Acts: Pentecost | Josh Harrison
Pentecost: When the Church Came to Life
We continue our journey through Acts this week by turning our attention to chapter two, the moment when history cracked open and the Church—God’s people—were finally and fully animated by the Spirit of Jesus. Josh began by reminding us of NT Wright’s image of the Bible as a five-act play: Creation, Fall, Israel, Jesus, and the Church. We find ourselves, still today, living inside that fifth act, improvising our “lines” in the ongoing drama of redemption.
If we are to live faithfully inside this unfinished act, we must know not just isolated verses or stories but the entire sweep of the biblical narrative—that story that is meant not only to be read, but embodied and enacted, so that when the world looks at the Church, they see echoes of Jesus, reflections of God’s goodness, a continuation of the one true story.
The Astonishing Transformation of the Early Church
One of the extraordinary claims of Acts 2 is just how quickly and radically things changed for the earliest followers of Jesus. Ten days before Pentecost, Jesus ascended into heaven, leaving his disciples bewildered, frightened, confused, and, frankly, not knowing what to do next. They are gathered together in a room, praying, rolling dice to solve leadership problems, spiritually adrift.
Pentecost changes everything in an instant. The Holy Spirit comes as wind and fire, and the lost, scared disciples are suddenly turned into world-shaping, bold, courageous witnesses. What happened? How does a group go from hiding in a room to preaching in the streets, from uncertainty to conviction and transformation that reverberates outwards into every corner of the world?
The Backstory: Pentecost in Israel’s History
Josh draws an important thread back through Israel’s long story: Pentecost did not begin in Acts 2. Its roots go far deeper, into the ancient festival of First Fruits—a time when the Israelites would bring the very first crops from the field and offer them to God, preemptively declaring trust and gratitude for provision yet to come. But as their tradition developed, Pentecost also came to celebrate a second and even more decisive event: the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai.
There, fifty days after Passover, God descended in fire and wind and thunder—“voices”—to form Israel not just as freed slaves, but as a people, a nation set apart for him. God’s Law was the marker of belonging. It made them his, much as wedding vows make two people a family. The Old Testament is littered with holy places—Sinai, the Tabernacle, the Temple—always marked out by fire, wind, and the audible presence of God.
Pentecost Reimagined—God Moves In
But Acts gives us something revolutionary. On Pentecost in Jerusalem, the signs are familiar: fire, wind, and voices, but this time the fire does not fill a temple or a tent. It rests individually on each follower of Jesus. The space where God now dwells is not an institution or a building, but the lives of ordinary women and men, each one a “thin place” where heaven and earth meet.
Here, the Church is redefined: we are a people where God lives, not simply in proximity but in transformative intimacy. Jeremiah had prophesied it—one day, God’s law would be written on hearts, the Spirit would be poured out and each member of the covenant community would know him deeply, experientially, and personally.
Implications for the Church Today
We, too, are invited to be this kind of Church—a living temple, a compelling place of encounter, forgiveness, and reconciliation. The early Church’s power and boldness is rooted in the real presence of God. We don’t need special places to experience God. His people, sent wherever they go, carry that presence into every context.
The question for us is not if this could be true, but if we will live as if it is actually already true. The Spirit is here, animating and empowering, remaking us into the image of Jesus.
Key Lessons from Pentecost
The Church’s Mission is Still Unfinished: We are part of a continuing story. Our lives should be rooted in the grand narrative of Scripture, acting out the ongoing drama of redemption.
God Dwells Within His People: Pentecost marks the shift from God’s presence in places to God’s presence in people, making every follower of Christ a living temple.
Transformation Comes from Experiencing God’s Presence: The knowledge of God is not merely informational but experiential. Real intimacy with God transforms fear into courage, confusion into clarity.
Church is a Compelling Space of Encounter: When the Spirit is at work, the Church becomes a place where the world is drawn in—where forgiveness, reconciliation, and genuine encounter with God are not just possible, but expected.
More next week as we continue our exploration of the dynamic, Spirit-filled life of the early Church—and consider what it means for us today.
