Judges 5:1–18; Acts 2:1–21; Matthew 28:1–10
Living in South Africa and going to a stadium to worship with people praying the Lord’s Prayer in all eleven official languages reminds me a little of what this first Pentecost Sunday must have been like. But I think we sometimes misunderstand this event.
We often focus on the special miracles God poured out to his church on that day, to look at how God grows and protects the infant Christian church. By doing this, we often miss the forest while we look at the trees.
The story of Pentecost is not the fire, the speaking in different languages, or the sound of wind from heaven. The story of Pentecost is the marvelous power God gives to his Word to change hearts and minds. It is the transfer of power—from Christ walking this earth as he preached the gospel, to sending the Holy Spirit to his disciples, empowering them to do the same. The story of Pentecost is the fulfillment of a promise Christ made when he said, “Go and make disciples…and surely I will be with you always.”
Or differently put: Go and tell and live the story of Jesus to this broken world.
Prayer: Christ Jesus, let us preach your lifesaving message to all people of every walk of life. Amen.
Today’s devotion was written by Dieter Punt, Pastor at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Troutman, NC.