Pentecost: The Birth of the Church and God’s Heart for the Nations
Pentecost is the birth of the Church and a powerful declaration that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is for every people, every tribe, every nation and every tongue on earth. After Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension, the disciples gathered together in Jerusalem waiting for the promised Holy Spirit. Then came the moment that forever changed the world.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:4 (ESV)
Acts tells us that Jews from many nations were gathered in Jerusalem at that time. What stunned the crowd was each person heard the mighty works of God proclaimed in their own language.
And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Acts 2:8 (ESV)
From the very beginning of the Church, God made it clear that the Gospel was never meant for one people group, one culture, or one nation. Pentecost unites people through the power of the Holy Spirit and the good news of Jesus Christ. It reveals the heart of our missionary God and throughout Scripture we see God’s heart for the nations. His promise to Abraham was global:
In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Genesis 12:3 (ESV)
Jesus commissioned His followers with a global mission:
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations… Matthew 28:19 (ESV)
Just before ascending into heaven, Jesus declared:
You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8 (ESV)
The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was empowerment for global mission. The Spirit was given so the Church would carry the name of Jesus to the ends of the earth, and it reminds us that God is still gathering worshipers from every tongue, tribe, and nation. Around the world today, millions still have little or no access to the Gospel; entire people groups remain unreached, and yet the mission of God continues through ordinary believers empowered by the Holy Spirit.
The same Spirit that filled the disciples in Acts 2 is still sending Christians today, to their neighbors, cities, campuses, refugee communities, and unreached peoples around the globe.
The Great Commission calls every believer into God’s global mission.
Some are called to go.
Some are called to send.
Some are called to pray.
Some are called to give.
But all of us are called to participate.
One day, the mission will be complete. Scripture gives us a glimpse of that future:
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb… Revelation 7:9 (ESV)
Pentecost was the beginning of that great gathering. May we be a Spirit-filled Church with hearts for the nations, faithfully proclaiming the Gospel until every people group has heard the name of Jesus.
Canon Shelly Sorem
Canon Shelly Sorem serves as Assistant Director of New Wineskins Missions Network and is a deacon in the Diocese of the Western Gulf Coast. She holds a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology. She serves on the Women’s Leadership Network within the Anglican Church in North America’s Provincial Leadership Network, on her diocesan women’s ministry team, and holds the role of Canon for Global Missions in her diocese. In addition, Canon Sorem serves as Vice President on the Provincial Council for the Order of the Daughters of the Holy Cross and is a member of the Board of Trustees for Trinity Anglican Seminary. She is deeply committed to advancing global missions and is passionate about seeing the name of Jesus proclaimed to the ends of the earth. She regularly leads women’s conferences and retreats both nationally and internationally and is dedicated to fostering collaboration among Anglican organizations to further the Kingdom of God. Shelly and her husband, Bill, have been married for 34 years. They have two daughters, two sons-in-law, and four grandchildren.