Presenter Information

John Poirier

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“Pentecost was the birthday of the Church.” Those words are such a frequent refrain that they are practically a caption for the mental picture that most people have of the Acts 2 narrative. But the question remains: “In what way was the Church ‘born’ at Pentecost?” The usual answer is that Pentecost marks the sending of the Spirit to the Church, but this paper will argue that it is something else in Acts 2 that represents the birth of the Church. We all know the Acts 2 narrative: 120 disciples were gathered on Pentecost, when suddenly a “rushing, mighty wind” filled the place and all were baptized with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in “other tongues”. Jewish onlookers, festival pilgrims from the Diaspora, heard what the disciples were saying in their own native languages, although they came from all points of the known world. In his preaching debut, Peter connects what the crowd had witnessed to scriptural prooftexts heralding the endtime outpouring of the Spirit. “Repent”, Peter told the crowd, “and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). The narrative divides readily into two parts: (1) the sending of the Spirit (with its attendant manifestations), and (2) Peter’s preaching and its effects. It is the burden of this paper to show that the actual birthing of the Church should not be sought in the first part of the narrative, but rather in the second part. It is Peter’s preaching that represents the true “birthday” aspect of Pentecost. My argument begins, not in the second chapter of Acts, but in the second chapter of Ephesians.

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Jan 1st, 12:00 AM

“The Day of Pentecost as the Birthday of the Church”

“Pentecost was the birthday of the Church.” Those words are such a frequent refrain that they are practically a caption for the mental picture that most people have of the Acts 2 narrative. But the question remains: “In what way was the Church ‘born’ at Pentecost?” The usual answer is that Pentecost marks the sending of the Spirit to the Church, but this paper will argue that it is something else in Acts 2 that represents the birth of the Church. We all know the Acts 2 narrative: 120 disciples were gathered on Pentecost, when suddenly a “rushing, mighty wind” filled the place and all were baptized with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in “other tongues”. Jewish onlookers, festival pilgrims from the Diaspora, heard what the disciples were saying in their own native languages, although they came from all points of the known world. In his preaching debut, Peter connects what the crowd had witnessed to scriptural prooftexts heralding the endtime outpouring of the Spirit. “Repent”, Peter told the crowd, “and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). The narrative divides readily into two parts: (1) the sending of the Spirit (with its attendant manifestations), and (2) Peter’s preaching and its effects. It is the burden of this paper to show that the actual birthing of the Church should not be sought in the first part of the narrative, but rather in the second part. It is Peter’s preaching that represents the true “birthday” aspect of Pentecost. My argument begins, not in the second chapter of Acts, but in the second chapter of Ephesians.