A short reflection on the Spirit at Pentecost by Simon Gibbes

The Spirit at Pentecost spread from 120 disciples to 3000 new believers in a day, Simon Gibbes suggests the Spirit was for community and equality then, and now as we live out the call for justice at home in the UK and worldwide.

On Wednesday 18 May, World Vision UK in partnership with New Wine hosted a conversation about the role of the Spirit in addressing issues of social justice. 

Pentecost has long been recognised in the traditional church calendar as the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, a remarkable event that took place forty days after Christ’s ascension, amongst one hundred and twenty believers in an upper room in Jerusalem (Acts 2:1-4). 

The significance of this event is considered by Christians every year but perhaps in more recent times, churches have emphasised an individualistic interpretation of Pentecost, one that limits the role of the Spirit to providing a personal feel-good experience. However, as Bob Ekblad, Paul Harcourt and Asuntha Charles all pointed out in their own words during the webinar, when the Spirit was given to those early believers, they were compelled to meet one another’s practical needs. They did this to the point where Luke describes the early church community as having no unmet need among them (Acts 4:32-35). 

Whilst Bob Ekblad spoke to this point biblically, Paul Harcourt talked specifically about what the role of pastors should be in shaping this kind of biblical community. Finally, Asuntha Charles drew from her own experience of the Spirit’s unique leading in the challenging context of conducting humanitarian work in Afghanistan. The concluding words from Mark Sheard, Chief Executive at World Vision UK, commended the wisdom and encouragement of their words and work.

If you would like to hear the full conversation, hosted by Simon Gibbes, then please click on the link below: 

How the Spirit leads us to Justice - YouTube

Simon Gibbes
Simon Gibbes is Programme Manager at World Vision UK and coordinates their festivals, conferences and events.

Clockwise from top left: Asuntha Charles, Bob Ekblad, Mark Sheard, Shaima (Shaima is a Syrian refugee living in a World Vision refugee camp in Jordan, from the webinar poster), Paul Harcourt, and Simon Gibbes.