Power!

“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. ⁵ For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
. . .
⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1)

The last words Jesus spoke on earth before he ascended. Think they might be important? If you are like me, this year’s waiting for Pentecost was a little more real than it has been in years past. Being put on lockdown, reduced ability to do the things we would normally want to or be able to, and lots of waiting. I can identify with the disciples huddling together in the upper room. They had to be tired of waiting, they had to be tired of sitting around. At least they were gathering, probably to remind each other of Jesus’ words and to encourage each other.

But God! He fulfilled his promise and he did it in his perfect timing, when the impact of the spirit-filled believers would bring in a large harvest. Jews were gathered in Jerusalem for the Feast of Weeks, 50 days after Passover, to celebrate the first fruits of the new ‘harvest’. You can read about it in Acts 2. What a beginning for the church!

But it isn’t over. This promise is for us too. Let us hunger for the spirit. For the power of God to live in us, accompanied by miracles. (Mark 16:17, Matt 10:8, Luke 9) To walk in his truth and light each day. To be his witnesses in our sphere of influences. To receive the power to be the person that God created each of us to be! Have a blessed Pentecost Sunday.