The Significance of the Incident of Pentecost in the Book of Acts for Christian Mission Today

Abstract

The event of Pentecost in the book of Acts can be viewed as a continuation of the salvation drama initiated by God; it has some connection with the Jewish feast of Shavuot and the work of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. The event is generally understood as the Holy Spirit’s outpouring and has great significance for the Christian mission. By means of the literary qualitative research method, this paper defines the Christian mission and traces the event of Pentecost from the Holy Spirit’s missional work in the Old Testament, emphasizing the significance of the outpouring in Acts for Christian Mission in Evangelism, Leadership, Character Transformation and Cross-cultural mission. Using the church of Pentecost as an example, the paper concludes that the incident of Pentecost is most significant in the growth of Pentecostal Movements. In addition to the Holy Spirit’s work, good education, proper planning and good mission strategies are recommended for effective Christian Mission. Keywords: Pentecost, Christian Mission, Holy Spirit, Cross-cultural mission