Two thousand years ago, 40 days after the resurrection of Jesus, he was enthroned in heaven on his Ascension Day - and 10 days after his ascension, on the first Pentecost Sunday, God poured out his Holy Spirit on his Church.
As a result a faith community was planted in Jerusalem that was Spirit-Filled, passionate members of the Church of Christ. We read all about this in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, starting with chapter 2 up to end of the book. The Jerusalem Christian community was a powerful, living and dynamic expression of the power of God, changing thousands of lives and ministering to many citizens of their city.
Trying to build a great Church without praying for and relying on the work of the Holy Spirit is today still a pointless and wearisome exercise.
But nothing can be more exciting and uplifting, alive and full of power as a Church community experiencing the anointing of the Holy Spirit, with Spirit filled, passionate members.
What made this Church great was that we see God at work when the Holy Spirit was poured out on his people on the first Pentecost day. We see God at work when three thousand people were added to the Church in one service. We see God at work in changed lives, miracles and the deliverance of men and women devoted to Jesus Christ. It was a great, dynamic Church, because we see God at work there.
So, can we follow their example?
Only when we pray like the first congregation and love Jesus and our brothers and sisters unconditionally too.
We read in Acts 2:37-41: When the people heard this, (Peter’s sermon) they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
This is how and when the Church was born...
They firstly had to obediently wait upon the Lord to fulfil his Pentecost promise: “the Holy Spirit will come upon you.”
And only then God showed up in the most awesome way. God poured out his Spirit and his divine power on one hundred twenty followers who were waiting, praying and expecting great deeds from God that would follow the tide-turning resurrection miracle.
When God showed up in their community, everything was about to change. Scared and timid men and women became bold beyond explanation. Their leader, Peter, started preaching in a powerful, persuasive way.
We too have the Pentecost promise. We too received God’s call and the power to do his work through our gifting by the Spirit. And we can only become a great Church through the work of the Holy Spirit in and through us.
When God shows up, and starts working, Jesus comes through the work of the Holy Spirit to us to revive us.
We may be suffocating in our sins and impurity, yet in the Spirit Christ Jesus breathes new life into us, so that as we “inhale” the Spirit, we become new people who are in relationship with the Father through Jesus, his resurrected, ascended Son and receive the life changing gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Becoming a great Church, is becoming a Church that leads people to God in Jesus Christ and to help them to, by grace and through faith, be revived into a new life and passionate ministry through the work of the Holy Spirit.
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