Several years ago, I accepted the pastorate of a Church of God congregation of about 120 people in a city of about 8000 people. The church was over fifty years old. Soon after settling in as the new pastor I attended the local ministerial association and introduced myself as the new pastor at the Church of God. One of the members gave me a surprised glance and exclaimed, “Church of God! I didn’t know there was one of those churches in this town!” A few years later, I was invited to preach at a Church of God congregation of about 140 people in a small Georgia town of about 2000. The congregation had been established in that city for more than sixty years. As I drove into the town, I stopped at a local store to buy gasoline. While paying for my purchase, I asked, “Can you give me directions to the Church of God?” After several seconds the clerk replied, “Sir, I’ve lived here all my life, but I don’t know where that church is located.” Of course these stories are anecdotal, but they serve to illustrate a very troubling fact; that is, too many of our local churches do not have a meaningful presence in their community.
As Jesus made his pilgrimage from the banks of the Jordan River where he was baptized, to the hill of Golgotha where he was crucified, his was a meaningful presence. Along the way Jesus fed the hungry multitudes, healed the sick, cleansed lepers, exorcised demons, celebrated a wedding feast at Cana, dined with sinners, embraced children, discipled women, rebuked religious hypocrites, raised the dead, and yes, he even forgave sin. As he stood before Pilate, he prophetically denounced the power of an oppressive state with the words, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). The authority of the kingdom of Christ is not derived from economic power or military might, but from the heart of God. The love of God compelled the Father to send the Son by the Spirit (and the Spirit through the Son) for the sake of human redemption. The saving acts of Jesus are the fulfillment of the eschatological hopes of the prophets which occurred in this present age and anticipate the coming of a new heavens and new earth.
The apostle Paul understood the human problem as sin, wrath, and death; and he understood human redemption in terms of righteousness, peace, and life (Romans 1:18; 5:1; 6:23). Humanity is alienated from God and the fruit of alienation is conflict, oppression, violence, and death. The wrath of God is expressed, or revealed, as God has given humanity over to its lusts, degrading passions, and depraved minds (Romans 1:18-32). The depth of human depravity is widely demonstrated. During the 20th century, human conflict (wars, genocide, political violence, terrorism, etc.) resulted in about 231 million deaths throughout the world (Deaths in Wars and Conflicts in the 20th Century). Presently, about 1.02 billion people suffer from chronic hunger due to a variety of reasons: warfare, climate change, poverty, political and economic corruption, etc. (2012 World Hunger and Poverty Facts and Statistics). According to the United Nations, presently there are 215 million children throughout the world who are engaged in child labor producing everything from chocolate to diamonds (Child Labour). Further, human trafficking (slavery) is a $31 billion industry with an estimated 2.5 million people, primarily children and young adults, being trafficked throughout the world (Human Trafficking: The Facts). These statistics are just the beginning of the world’s problems, but they suffice to demonstrate the gravity of the human condition. Even as Paul lamented the human condition he proclaimed, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…” (Romans 1:16). Paul declared that the gospel is humanity’s salvation – the restoration of righteousness, peace, and life. So we must consider how the church can be a meaningful presence in the world as we journey from Pentecost to Parousia.
Before his ascension, Jesus declared, “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The message of Pentecost is that God has empowered the church to bear witness to the transforming power of the gospel. The church must be a sacramental presence in the world. The Spirit-empowered church is to be engaged in the mission of Christ amidst the depravity of this present age, as she anticipates the Parousia and the glorification of the cosmos. The mission of the church includes, but is not limited to, preaching and teaching for the purpose of making disciples, caring for those in distress, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and promoting justice. The mission of the church must be an expression of righteousness, peace, and life in Christ.
Righteousness. The Hebrew word tzedek (rightness, righteousness) refers to that which is normal, just, and/or moral. It is used throughout the Old Testament to speak of an individual’s, or a people’s, covenant relationship with God; the just governance of human society; and/or the vindication of the oppressed. Further, it is attributed to the nature of God (the Righteous One) and God’s mission. Righteousness addresses the quality of a person or people, whereas justice speaks to a mode of action. In other words, acts of justice proceed from the characteristic of righteousness. Whereas, justice may sometimes be legalistic and harsh; righteousness implies generosity and benevolence. Paul declared that in the Gospel of Christ the “righteousness of God is revealed” (Romans 1:16-17). When Paul speaks of the righteousness of God he is referring to the character and action of God. The very nature of the term suggests the quality of relationship, or covenant. This term cannot be limited to God’s salvific action towards an individual, but must include the cosmos. God’s righteousness, in synergy with human faith, empowers human righteousness. The imparted righteousness of Christ justifies the sinner and provokes action within the human community that reflects the qualitative character of God. The language of justice is often used without consideration to its relationship to righteousness. The socio-political issues of abortion and homosexual marriage offer examples of secularized justice that do not reflect the biblical notion of the righteousness of God. In the end, just as religious faith and ritual without love and justice is apostasy; so too, justice without the righteousness of God is apostasy. Human rights can only be properly defined in terms of the righteousness of God.
Peace. The Hebrew word shālôm refers to the overall welfare of the human soul. The word soul should not be understood in terms of Greek metaphysics, that is, as the spiritual component of human being. Rather, the Hebrew concept of soul is best understood as life, that is, human being as inseparable body and spirit which lives. Shālôm means to be complete, or whole; to be safe; to be in good health; to prosper; to live and die in tranquility. In matters of human community, shālôm refers to friendship and peacemaking. In relationship to God, shālôm refers to the salvific covenant between God and humanity. When the apostolic authors of the New Testament spoke of peace they used the word to reflect its usage in the Septuagint, which corresponds to the Hebrew shālôm. Jesus Christ is the “Prince of Peace” and his disciples are called to be peacemakers (Isaiah 9:6-7; Matthew 5:9). As peacemakers, Christians are empowered by the Holy Spirit to go into the world as “lambs in the midst of wolves” calling humanity to repentance and prophetically engaging a socio-political agenda that reflects the righteousness of God (Luke 10:3; 24:47). Peacemaking that does not include the call to repentance and the acknowledgment of God in human society is nothing less than idolatry. A call to repentance that ignores the Christian’s obligation to engage the sources of human conflict in this present age is nothing less than hypocrisy. Paul warned of those who would hold “to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power” (2 Timothy 3:5). James declared that faith is perfected by works, that is, righteous action. To insist that naked and hungry people must repent before providing them with adequate food and clothing is worthless religion (James 2:14-22). To call a slave to repentance without also affirming his human dignity and working for his freedom and civil rights is dereliction (Galatians 3:26-29; Philemon 16). Christian mission that does not promote the shālôm of suffering humans through acts of mercy does not reflect the righteousness of God; but instead reflects the iniquity of false-prophets (Matthew 7:21-23; 25:41-46).
Life. Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). The “abundant life” of John’s gospel is both quantitative (eternal) and qualitative. Yes, eternal life speaks to the defeat of the death and the eschatological hope of resurrection and glorification; but that is not the primary emphasis of John’s gospel. In John, the mission of Jesus was to impart eschatological light and life into this present age of darkness and death. Throughout the gospel, the miracles of Jesus enhanced the lives of those he touched. Jesus offered his life as a sacrificial lamb so all humanity could pass from death into life. This sacrificial love is to be expressed in the life and mission of the church as the church works to enhance the quality of human life (1 John 3:16-18).
The apostle Paul declared, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death” (Romans 8:2). Just as all humans are subject to death; so too, this present cosmos will die. The Jerusalem Pentecost outpouring of the Spirit should be understood as a prolepsis of the new heavens and new earth. Just as the primeval Spirit of God brought forth life from darkness and chaos; the Spirit of Pentecost moves over this present age as a pledge of glorification (Genesis 1:2; Romans 8:18-25).
So, between Pentecost and Parousia, how is the abundant life in Christ to be expressed in this present age? Eschatological hope is the motivation for Christian mission. It was eschatological hope that compelled Paul to fight with “wild beast” at Ephesus (1 Corinthians 15:32). In other words, the church must not surrender to the powers of darkness as she awaits the Parousia. Rather, the Christian mission in this present age is to struggle against the powers of death and darkness (Ephesians 6:12). To speak of the sanctity of life means that the Spirit of life moves to overcome the diverse expressions of the corruption of sin in this present age – abortion, violence, exploitation – with signs that anticipate glorification.
The Pentecostal gospel is envisioned in terms of being “saved, sanctified, and baptized in the Holy Spirit.” To be “saved” means to believe in Jesus Christ, to be adopted into the family of God, to be justified from sinfulness. For broken humans, to be “saved” also means being a part of a community that offers support and love (adoption) and right-wising their upside-down lives (justification). To be “sanctified” means that the power of sin is broken and the love of God is being perfected. For impoverished humans, to be “sanctified” also means that the quality of their lives is improved. To be Spirit-baptized means the impartation of divine life, and to be empowered for service in God’s kingdom. Spirit-baptism also means dignity, hope, and empowerment in the struggle against personal sinful behaviors and corrupt socio-economic structures that seek to oppress and destroy their lives. The transformative power of the gospel of Jesus Christ is a life of righteousness and peace. Therefore, the Pentecostal community must be fully engaged in the ministry of soul-care in which life is renewed. This is not self-help, nor is it social welfare. It is a sanctifying synergism between the Holy Spirit, the Spirit-empowered community, and the Spirit-empowered individual.
