Photo by Nishaan ahmed on Unsplash

by the Rev. Canon Mark Eldredge

Jesus was very clear with his disciples before his Ascension that they were to wait to be baptized with the Holy Spirit before they tried to do the work he commissioned them to do (Acts 1:5). But why? And why did Jesus say “baptized” rather than “filled with” or “empowered by” the Holy Spirit?

To be baptized is not just to die to our old life but to enter into new life – the new life of following Jesus as his disciple in his Kingdom (Rom. 6:4). A big part of this new life is to “take on” the message and ministry of the one we follow now, not just wait around to go to Heaven someday in the future. On Pentecost, the believers were “baptized” with the Holy Spirit, taking on the new life of proclaiming the message Jesus gave them and doing the ministry Jesus did. They did what Jesus did after his own baptism, demonstrating the Kingdom of God by healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind, and proclaiming the message of the Good News of the Kingdom of God (read Mark 1). This was a demonstration of God’s works followed by a proclamation of God’s Word.

In Acts 2:12, after the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples and they spoke in the languages of the people around them, it says, “Amazed and perplexed, they [the non-believers] asked one another, ‘What does this mean?’” Good question. Rather than leave them to figure it out on their own, there was a proclamation of the Gospel. In Acts 2:14 Peter, “stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: ‘Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.’” His words led many people to repentance, they believed the good news and were saved! Those two things (proclamation and power) went together throughout the rest of the book of Acts, and they’ve gone together ever since. Believers, baptized with the Holy Spirit, demonstrate God’s glory in various ways so that non-believers take notice and ask, “What is this all about?” There is then usually an opportunity to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ whose works and word continually spread throughout the world. May we, being baptized in the power of the Spirit, keep doing the same in our local churches today!

With three thousand new believers saved on Pentecost, the first local church was formed in Jerusalem. In that first church, we see a wonderful snapshot of what God intended for his people to be like. Read again this description in Acts 2:42-47 of what a healthy growing church looks like:

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.  Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

The five vital aspects of a healthy church are found here. We teach these markers in our Revive Seminar and in the Revive book. As we enter this Pentecost season, I want to quickly review them so that, in the power of the Spirit, your congregation can continue to (or begin to) practice them well:

In Acts 2:42-47, we see that people in love with Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit do these five things:

1. Gather together for regular Worship: “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.” This is large group corporate worship. They gathered daily. We at least gather weekly.
2. Meet together for Fellowship: “They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.” This describes small group fellowship. (All 3,000 new believers weren’t all in one home!)
3. Grow in maturity through Discipleship: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” They studied, learned, practiced, and grew to maturity as followers of the risen Christ.
4. Serve one another in Ministry: “Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.” They used their gifts to serve the church family and gave generously of their time, talents, and treasure.
5. Bring in others to the church through Evangelism: “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Through the demonstration of God’s glory through miracles and their unique love for one another, they continuously gave the proclamation of God’s Gospel to all around. People got saved. The church grew numerically and spread.

How is your local congregation living out these same five areas that the first local church did? Are you doing some but not others, and how can you be balanced and do all five well? Is your church doing all these things in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit given to us on Pentecost, or are you trying to do all this through your own strength?

The AAC’s Anglican Revitalization Ministries has resources to help you lead a community that reflects the values found in the first local church. We can help you lead a healthy, growing congregation operating in the power of the Holy Spirit. We have a Revive process specifically designed to come alongside Anglican leaders as they shepherd their churches through change and into greater growth. In addition, Renew Weekends are three-day long workshops focusing on the person of the Holy Spirit to replenish your congregation with his power in order to engage the mission he has for you today.

To learn more about these resources and much more, or to schedule a Revive or Renew Weekend, visit www.churchrevive.org to schedule a call with us today!