These words, spoken by the Apostle Peter on the first Christian Pentecost, reveal the lasting significance of the pivotal event which had just taken place, the coming of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the world mission of the church. As Christians throughout the world unite to celebrate Pentecost, the birthday of the church, these simple words still carry a message of vital importance concerning the nature, the purpose, the outreach, and the impelling power of the community of the Spirit which came into being nearly 2,000 years ago. This message does not allow us to interpret the primary meaning of Pentecost in terms of ecstatic feelings of private individuals. Nor does it allow us to focus attention on the changes that are taking place in our revolutionary age and to let the world …