Though I do not have much time this morning to write a lengthy post, I thought it appropriate to comment at least briefly on the egalitarian nature of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that are first mentioned in Joel 2:28-29 and then repeated as (at least partially) fulfilled at the famous Pentecost service in Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit is given to the believers of the early church that first holy day after the ascension of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Though the passage showing this egalitarian gift is often quoted, it appears as if its significance is not often sufficiently noted and recognized. So, let us comment briefly on the gifts quoted in Joel 2 and how they demonstrate an egalitarian blessing that spreads widely across those who are called.
Joel 2:28-29 reads: “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 man shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.” The language of this particular message is remarkable in its broadmindedness. For one, it resembles closely the similarly broad Sabbath commandment, in that the Sabbath is a time of rest for sons and daughters, men and women, manservants and maidservants (see Exodus 20:8-11), showing that what God has in mind for both the Sabbath as well as the blessing of the Holy Spirit is a broad blessing that cuts across ethnic boundaries and social classes, as well as genders, areas in which people (especially in these days) are often divided. This is fitting, as one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is unity, in that those who possess the Holy Spirit are joined together in the Family of God, to see each other and treat each other as brothers and sisters of the same Heavenly Father regardless of those qualities that would serve to divide us based on our earthly existence.
Let us note that the (at least partial) fulfillment of Joel 2:28-29 in Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the early Church was itself notable also for its egalitarian qualities, as the twelve Gallilean apostles spoke in a variety of languages: Parthian, Median, Elmaite, Mesopotamian, Judean (Hebrew?), Cappadocian, Pontic, Asian, Phrygian, Pamphylian, Egyptian, Libyan, Latin, Cretan, Arab (Acts 2:7-11). This egalitarian blessing of having the message of God’s servants translated by miracle into each of their human languages confused the onlookers, who did not recognize that the giving of the Holy Spirit to the brethren was designed to reverse the curse of Babel. All the way at the dawn of human history after the flood God had divided mankind’s languages in order to prevent mankind from joining together to attempt to thwart His will (Genesis 11:6-9), but now God seeks to reverse that curse to bring people of all tribes and nations into His family, so that every tongue may praise Him and that every knee may bow to Him, and that believers might make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). This is a highly egalitarian goal, a recognition of the fact that all people are created in the image and likeness of God and deserve the opportunity to hear the call of our loving Father and be redeemed by the death and resurrection of our Elder Brother.
Let us note as well that the effects of these gifts are given widely among the people of God. Sons and daughters will prophesy, for example. We tend to think of prophesying as being able to fortell the future, but often prophesying is a teaching gift that serves to tell mankind (and believers) of the righteous standards of divine law, to express dissatisfaction with the failure of mankind to live up to those standards, and to call for repentance and a turning of our hearts to God. The fact that Joel here considers this task to be appropriate for both men and women (presumably young and old) shows a remarkable egalitarian streak that is still not widespread among believers. At any rate, just as Aquila and Priscila both instructed Apollo in the truth of God (Acts 18:26), so too we ought to be able to accept wisdom from whatever source it comes from, whether male or female, young or old, mighty or humble, seeing its ultimate origin as God, no matter through what human vessel it comes.
Let us also note that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are given out irrespective of age, a fact that is also worthy of some comment. In our age we are often divided by age, segmented into groups. However, the Holy Spirit serves to unify the generations together instead of pitting them against each other as is common in our times. The old men dream dreams and the young men see visions. In both cases God gives His wisdom and insight to a wide variety of people as a way of giving us gifts that serve to alert those who are sensitive to the presence of God in the lives of others, and to overcome our divides and join together in common praise and worship of God, and a common identity as the Israel of God, no matter our earthly demographics.
Let us therefore take heed of the generous blessing of God’s gifts to His people and respond appropriately to it. Let us recognize the common identity we share as brethren and overcome those physical matters that serve often to divide us so long as we are focused on externals and appearances. Let us humbly accept wisdom wherever it may be found, rather than assuming it will come from a certain type of face, so that we may be more closely joined together as fellow citizens of the New Jerusalem and fellow children of God. For the blessings of God, having been given so widely, ought to impress upon us the deep love that God and Jesus Christ have for the entire world, even for those who as of yet rebel against His rule and His ways (John 3:16). Let us therefore, if we have been remade in His image and likeness and reflect His godly character, show the same love and outgoing concern to those whom God loves and cares for, remembering to behave kindly and with respect and love without partiality (James 2:1-13) [1], so that we may show the same egalitarian spirit as that possessed by God Himself.
Edge Induced Cohesion 