Why is it that bicultural Hellenist believers such as Stephen (theologically) and Philip (practically; Acts 6-8) were able to begin bridging cultural gaps before the Jerusalem apostles did? The apostles were the ones whom Jesus directly instructed to bring the good news to “the ends of the earth” (1:8), but initially they may have expected it to spread indirectly or by a sovereign miracle while they continued to work in Jerusalem. Yet once Peter and John witnessed and supported Philip’s success in Samaria, they also began preaching in Samaritan villages (8:25). Is it possible that cultural lenses influenced who first understood Jesus’s instructions most clearly?
If we read from the vantage of Pentecost, we recognize that God speaks all languages and reaches out to all cultures. Different cultures may hear different aspects of the Spirit’s voice more readily. A reading from the vantage point of Pentecost, then, invites us to trust the Spirit’s work in the global church enough that we dialogue with one another, listen to one another, and share with one another.
The Spirit speaks through different gifts in the local church, and we all provide a safety net of discernment for one another’s blind spots (1 Cor 14:29). The same will be true with the global church; sometimes what others hear from the Spirit in the global church will challenge us, and sometimes what we hear will challenge others. Yet we are together one body in Christ, needing one another. The one Spirit is heard best through the one body into which the Spirit has baptized us (1 Cor 12:13; Eph 4:4-6).
This content is by Craig Keener, but edited and posted by Defenders Media.
For more on how to read and interpret Scripture in light of Pentecost, read Spirit Hermeneutics (2016).
