Table of Contents

The Equation of Pentecost

By Randy L. Valimont

Prayer + Missions = Pentecostal Fire (P+M=PF). This formula worked for the Early Church, and it is working for us.

Einstein’s theory of relativity—E=MC2—has proven itself true. This equation has been used countless times in the scientific community as scientists conduct various experiments. In a similar way, Assemblies of God pastors who desire a Pentecostal church that epitomizes the Book of Acts are looking for an equation that will help them have a Pentecostal church like the Early Church.

The first Pentecostal church had several components: first, it was a growing church. Growth denotes health; it is a God-given sign of life. There’s nothing more exciting than to be a pastor of a church that is growing because God is at work.

Miracles were another component of the Early Church. Signs and wonders took place in that early Pentecostal setting.

A third component was the church’s prayer and intercession. Any Pentecostal-charismatic pastor would love to have all three components active in his or her church. But what is the thread that connects all three of these components to make a dynamic church? The answer is missions.

Jesus gave His church a mission statement in Matthew 28:19,20. Jesus knew that if His followers were to fulfill that mission, they would need the power of the Holy Spirit. This is why Jesus told His disciples to tarry in that Upper Room until they were endued with power. Then they would "be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8, NKJV).

Peter began fulfilling Christ’s mission for the Church when he proclaimed the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. Paul received his mission from Christ on the Damascus Road. The Holy Spirit also empowered him to preach the gospel with authority. Through the power and authority of Christ and the Holy Spirit, signs and wonders occurred in the Early Church.

Pentecost cannot be separated from missions. We cannot have a true, thriving, New Testament, Pentecostal church without missions. At First Assembly of God in Griffin, Georgia, we have seen the following miracles take place because we began to fulfill the vision of being a missions-minded church.

The first miracle began when we started giving to missions. God began to pour out His Spirit in our church in an unprecedented manner, and people were being saved, drug addicts delivered, and families restored.

An individual who was a bartender for an Atlanta gay bar was miraculously saved. Someone bound by drugs and alcohol was instantly delivered. In one dramatic occurrence, a man bound in homosexual perversion came under the strong conviction of the Holy Spirit during one of our services. He jumped up from his seat and bolted out the back of the sanctuary, only to fall to his knees in the church foyer before he could reach the door. The power of God would not allow him to leave the building until he repented and was delivered from the bondage of sin.

An alcoholic sitting on his back porch cried out to God, "If You love me, please send somebody to help me." Within 5 minutes a visitation team from our church knocked on his front door. He gave his heart to the Lord that night. Not only was he saved, he was also delivered from alcohol. He is now serving the Lord in our church as a Royal Rangers leader.

Since August 1993, over 10,000 people have come to the Lord Jesus through the ministries of the church. God has also called 20 to 30 young people from our church into the ministry. Some of them are already attending Bible college. We take at least four Mission America Placement Service (MAPS) trips each year. Our members build churches, conduct medical clinics, and lead evangelistic crusades on these trips. As a pastor, it is amazing to sit in a board meeting and watch the board rejoice when our monthly expenditures for missions exceed our budgetary expenses.

The Pentecostal mission is to preach the gospel to the whole world, but we must also do this for our Jerusalem. On Sunday we bus in between 70 to 100 children, feed them breakfast, then teach them God’s Word in Sunday school and children’s church. We are now seeing the parents of these kids becoming a part of our church.

In 1992, our church gave $9,999 to World Ministries. In 1996, that figure rose to $300,000. In 1997, we gave almost $400,000; in 1998, we gave $577,574; and in 1999, we gave over $770,000 to World Ministries. This means that in over 7 1/2 years, the church has given over $2 million to missions. As we began to give to God, the church’s annual income went from $400,000 to $2.6 million. With God’s blessings, we have accomplished over $1 million of capital improvements and buildings and have paid cash for this out of excess tithes and offerings.

In 1997, we began a $1.5 million building program that added an additional 28,000 square feet to our facilities. We needed this extra space for educational needs and the growth of various ministries in the church. This has been completed, and we are getting ready to build a new 2,000-seat auditorium. We plan to expand it to a 4,000-seat auditorium later. During this time, we continued to increase our missions giving.

During a building program there are always financial needs. Our board decided that we would give $35,000 to an inner-city ministry in 1997. We gave another $65,000 in 1998, and $70,000 in 1999.

What is the result of seed sown into this home-missions project? People continue to be saved by the power of God. Lives have been changed, people have been released from spiritual bondage, and the joy of the Lord has been restored in people’s hearts.

We cannot be Pentecostal unless we have a mission. What is the equation for growing a Pentecostal church? Prayer + Missions = Pentecostal Fire (P+M=PF). This formula worked for the Early Church, and it is working for us.

Randy L. Valimont is pastor of First Assembly of God, Griffin, Georgia.