Neighborhood Ministries

The season of Pentecost occurs during the summer and today is a time when the church reaches out through special ministries to reach those who don’t know God that they may see God’s love and turn to Him. The zeal of the church in its ministry testifies to the presence of the Holy Spirit in it just as the tongues of fire testified to the presence of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost after Jesus rose from the dead. The church’s goal should be to be a witness to God’s love and to introduce unbelievers to the love of God in the hope that they will desire that love and turn to Christ for their salvation. The church’s main emphasis should be to reach out to those around it, conduct charity, and minister to the needs it finds. While these should be carried out all year round, Pentecost should be used to expand the church’s outreach. 

Many churches celebrate Pentecost, the second major celebration, on the 50th day after Passover (according to Jewish tradition) which is a Thursday, but some churches start the count of 50 days with Easter and celebrate it on the seventh Sunday after Easter. The color is Red, symbolizing the fire of the Spirit. When the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples, there appeared tongues of fire over them Acts 2:1-6. Pentecost was a time when the Jews celebrated the giving of the Law to Moses and predicted when God would write His law in our hearts. The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost fulfilled the prophecy as the Holy Spirit comes into our hearts and dwells in us, teaching us God’s Law, and guiding us in doing all that God would have us do, helping us carry out God’s will. Pentecost occurs during the harvest of the first fruits and is considered the birth date of the church. It was fulfilled when many who witnessed the coming of the Holy Spirit joined the church and became the first fruits of the Gospel.