“Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!’” (Luke 15:8-9).
Ironic as it may seem, renewal movements often look back for inspiration and guidance as they engage the future. This is especially true for those who seek reformation, or revival, within the Christian church. Renewal movements seek to recover something that has been lost. The Pentecostal Movement was birthed as sincere believers sought to recover the apostolic faith. The heart of Pentecostal spirituality is an encounter with the Holy Trinity.
There are many challenges that face Pentecostal churches as we transition into the second century of the movement. Many of these challenges are not unlike the difficulties of the early church in the second and third centuries; or the challenges of other renewal movements throughout the history of the church. From time to time, the church loses a treasure. The parable of the lost coin teaches us that we must be very careful to guard the treasures with which we have been blessed. The woman had ten coins. Early Pentecostals inherited a rich deposit of Christian tradition.
The first great treasure is the revelation of God as Holy Trinity. Human redemption is accomplished as God the Father embraces us with God’s two hands—Son and Spirit. This divine embrace lifts us out of the corruption of this present age and places us in heavenly places. We must be careful to preserve this treasure of the faith. From the perspective of a Pentecostal, it seems that all too often the church has presented God the Father with one hand (Christ) reaching out to humanity, but the other hand (Spirit) is tied behind God’s back. As we move into a postmodern (and post-Christian) world, there is another concern, that is, the tendency to present God with God’s right hand (Christ) somewhat diminished. The Spirit is sometimes presented as working outside of the Holy Trinity, as if God’s left hand is unaware of the right hand. In other words, the Spirit without Christ can lead humans to salvation. This does not reflect the apostolic faith. The Pentecostal “full gospel” affirms the ancient Christian faith that the Son and the Spirit are one with the Father. The Father’s salvific embrace is fully expressed in the Incarnation and Pentecost. Salvation is receiving Christ and the Holy Spirit. Pentecostal spirituality is Christo-Pneumatic.
Another treasure is the church—redeemed humanity in fellowship with the Holy Trinity. The church is the “body of Christ” and the “fellowship of the Holy Spirit.” The church is our mother, from whom we receive nourishment and nurture. She is to be honored. There are many challenges presently before us as it relates to our understanding of the church. Some Christians don’t even like the term. They claim there is too much negative historical baggage associated with the term. It is because of the church’s baggage that the Spirit continuously works to renew the church. A full hearing of the church’s history will reveal its sins, but also its glory. For Pentecostals, the church is essential in God’s redemptive plan. The church is the dwelling of the Holy Spirit and is empowered by the Spirit for mission. So, instead of deconstructing the church, we should seek to renew her. Pentecostal spirituality is expressed as a Christo-Pneumatic ecclesiology.
The sacraments are salvific treasures. The sacraments are visible and physical expressions of God’s redemptive work in our lives. Sacraments call us to the altar so that we may present our bodies to God as a “living and holy sacrifice.” Sacraments tell the story of redemption. As we participate in sacramental worship, we are washed and cleansed, we are nourished and healed, and we confess and are forgiven. As I have demonstrated, early Pentecostals enthusiastically embraced the sacraments. The “full gospel” means that the whole counsel of God’s Word is to be proclaimed and practiced. As we seek to make church “relevant,” we have witnessed the inclusion of liturgical dance, living drama, and even mime in worship services. I embrace these forms of visual worship. However, the sacraments should not be viewed as archaic, or incidental, forms of worship. Worship must be more than entertainment. Worship must be a transformative encounter with God. The sacraments are the physical means of this encounter. Pentecostalism is a Christo-Pneumatic ecclesiology that is expressed in a physical spirituality.
The woman had ten coins, but lost one. She was not satisfied with the nine remaining coins. She sought to recover the lost coin. If we are to be faithful to our Pentecostal heritage, we must never allow any treasure of the “full gospel” to be lost. Just as our Pentecostal patriarchs and matriarchs sought to recover an encounter with the Holy Spirit, we must be diligent to search the house for any lost treasure. Pentecostal pastors must hold fast to their role as the primary teachers and worship leaders of the church. We must be students of the Scriptures, searching the Scriptures for every salvific treasure. This is an ongoing task that is essential to the renewal of the church. The sacraments have become the lost treasure of many Pentecostal churches. We have treasures remaining. However, we must not be satisfied until we recover all lost treasures. Then we can rejoice.
From Pentecostal Sacraments: Encountering God at the Altar.
