Pentecost 2025 Is Here!

Editorial by Alejandro Pastor

The book of Acts records the transformative power and evangelistic zeal that characterized the firstcentury Christian church, culminating in an explosive spread of the gospel. In this spirit, the North American Division (NAD) leadership team has launched the Pentecost 2025 initiative—a visionary call to relive the Pentecost experience. The New Jersey Conference (NJC) leadership team has wholeheartedly embraced this challenge, setting an unprecedented goal for 2025: to baptize 1,000 new members in a remarkable testament to God’s glory.

The first-century church grew because it was a community of believers deeply devoted to prayer, the Word of God and heartfelt witness to their neighbors, embodying a spirit of love that was both genuine and magnetic. Answering the conference leadership’s invitation, local church members and leaders alike have enthusiastically taken up the Pentecost 2025 challenge, igniting a profound desire to experience the New Testament Pentecost anew. This commitment has resonated across all levels of leadership and membership, with pastors, teachers and institutional leaders rallying to the cause.

Prayer stands as the foundation of this evangelistic endeavor, preparing hearts and minds to be receptive to the Holy Spirit’s guidance. With prayer as our compass, we aspire to see the message of salvation in New Jersey reverberate with the same power that shook the ancient world two millennia ago. The NJC has been blessed with dedicated pastors who have diligently trained and equipped members to fulfill the Great Commission. Local leaders who have participated in this training have witnessed inspiring successes in their evangelistic outreach, experiencing the joy that comes with seeing lives transformed.

The leadership of the NJC and its pastors eagerly anticipate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in this generation, praying that many across New Jersey will embrace Jesus as their Savior. Our united cry is to experience Pentecost now, in our time.

A secondary goal of this initiative is to cultivate a mindset that evangelism is not only about events or programs but is woven into daily life through consistent, authentic witness to the work of the Holy Spirit within us. We are called to be living testimonies, reflecting that our old lives are behind us, and we now live for the glory of God.

Just as the early believers shared meals, supported one another and lived in harmony (Acts 2:42), we are called to reflect the relentless work of the Holy Spirit. As one of our guiding principles reminds us, “The strongest argument in favor of the gospel is a loving and lovable Christian” (Ellen White, The Ministry of Healing, p. 470). Through Pentecost 2025, we not only aim to grow in number but to cultivate members whose lives embody the love, grace and truth of God’s Word.

Alejandro Pastor serves as the Ministerial director of the New Jersey Conference.