The True Human Community
To Build the Church
January 15, 2023
Rev. Dr. Gabe Sylvia
True human community is formed when, by the Holy Spirit, believers live to glorify and enjoy God, witness Christ with the gospel (not with ecstatic tongues), and use their God-given gifts in humble contentment.
Summary
Pentecost (the Feast of First Fruits) marks the fulfillment of Jesus' ministry and shows that building genuine human community requires reliance on the Holy Spirit and the language of the gospel. The dramatic signs in Acts — a violent wind and tongues of fire — pointed to God's mighty works and equipped the church to witness, but the passage does not prescribe seeking ecstatic speaking-in-tongues as a normative baptismal experience. The Spirit leads believers into saving truth, empowers them to proclaim Jesus as Savior, and distributes gifts (prophet, priest, king) for God's glory; Christians should be content with their gifts and build community on gospel witness rather than on purported supernatural utterances that do not serve preaching or reveal God's will.
Key Points
- We were created to glorify God and enjoy him; a life ordered to glorify the Lord is rightly ordered.
- Pentecost/Feast of First Fruits fulfilled Jesus' ministry and demonstrates the need for the Holy Spirit to build true human community.
- The Acts signs (wind, tongues of fire) declared God's mighty works but do not mandate seeking a later tongues baptism.
- The Holy Spirit leads us into saving truth and bears witness to Christ; we must likewise share Jesus as Savior.
- The Spirit gives diverse gifts (prophet, priest, king) for the church; believers should be content with the gifts God assigns.
- Tongues are not for preaching, exhortation, or revealing God's will; genuine community is built on the language of the gospel.
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