A couple of years ago I read a commentary on the book of Acts by Craig Keener, and it was incredibly helpful in understanding the culture in which the early church existed. It made the multi-cultural missional command that Jesus gave in Acts 1:8 even more of a challenge. Today we live in a global world where practically everything is connected. With the privilege of technology we can conduct all kinds of business even during a pandemic while we can’t be physically connected. We still deal with nationalism and religious nationalism, and we also deal with significant economic disparities, but not like it was in the first century. Crossing cultures then was a kind of betrayal of one’s roots even if one had the resources to do it; romantic love didn’t exist in the form we have now so choosing a spouse was extremely rare and available only to the wealthiest; being ‘born’ into a religion was the norm for both Jews and Romans alike, and class distinctions were enforced, such as being born into slavery or into the priesthood. Some of those standards even had the law behind them. If someone broke a cultural standard, it could be considered a criminal offense and governments could impose punishments.

In the book of Acts, which tells the story of the early church, the main mission was to break down cultural barriers that hindered the message of Jesus. And the message of Jesus was and continues to be that all people can be a part of God’s work in the world, work that is essentially represented by loving others as we might love ourselves. This great command of Jesus was a massive challenge and as I mentioned yesterday, we still get it wrong most of the time. We put ourselves ahead of others by making our standards the standards by which others should be judged. Jesus had been judged even to death but that didn’t stop him from breaking that barrier down too, revealing God’s plans of restoration through his resurrected body. And one day, we believe Jesus will return to judge both the living and the dead.

Jesus was with the disciples for 40 days following his resurrection, and as he mostly did before his death and resurrection, he spoke about the kingdom of God. He told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the Spirit and when the disciples asked him if he is going to restore the kingdom of Israel at that moment, he responded with a similar statement as he did in Luke 24, that the disciples were to be given power to proclaim Jesus’ incarnational message of redemption throughout the world, starting in Jerusalem. When Jesus ascends two men dressed in white say to the disciples in Acts 1:11: “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” With that assurance, the disciples, along with about 120 other followers stayed together. They prayed constantly and they also selected a new apostle to replace Judas.

Think about that group of 120 followers then and the millions now. Think about the complete lack of any buildings dedicated to the worship of God through Christ then and the millions all over the world today. I don’t want to overplay the idea that things will never be the same after this pandemic. We could say that about every day that passes. I also don’t want to pretend that this is some kind of great opportunity for the church. Millions are suffering and I think sitting in that lament is totally legitimate. But I also believe in the risen Christ. And I believe in the same power that was present at Pentecost. I believe in the promise that was given to those disciples that Jesus will return, and so I rely not on my own strength to face the challenges ahead, but I rely on the power of the Spirit in me. That’s the promise I hold on to, and so I step into it as best as I know how.

Tomorrow we’ll take a brief look at Pentecost before diving into Peter’s speech. The Spirit had moved and Peter had some explaining to do.

—Paul