On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit powerfully descended upon the awaiting faithful, in response to a promise given by Jesus prior to his ascension. In a few days, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit . . . [and] you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. The nature of that power remarkably makes Jesus’ disciples effective witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Although it is tempting to believe that Jesus’ commission to all nations is a new development in the missio Dei, it is not. The mission of God has always included the nations beyond the called and faithful remnant. What is new is the promise of power to expedite the mission.
This power though, is not the consequence of an inanimate energy source but rather the manifestation of the Spirit of Christ. No less than the abiding presence and power of the Holy Spirit is adequate to accomplish this exceptional mission to all nations.
To accept the gift of the Spirit as they did at Pentecost and throughout Acts, necessitates an intentional missions objective, for the purpose of Pentecost is to clothe believers with power to be witnesses to all the nations. For a believer to claim to be filled with the Spirit and yet have no inclination for the mission of Jesus is at the very least a contradiction of reason and at most a travesty of purpose. To ask for the baptism of the Holy Spirit intrinsically implies that the recipient of the gift accepts the mission, the method, and the power to go to the ends of the earth!
