Preparing for Pentecost预览

The Purpose of Pentecost

We often look at Pentecost as a festival wherein we receive something personally. While that is true, if we focus only on ourselves, we miss out on the broad purpose. Ultimately, all that God does is for His glory and for His name to be made known among all people. It may seem as though God is self-centered! But He knows that if people know Him and worship Him it will ultimately be the best for them.

Israel had turned into a vast nation of about 2 million people. After over 400 years in Egypt and under slavery, this vast nation, with only an oral tradition that passed down the faith of their fathers was not enough for them to be an influential nation. They needed to know God personally to be forged into a holy nation. That is why He gathered them at Mt. Sinai to give them His Law and reveal Himself to them. It was God’s way of nation forming for influence to all the nations.

Israel had largely failed in its mandate to influence the nations. They had turned the Law into rules and traditions that bound people. They became insular and forgot the mandate to bless the nations of the world. The Gentiles, who were to be reached with the knowledge of Jehovah, were treated as pariahs and untouchables. How would the glory of God cover the earth as the waters cover the sea?

Enter Pentecost number two when God now pours out His Spirit which is witnessed by diasporic Jews from all across the Roman Empire. There is a great harvest of 3,000 souls into the kingdom and the gospel is poised to be taken to the ends of the known world. Further, the heart of God is revealed in the Gentiles who are hearing the gospel and being added to the Church. God is creating one new man (the Christian believer) out of the two: Jew and Gentile.

The purpose of Pentecost is that the people of God make Him known throughout the world. Are you fulfilling this purpose?