24May2026 - Bethel Ontario Live - Pentecost

May 24, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Fire That Burns Without Consuming

The Pentecost flame doesn’t destroy – it purifies and unites. Like the burning bush that revealed God’s presence to Moses, this holy fire dismantles barriers of fear and prejudice while preserving the sacred worth of every person. It’s a refining blaze that leaves communities more connected, not less. [30:53]

They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:3-4, ESV)

Reflection: What walls of division or distrust has the Spirit been warming with holy fire in your life? How might you lean into this heat rather than retreat from it?

Day 2: All Flesh Means Every Human Body

Pentecost’s promise explodes human categories – young and old, insiders and outsiders, the “worthy” and the overlooked. The Spirit’s descent on “all flesh” declares every body holy ground, every life a vessel for divine breath. This radical inclusion challenges our instinct to build walls around God’s grace. [27:08]

“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” (Acts 2:17, ESV)

Reflection: When have you unconsciously limited “all” to mean “people like us”? What person or group might the Spirit be urging you to see as holy flesh today?

Day 3: Tongues of Fire, Voices of Understanding

The miracle wasn’t uniform language but mutual comprehension. Fishermen spoke, foreigners understood. The Spirit didn’t erase differences but built bridges across them – Parthians heard Medes, Mesopotamians heard Cappadocians. True unity celebrates distinct voices while creating shared meaning. [26:02]

When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?” (Acts 2:6-8, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you need the Spirit’s help to truly hear – not just tolerate – someone whose “language” (experiences, beliefs, or background) differs from yours?

Day 4: Shared Bread, Shared Life

The Pentecost fire didn’t stop at spiritual ecstasy – it ignited material generosity. Newly unified believers sold property, distributed resources, and ate together daily. The Spirit’s presence always moves from personal transformation to communal justice, from speaking in tongues to breaking bread. [32:58]

All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together…breaking bread in their homes and eating together with glad and sincere hearts. (Acts 2:44-46, ESV)

Reflection: What practical step could you take this week to move from charity to solidarity – sharing life rather than just surplus?

Day 5: Wind That Renews the Earth’s Face

The same breath that resurrected Christ now sweeps through creation like a holy sirocco. This isn’t gentle breeze religion – it’s a desert storm eroding prejudice, a gale scattering seeds of justice. The Spirit still comes to “renew the face of the earth,” starting with our dust-made bodies. [35:36]

When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground. (Psalm 104:30, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you sense the Spirit’s renewing wind blowing in your community? What buried seeds might it be stirring to life beneath society’s parched surface?

Sermon Summary

John 7 lets Jesus cry out to a thirsty crowd and promise living water, and the text names that water as the Spirit, soon to be poured out. Pentecost takes that promise and explodes it into history like wind and fire. Acts 2 does not stage the birth of an institution; Pentecost births a new humanity. The Spirit arrives untamed, “beyond anything” the walls of religion can contain, and refuses to leave the world unchanged.

Acts’ rushing wind, tongues as of fire, and many languages often draw attention to the miracle of speech, but the deeper miracle rises as spiritual understanding. Difference is not erased; uniformity is not the goal. The miracle is connection across difference. Joel anchors this with God’s vow: “I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh.” All means all; not some, not approved, not worthy, not the right kind. Every human life is addressed by God’s breath.

That claim confronts habits of exclusion. Rules about who belongs at the table falter in the heat of Pentecost’s fire. History shows how dangerous the us-and-them impulse becomes, and Acts answers by burning those distinctions to the ground. The Spirit does not descend on one nation, race, class, language, or gender only. The Spirit blows where it wills, and where the Spirit moves, fire is never far behind.

Holy fire in Scripture does not merely destroy; it also renews. The fire at Pentecost consumes division, bigotry, fear, and hatred, then clears space for a new community. Acts says “all” again and again: all were together, all were filled, all heard in their own languages. Then the “all” took on economic shape: shared resources, common care, no one left behind. Pentecost is transformation, not just elevated feelings. Paul says there are many gifts but one Spirit; difference remains, but belonging becomes the mark.

Empire still profits from division, sorting neighbor against neighbor. Pentecost announces that every human boundary is smaller than the love of God. The Spirit crosses borders, speaks every language, and calls the church to be more than a private club: a living sign that another world is possible, where every person is seen as bearing the image of God. The psalmist promises that God’s Breath renews the face of the earth, and Paul dares to say, “Christ is all and in all.” The calling is not to contain this wind and fire, but to join it, to live as though all truly means all, and to become followers of the Way.

Key Takeaways

1. Pentecost births a new humanity Pentecost does not inaugurate an institution but unleashes a Spirit-led people who cannot be contained by walls or old categories. The day arrives as wind and fire, and it refuses to leave the world as it was. The Spirit’s coming signals nothing less than creation renewed in real time. [25:10]
2. All means all, without exception Joel’s “all flesh” presses past insider language to claim every body and story as addressed by God. The claim dismantles the reflex to police tables and thresholds. If all bear God’s breath, then hospitality is not optional, it is obedience. [27:21]
3. Holy fire burns division and makes room Biblical fire does not only scorch; it also fertilizes new life. At Pentecost, the flames consume fear, hatred, and the lie of superiority so that generosity can take root. The clearing makes space for shared goods and shared lives. [31:59]
4. Belonging without sameness shapes community The Spirit gives many gifts without demanding copies of the same person. Difference persists, but rivalry does not have to. Belonging names a people held together by one Spirit, not one mold. [33:34]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[04:21] - Call to Worship: Come, Holy Spirit
[05:36] - Pentecost Prayer for New Creation
[22:44] - Gospel Reading: John 7:37-39
[25:10] - Pentecost: Birth of a New Humanity
[26:18] - Miracle: Connection Across Difference
[26:30] - Joel: Spirit on All Flesh
[27:21] - All Means All, No Exceptions
[29:52] - Pentecost Burns Us-and-Them
[31:59] - Holy Fire that Burns Division
[32:58] - Shared Life: Generosity over Fear
[33:34] - Many Gifts, One Belonging
[34:51] - Church as Sign of Another World
[35:59] - Christ Is All, In All
[36:20] - Joining the Wind and Fire

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Acts 2:1-4 (ESV)
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Joel 2:28-29 (ESV)
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

Observation Questions

What physical signs (wind, fire, languages) accompanied the Holy Spirit’s arrival in Acts 2, and what do these symbols suggest about the Spirit’s work? [25:40]
How does Joel 2:28-29 redefine who receives God’s Spirit, and what specific groups are named?
Acts 2 repeatedly uses the word “all” (e.g., “all were filled,” “all heard”). What patterns of community life emerge after the Spirit’s arrival? [32:17]
According to the sermon, what does the “fire” of Pentecost destroy and create? [31:59]

Interpretation Questions

Why might the miracle of “connection across difference” (Acts 2:6-11) be considered more transformative than the miracle of speaking in tongues? [26:18]
Joel’s prophecy says the Spirit is poured out on “all flesh,” including marginalized groups like servants. How does this challenge religious or cultural systems that exclude people? [27:21]
The sermon claims Pentecost’s fire “burns division but makes room for shared life.” How does Acts 2:42-47 illustrate this renewal? [32:58]
Paul says the Spirit gives “many gifts” but creates “one belonging” (1 Corinthians 12:4-7). How does this balance unity and diversity in a community? [33:34]

Application Questions

The Spirit’s arrival at Pentecost disrupted old boundaries. Where have you seen or experienced exclusion (in the church, workplace, or society) that contradicts the “all means all” vision? What practical step could challenge that exclusion? [27:21]
The early church shared resources so “no one was left behind.” What fears or habits make it hard to live generously today? How could your small group embody this kind of radical care? [32:58]
The sermon says the Spirit’s fire “renews courage and compassion.” What division or prejudice in your own heart needs to be burned away to see others as “bearing God’s image”? [35:16]
How might treating every person—regardless of language, status, or background—as “addressed by God’s breath” change the way you interact with neighbors or coworkers this week? [34:51]
The early church was called “followers of the Way,” not just an institution. What would it look like for your community to prioritize being a “new humanity” over maintaining programs or traditions? [36:20]

Sermon Clips

44s

#UntamedSpirit

“But Pentecost Pentecost burns those distinctions to the ground. On Pentecost, the spirit did not descend upon one nation only, one race only, one language, one gender, one class only. The spirit was poured out upon all flesh. Maybe that's why Pentecost feels so untamed because the spirit refuses to stay inside the boundaries we create. The spirit blows where it will. And throughout scripture, wherever the spirit shows up, fire is never far behind.”

45s

#ChurchWithoutWalls

“Pentecost declares that every boundary humanity creates is smaller than the love of God. The spirit crosses borders. The spirit speaks every language. The spirit refuses to recognize the walls we build, and that means the church is called to become something more than a private religious club. The church is called to become a living sign that another world is possible, a world where all people are treated as beloved, a world where diversity is not feared but celebrated, a world where a world where every person is recognized as bearing the image of God.”

45s

#LiveAllMeansAll

“And our calling, our calling is not to contain the spirit. Our calling is to join it, to live as though all truly means all, to love as though all people truly are God's people, to become people of the way, people set ablaze by the love of God. The early church did not call themselves Christians. They called themselves followers of the way. May the spirit burn brightly in us again. May the spirit renew the face of the earth, and may we have the courage to live as citizens of this new humanity born in wind and in fire.”

52s

#SpiritForEveryBody

“And at the center of the story is this astonishing declaration from the prophet Joel. Listen carefully. I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh. All flesh. Not some flesh, not approved flesh, not worthy flesh, not the right kind of flesh, all flesh. The Greek phrase, for those who actually read Greek, I always have to look it up. But the Greek phrase points towards the whole of humanity. It actually means every human body, every human life, all humanity, all flesh.”

47s

#BirthOfANewHumanity

“Pentecost is wild and disruptive. Pentecost is dangerous and expansive beyond anything we can contain inside church walls because Pentecost is not the birth of an institution. Pentecost is a birth of a new humanity. It is the moment when the spirit of God comes rushing into human history like wind and fire and refuses to leave the world unchanged. The story from the second chapter of the acts of the apostles is filled with lots of dramatic imagery, the violent wind, the tongues of fire, people speaking in many languages, a crowd gathered from all over the known world.”

39s

#UnityInDifference

“And often when we hear the story, we focus on the miracle of speech and language and understanding. But I think the deeper miracle is the miracle of spiritual understanding. People who were separated by language, culture, nationality, social practices, and history suddenly heard one another. Difference was erased. The spirit did not make everyone the same. The miracle is not uniformity. The miracle is connection across difference.”

42s

#CommunityOfGenerosity

“The book of Acts tells us that the people began sharing what they had. They cared for one another. They fed one another. They held possessions in common so no one would be left to be kind. The spirit created a community shaped by generosity instead of fear. And that matters because Pentecost is not simply about spiritual feelings or emotional excitement. Pentecost is about transformation. The spirit changes people. The spirit changes communities. The spirit changes the way we see one another.”

49s

#FireThatRenews

“I love that imagery because it reminds us that the fire of God cannot be controlled. It cannot be reduced to our categories. Living here in California, we understand something about fire. Some of us have lived through evacuations. Some of us have watched hillsides burn. We know how overwhelming and frightening fire can be. It changes landscapes. It destroys. But strangely enough, fire also renews. And the fire of Pentecost came to burn away something. It came to consume division, bigotry, fear, hatred, the lie that some people matter more than others.”

38s

#SpiritRenewsAll

“And, friends, we we desperately need that vision right now. We need the renewing fire of Pentecost. We need the spirit to burn away our fear, our prejudice, our despair, and we need the spirit to create something new within us, new courage, new compassion, new imagination, new community. The psalmist says, you send forth your spirit and they are created so you renew the face of the earth. Not just the church. The earth, all creation renewed by the breath of God.”

42s

#ImagoDeiForAll

“What if that's where our theology should begin? Not with separation, not with exclusion, not with insiders and outsiders, but with the radical claim that every human being bears the breath of God. Churches churches tend to create rules and boundaries. Religious institutions always have done. I understand that. Some of you know me well enough to know that I never really cared about the rules and boundaries because for me, the point is God's spirit, God's love, and God's compassion.”

37s

#MoreThanABirthday

“Some Christians think of Pentecost as the birthday of the church, complete with balloons, candles, and cake. I remember many, many, many years ago here, actually, before I was serving as as your pastor, I think we had a birthday cake one of the Pentecost days. Yeah. Right. So that's kinda fun. And don't get me wrong. I like birthdays, even this one of mine. Not a big fan of balloons, but if you like them, well, that's okay. You can have balloons. I definitely like cake. So all those things are good. But Pentecost is so much more than a birthday party.”

40s

#NoUsAndThem

“What troubled me was how easily we draw distinctions between us and them, between us and the other, between the faithful and the faithless, between the saved and the unsaved, between those who belong and those who supposedly do not, history shows us time and time again how dangerous those distinctions become. Some of okay. I'm gonna use air quotes. Christianity's worst moments have come from deciding that some people are God's people while others are not.”

40s

#AllWereTogether

“Acts chapter two keeps repeating one word over and over again. All all were together. All were filled with the spirit. All heard in their own languages. The Pentecost fire burned away the divisions created by empire, national divisions, linguistic divisions, economic divisions, social divisions. For one breathtaking moment, humanity glimpsed what God intends for the world, and it did not end there. Because the fire did not merely destroy old barriers, it created something new.”

39s

#HolyFireRenewal

“Pentecost echoes another holy fire story, the one with Moses standing before the burning bush, a fire blazing in the wilderness, a fire that burned but did not consume, a fire through which God spoke. There is an ancient poem that describes a holy fire in these words. These are just some of the poem. The poem is really long, but these are key words. A fire that burns and things dry and moist, a fire amid snow and ice, a fire that reveals itself in many forms, a fire that renews itself every day.”

30s

#ChristIsAll

“And Paul, even Paul bless him. Paul echoes the same vision when he writes, there is no longer Jew or Greek slave or free, but Christ is all and in all. Christ is all and in all. That is Pentecost. The spirit poured out on all flesh, the fire of divine love filling every corner of creation, the holy wind still blowing through this wounded world.”

36s

#SpiritCreatesBelonging

“The spirit does not create sameness. The spirit creates belonging, and that perhaps is one of the greatest challenges of our time because we are living in a world that profits from division. We're constantly being separated into categories and camps, race against race, poor against poor, citizens against immigrants, neighbor against neighbor. The builders of empire still divide and conquer because division gives them power. But Pentecost announces another reality.”

41s

#WelcomeToTheTable

“And I think that is one of the most important truths that the church needs to hear again right now. All means all. Several years ago, some of you might remember me sharing this at the time, I got involved in a series of online conversations about a theological statement that was connected to the question of communion and who is welcome to the table. In the midst of that discussion, there was a phrase that deeply troubled me.”

44s

#AllAreGodsPeople

“The statement which came from a group of theological theological people in the the statement said that communion was not intended for all people, but rather for God's people. Yeah. Something in me most of you know I'm very patient, but that there's, like, a line. And when you cross the line, we're we're dead. Well, something me was we I'm gonna have that line, and something in me rose up in protest because I couldn't stop thinking, well, what if all people are God's people?”

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