Jesus people

Pentecost Sunday | Jesus People | Acts 2, John 14:15-18 | Tj Torgerson

This past Sunday was Pentecost Sunday. Many churches celebrated by decorating their spaces in red, wearing red clothing, or having children make Pentecost-related crafts. Many preachers spoke on Acts chapter 2.

I love Pentecost Sunday, not only because of its theological significance but also because it has some personal significance for me. It was on Pentecost Sunday eight years ago that I baptized two of my three sons. This was my first official act as a pastor.

If you are not familiar with Pentecost Sunday, it comes 50 days after Easter and is considered the birthday of the church. It marks the day the Holy Spirit was poured out, accompanied by flames of fire, a mighty rushing wind, and a miraculous gift of languages. Perhaps most importantly, the disciples of Jesus were empowered to be His witnesses throughout the earth on Pentecost Sunday (Acts 1:8).

While the work of Christ was completed at the cross and resurrection, another piece was needed. This is why Jesus instructed them to wait (Acts 1:7). There was still a promise to be fulfilled—one that Jesus had made (Luke 24:49; John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26; 16:7-16) and the Father had made before (Ezekiel 11:19-20; 36:24-28; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Joel 2:28-29)—that the Spirit of God would be poured out upon humanity in a transformative and significant way.

Reflecting on this makes me think about the mission of Jesus. What did Jesus set out to do? There are many ways to describe His mission. Jesus said He came to seek and save the lost and framed it within the Isaiah text of proclaiming good news and the acceptable year of the Lord (Luke 4:14-21, 19:10). Recently, I've become fond of describing Jesus' mission as "forming a new sort of people." These are three different ways to say the same thing, yet each with a different emphasis.

The terminology "seeking and saving the lost" and "proclaiming good news" often emphasizes forgiveness and eternal life. While these are important, the work of Jesus is about more than forgiveness and heaven; it's about forming a new sort of people. This community of people is united under a shared belief and the kingly rule of Jesus. This people we call the church.

If Jesus was simply offering forgiveness and a great eternal retirement plan, it is hard to imagine He would have been killed for it. It would be hard to imagine people would have a problem with it. Jesus offered forgiveness, healing, and eternity, but He also called people to a different sort of life. A sort of life that would get in the way of how the powers of the world called people to live. A sort of life that would get in the way of how individuals wanted to live.

Jesus set a high bar for His followers:

- John 14:15: "If you love me, keep my commands."

- Luke 14:33: "In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples."

- Matthew 16:24: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."

- Luke 9:62: "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

Or if you want to really be challenged, try reading the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) with the mindset of "What if Jesus was serious?"

My point is this: Jesus came to form a new sort of people—a group that lives out the confession that Christ is King. Jesus calls us to give our whole lives to Him. Remember the old TV show "The Profit"? Business guru Marcus Lemonis helps struggling businesses, but he has one rule: he must be in charge. Some reject this right away, while other business owners accept this but later resist his changes. If they don't come around, Lemonis leaves them to run their business without him, just as they want.

Now, don’t take this illustration too far. I am not intending to promote works-based salvation. I am also not addressing the question of whether one can or cannot lose their salvation. Those topics simply are not the focus of this post.

I simply want to illustrate that Jesus, too, calls for full control of our lives. While Christ offers grace, mercy, and patience, He still calls us to full obedience and a different way of life—a Jesus way of life that gets in the way of evil and the world’s system. Jesus came to make a new people, united under His kingly rule.

He taught us His way and showed us His way. However, despite having the perfect instructions and example, we needed something else: the Holy Spirit. This Spirit, which raised Christ from the dead, is the resurrection power of God released into our lives. We needed the Holy Spirit to transform Jesus' followers and fulfill the promise of Jesus and the promise of the Father.

It's no accident that after speaking about obedience, Jesus promised the Holy Spirit:

John 14:15-18: "If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."

And again in John 14:23-26!

The Spirit given at Pentecost enables us to express our love for Christ through obedience. It also made Jesus' mission our mission. Pentecost Sunday reminds us that we are called to be a new people, living the way of Christ, empowered by His Spirit, and continuing His mission.

The work of Christ and the sending of the Holy Spirit was the inauguration of a new way of living, one that is characterized by a cross and the presence and power of God in the lives of His people. This transformative work of God enables us to live out the radical teachings of Jesus. Let's go out and live in the way set by Jesus.