Pentecost: The Forgotten Finish to the Greatest Story Ever Told
Easter wasn’t the end — it was the setup. At Pentecost, Jesus’ promise became reality. The Spirit arrived, the Church was born, and God's power moved in — alive within us today. Are you living this?
Welcome to the week after Easter, when pastors and church staff around the world are trying to recover from special services, egg hunts, and too many donuts. Yes, this includes me.
Easter is over, but on the traditional church calendar, a vital part of the Gospel story is yet to occur—Pentecost. It’s not part of the Easter narrative, but what happens helps define all Jesus did while he walked the earth 2,000 years ago.
The Jesus Story: Magnificent 7 Plot Points
Let’s start with a brief recap of April’s posts. I used screenwriter’s plot points to help describe what happened, beginning with Lazarus’ story, which I argue is the “Big Event.”1 It’s when the tension begins to crank up for Jesus. The religious leaders call for a hit on Jesus.2 They are willing to do whatever it takes because of their hatred of Jesus.
This tension is caused by Jesus' call. Jesus calls Lazarus from the grave, which is the primary concern of the religious leaders. However, Jesus also uses that event to give Martha and Mary, Lazarus’ sisters, a deeper and more rounded view of who he is. His call on their lives was part of the bigger picture of why the religious leaders hated Jesus so much. Jesus called men and women to something greater than they offered.
Big Event to Midpoint Moment…
It’s just a week later when Jesus triumphantly enters Jerusalem to the praises of the crowds around him. It is the “Midpoint Moment” when Jesus has proclaimed himself to be King. He couldn’t turn back from there, but it left questions to be answered: Who is Jesus? What did he mean by calling himself King?
…to the Crisis and Climax…
The answer comes in the startling “Crisis” and “Climax” moments. The crisis is the dark hours of his arrest, trial, and death. It seems the story is over, and Jesus was just a fantasy of a king. Interestingly, the climax is not seen — Jesus defeats Satan and death while his friends are hidden and sleeping. It is a reminder that Joy can be found in the dark moments of life. Jesus won so that you can have hope!
It seems the story is over. Jesus wins, and everyone lives happily ever after. Kinda.
The Realization of Jesus’ Promise
In plotting the points of a screenplay, there is one final moment to be depicted — “the Realization”; the moment the character has realized all he planned or hoped for. You could display a few different moments as this realization in the Gospel narratives:
Thomas encounters the risen Jesus.3
Peter is called up to greater things on the beach.4
Jesus gives a final charge to his followers in the Great Commission.5
You wouldn’t be wrong, but I want to point to a promise Jesus made the night of his arrest.
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
Two of Jesus' most essential teachings are found in Matthew, in the Sermon on the Mount, and in John’s story of his final teaching to his disciples at the Last Supper. In the speech recorded by John, we feel the intensity of Jesus’ words. He is trying to pack as much as he can into these last moments.
These last words of Jesus are found in John 13-17, where he tells his disciples multiple times about the gift of the Spirit that will come after his death. This is the promise he made to his disciples: the Spirit is coming.6 In this promise, he mentions the purpose of the Holy Spirit is to guide, advocate for, teach, comfort, and bring peace. The coming of the Spirit is important enough to Jesus that he reminds his followers again after his resurrection.7
So, this final promise is realized at Pentecost.
On the day of Pentecost, all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. -Acts 2:1-4 NLT
The God of the Universe Inside You
Let me take a moment to explain. Many of you reading this have grown up in and around the church. These stories and concepts aren’t new. You’ve read them multiple times and heard about them even more from preachers and teachers. You’ve read about Jesus’ last words, the promise of the Holy Spirit, Pentecost, and so much more.
I'm in your same boat, but something recently rocked my boat. If you haven’t heard all of these things, you still might miss this incredible truth about God.
Pastor Francis Chan, in teaching about the Holy Spirit, said (this is my paraphrase):
In the Old Testament, God was so separate (or other than) that he was forced to hide his face from one of the most holy men, Moses. Most everyone else didn’t even see God’s back; they knew of him only from a distance.
In the New Testament Gospels, Jesus comes, lives, and walks among humanity. God, once so separated from humanity that you couldn’t see his face, is now living in the same space and breathing the same air as his creation.
Finally, the Holy Spirit came to reside within those who choose to follow Jesus. Now, God, the Creator of all things, lives within his people.
The Power Within
If you claim Jesus as your Lord, the Spirit dwells in you. Again, this is mindblowing set upon the history of God in the world. And the Spirit within you sets you apart. What does this mean?
This is how John said it in a letter to the Church:
But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. -1 John 4:4 NLT
Within you is the Teacher of Truth. Inside of you is an Advocate in times of trouble. Living in the depths of your spirit is a Comforter in moments of heartache. Taken up residence in your body and soul is Peace itself. The Spirit is greater than the spirit of this World (which John calls the Antichrist in 1 John 4:3). This is the Spirit who breathed life back into the dead body of Jesus within a borrowed tomb!
The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. -Romans 8:11 NLT
Easter Every Day
In about a month, the Global Church will celebrate Pentecost. It’s very possible your church won’t say anything about it, but it’s a powerful moment in history. The promise of Jesus was realized in a small room packed with skittish Jesus followers.
If you follow Jesus, that same promise is within you today. The Spirit is alive and active inside you. Allow him to work freely in your life — comfort, advocate, bring peace, and so much more. This is how the Kingdom, established by King Jesus, grows in this world—being led by the Spirit.
When you are led by the Spirit, you celebrate Easter. You put the power of resurrection in action. Don’t wait. Call on the Spirit within you to overcome the pressure outside you.
It is a promise.
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You can find all 7 Plot Points at this site.
The religious leaders were also the default political leaders representing the Jewish people to the Roman government. What wasn’t controlled by the Romans was controlled by this group in that society.
John 20:24-29
John 21:15-25
Matthew 28:16-20
Specifically read John 14:16-18 and John 16-18
Acts 1:3-5