Pursue A Personal Pentecost
” When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks, and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them.”
Acts 2:1-4 | MSG
“How little chance the Holy Ghost has nowadays. The churches and missionary societies have so bound Him in red tape that they practically ask Him to sit in a corner while they do the work themselves.”
– C.T Studd
Tuesday, July 11, 2023
It’s time to pursue a personal Pentecost.
Before Jesus ascended to heaven, He told His disciples to stay in spiritual lockdown. He said in Luke 24:49 (NASB): “And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you, but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
They didn’t know what they were waiting for. They had no idea what “clothed with power” meant. Jesus didn’t give them a newsletter with specific times, and He didn’t warn them that they might experience wind, fire, or strange language. All He told them was: “Stay put.”
I imagine some of the more impetuous disciples were eager to venture out and tell others about Jesus since they had seen Him after His resurrection. But they obeyed the Lord. They went to the upper room in Jerusalem, and there they were “continually devoting themselves to prayer” (Acts 1:14a).
And the waiting paid off. Several days later, the promised power arrived. Suddenly, the heavens opened. Just as Elijah left his mantle for Elisha, the glorious mantle of Jesus came upon His followers.
Every person in the upper room was filled with the Holy Spirit, and they were transformed into blazing spiritual torches. Before the day ended, 3,000 people believed in Jesus and were baptized.
This is the message of Pentecost. Prayer comes first, then power.
Our tendency is to run ahead of God. We like shortcuts. Or we arrogantly assume we can do a better job with our money, education, and technological savvy. Yet the truth is that we are very busy, but we are ineffective.
It’s time to pursue a personal Pentecost. Pray for a rekindling of the Holy Spirit’s flame in your life and in the global church. We are in desperate need of fresh fire today.
The church is sick with hidden sin and weak with moral compromise. We have left our first love. God is giving us these unusual times to prepare us for a coming harvest.
LET US PRAY:
Dear Lord, please set my heart ablaze. Send a fresh wave of the Holy Spirit to my church, my city, and my nation.
We need another earth-shaking revival like the great awakenings of past generations. Do it again, Lord. Let the book of Acts be repeated in my lifetime. Unleash the full force of Pentecost, and let me be a part of it.
I don’t want to be a spectator in this movement. I want to be in the very middle of it! Let my heart burn with the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and let me carry that fire everywhere You send me.
In Jesus’ Name, I pray
Amen.
(Kindly share with someone today)
