer were they afraid and elusive. They were now endued with the supernatural power of the Holy Ghost. They were filled with divine boldness. The Lord wants such a transformation in the lives of His children today, through the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
In the spiritual sense, the 1st Pentecost experience will never be repeated. Those sights and those sounds can never be authentically recreated. The movement of the Holy Spirit, that particular way, can never be duplicated. You and I, as modern day Disciples of Christ, can never imitate that feeling. Others try to simulate, but they can only fabricate the initial Pentecost experience.
But in the practical sense, you and I can have our own personal Pentecost experience. Truth be told, a personal Pentecost is the birthright of every born again believer. When we come together as a church, with the same mind, on one accord, we will experience the feeling of God’s timelessness; we will experience the feeling of togetherness; we will experience the feeling of transformation, all in a twinkling because we are the Church!
And the Church is in existence to,
Corral the Saints
Convert the Sinner
Convey the Savior
This all started, in the beginning…
