Never the Same Again

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting…. Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. Acts 2:1-2,41 (NIV)

“They might destroy the building, but they cannot destroy…my heart or the heart of the flock.” These words from Pastor Charles were highlighted in a recent, The Voice of the Martyrs, article. Pastor Charles has served in ministry for over three decades in Zanzibar, a predominately Muslim territory.  The article recounts how a gunman entered the church building demanding the pastor show himself. “The gunman continued to yell and search frantically as Charles stood motionless behind the altar, but it soon became clear that the man couldn’t see Charles. The gunman eventually left and Charles’s life was spared.”

Jewish by birth, orphaned in childhood, atheist by choice, and follower of Jesus through miraculous conversion, describes Romanian priest Richard Wurmbrand. He and his wife, Sabina never lost their focus on Jesus, even at the cost of Richard being tortured for 14 years in prison and Sabina for three years in a labor camp. Wurmbrand wrote, “It was strictly forbidden to preach to other prisoners. It was understood that whoever was caught doing this received a severe beating. A number of us decided to pay the price for the privilege of preaching, so we accepted their {the communists’} terms. It was a deal; we preached and they beat us. We were happy preaching. They were happy beating us, so everyone was happy.” (Tortured for Christ)

North Korean Christians face life daily as a “constant cauldron of pressure” and “capture or death is only a mistake away.” (Open Doors, USA) In a Business Insider article, Ryan Pickrell writes about the violence against North Korean Christians. “Christians are considered a hostile class in the songbun system…. An entire family, including their two-year-old child, was imprisoned following the discovery of their religious practices and possession of a Bible. The family was sentenced to life in prison.”

Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary estimates that more than 70 million Christians have been martyred over the last two millennia, “more than half of which died in the 20^th century under fascist and communist regimes.” (Dr. Todd Johnson)

What would motivate anyone to endure what Pastor Charles and the Wurmbrands have gone through? What would motivate North Korean Christians to face such brutal retribution? What motivated millions of people through the centuries to willingly died for Jesus? What motivates us today to stay the course? Jesus! “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69)

Jesus kept his promise to his disciples that he “will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever.” (John 14:15) Jesus’ promise would ultimately shake the foundations of the world. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 NIV)

Pentecost Sunday was celebrated yesterday, May 28 in churches around the world. Though not all church traditions set aside the day to celebrate and remember, all churches, regardless of traditions are beneficiaries of this day. The church was set on spiritual fire and empowered to carry on God’s mission on the Day of Pentecost. This ragtag band of followers, who could fit into one room, now numbers over 2.6 billion Christians worldwide or literally “to the ends of the earth.”

Dr. Ray Pritchard writes of Pentecost, “That is when thousands come into the faith. And it goes from this little sect of believers who followed a Jewish rabbi from Nazareth who died and rose again, and suddenly the church breaks forth into the culture. Suddenly it is that unstoppable force that no one can really deny any longer. Pentecost has taken on a new significance for us. It, at one point, is just a historical memory. Now it is the living reality of the moment that the spirit of God seemingly burst forth.”

Pentecost changed everything for Peter and the other disciples. There was no turning back for any of them after Pentecost. Peter held the first city-wide crusade that day and 3,000 followed Jesus. The church has never looked back as new believers have been added daily since that day.

“Until we acknowledge our need for God, we will never experience the utter joy of being forgiven, healed, restored, and empowered. Once we have experienced that grace, there’s no going back to a life where we trust in our own power and strength. Once we have known God’s hands upholding us and strengthening us, nothing else will do.” (Geoffrey Tristam)

For my American friends, today is Memorial Day. Every few years, Memorial Day and Pentecost Sunday share a common weekend. One day marks the beginning of the church and the other marks the remembrance of those killed in wars protecting freedom. Though each day represents something completely different yet both events were born out of costly commitment and sacrifice.

Pentecost Sunday will forever mark the beginning of life. “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” –Rev 7:9

God is great!