Today as we celebrate Pentecost Sunday, I ask one thing. Lord, do it again. We live in a time where culture is divided, violence is out of control and immorality is celebrated. Humanity has no cure for what ills our nations and the world. Government cannot legislate the problems away. Education cannot solve the issues by teaching. There is one solution for our world. A move of the Holy Spirit. It has to come through people who will be like the 120 who patiently waited in the Upper Room for the promise. People who are willing to sacrifice their time, give up activities and personal desires and agendas and seek the face of God. Pentecost was not a religion, organization or cult, it was a sovereign move of God, promised by Jesus just before ascending into heaven. It was not fabricated, hyped up by music or manipulated by masterful wordsmiths. It was a “suddenly” that came to desperate people crying out to God. It was a room filled with men and women of all social standings and its initial outpouring was so multicultural that it was heard in 14 languages. There were no fences, no clicks and no limitations. It fell on political figures, rich, poor, educated and uneducated. It crossed ethnic backgrounds; Jews, Greeks, Egyptians, Romans and spread throughout the world. So powerful was the move that in Acts 17 they said, “these are they who have turned the world upside down.” That is what we need today. A Pentecost that turns the world upside down, or I would say, right side up. How does it happen? It’s as simple as it was 2000 years ago. Seeking God above anything else, making prayer a priority, asking God to move on our nation and pour out the Spirit. Acts 2:39 says, the promise was for all. The only question is, are we desperate enough yet?
Experience Pentecost!
Pentecost. It is not a religion. It is an experience. It was not birthed in the book of Acts; it was birthed in the Exodus, as the Children of Israel were headed to the Promise Land. It was a feast. It was to be celebrated 50 days after Passover. It was called, “The Feast of Harvest or Weeks” and “The Day of First Fruits.” It was a time of celebration and thanksgiving for the grain harvest, for God’s provision. It was a celebration that had been commemorated for nearly 1500 years by the time we get to the book of Acts. It was on the Day of Pentecost, 50 days after Passover, that God orchestrated and arranged, the outpouring of His promise, His Spirit. He had told the disciples to go and wait in Jerusalem for the promise; the promise of His Spirit and His power. It would be a life changing experience. Pentecost would have been a time when people from all over the known world would have come to Jerusalem to celebrate. The timing of the outpouring created a spiritual pandemic, people took back the incredible news of the outpouring; the experience, the fire, the wind and the foreign languages being spoke, to all regions of the world. The Day of Pentecost in the book of Acts is the day that God went from being, “God with us,” to “God in us.” Pentecost. It is not a one-time experience, it’s not just speaking in an unknown language, a religion, or a good band with a song that creates emotion. Pentecost isn’t something you have to do or get; it is something you want to experience. Pentecost is the gift of God’s Spirit in you, it’s the power of God in you and it’s the resurrection of Jesus in you. Pentecost is the greatest experience you can experience in this life. Pentecost wasn’t just for the disciples 2000 years ago, it wasn’t something that just happen once to some disciples, but it was something that happened and has happened over and over since that first experience. Pentecost. Don’t settle for anything less than what the original church experience. Seek God and ask for your gift. Experience Pentecost for yourself.