Letter to the Congregations: 15th June 2024

Our Dear Brethren,

The crowd stood in amazement as some mocked and some were genuinely curious about what they were hearing. Everyone, no matter what language they spoke, heard the words of the apostles in their own tongue. They were hearing the truth of God spoken, the name of the Messiah named, the plan of God laid out. And they were all called upon to repent so they might become part of something greater than themselves, something greater than their nation and tribes. They were being called upon to become part of the body of the Messiah, the Church of God.

In the midst of the amazement and the mocking, the apostle Peter spoke up a little louder than the other men. "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel" (Acts 2:14b-16). Peter made it obvious that what was happening on that day was in part a fulfillment of the prophecy given by God through the prophet Joel regarding the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. Even though Peter's quotation (no doubt inspired by the very Spirit of God that now moved within him) continued on, the majority of the prophecy was yet to come.

"I will show you wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord" (Acts 2:19-20 quoting from Joel 2:30-31).

The last part of the quoted prophecy mentioned something needed by all of humanity, something desired by most, something that only comes through our Savior. "And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the Lord shall be saved" (Acts 2:21 and Joel 2:32). The Day of the Lord hasn't yet arrived. When it does, it will be a very difficult time for the world. One of the purposes of shaking the world up so drastically will be to turn people to their Creator. There will be many who suffer and die. There will be many who continue to deny God or blame Him for the frightening happenings at that time. But there will also be those who turn to God, who repent of their sins, and who will also receive the Spirit of God.

The Feast of Pentecost is a reminder of the gift of the Holy Spirit and of the beginning of the New Covenant Church of God. It is also a reminder of the giving of the commandments of God and the internalizing of those commandments through the power of the Spirit placing them in our hearts and minds. The Feast of Pentecost is also a reminder of the ongoing need to turn to God for salvation and not rely on ourselves. Times ahead will be difficult, but we know that if we call upon the name of our God we can be saved!

Our love is with you,

Lewis VanAusdle

Pastor, United Church of God

NYC, NJ, CT, Malawi, Zimbabwe