Saturday

Acts 1:8 - August 29, 2009

Acts 1:8: “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.” NIV

Pentecost – Part VI

Having looked at four keys to unlocking Pentecost for the church today, let’s look at the primary purpose of God’s Pentecost-al visitation. The giving of the Spirit is a wonderful, priceless gift of God to his people, because it is the very personal presence of God himself. How amazing that the Spirit comes and makes Christ know to us in our inner being, seals us for salvation (Eph 1:14), and comes and comforts us with the personal love of God. How precious that he guides and counsels us (Jn 14:16), comes and transforms our character into the likeness of Christ (2 Co 3:18), and confirms in our deepest place that we are children of God (Ro 8:16)! This is the remarkable reality of being in-filled and re-generated (brought back to life) by the Spirit of God. All of this given by the Spirit is vital - the bread from our Father in heaven for our life on earth (Luke 11:13).
But more than this, though not less, is God’s strategic purpose in sending his Spirit. God’s burning desire is that all men might know that he is truly God, that he is good and full of abounding mercy and love. He wants the world to know that his plan of faithfulness, ever since man’s first turning away, has come to bear upon the affairs of men, and he has decisively reversed the power of evil, sin, injustice, and death. This is what he has done in the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. We the church, are those who are the partakers in this great reversal. But the sending of the Spirit is not simply that we can partake, but that through that partaking, filled and empowered, we will bring this great reversal to the world!
Back in Genesis 11, the people in that day were scattered all over the earth because of their wickedness. It was in this context that God promised Abraham, “through you all peoples on earth would be blessed” (Genesis 12:1-3). In other words, the very people just scattered would one day be blessed through Abraham. The beginning of that promise arrived on that first day of Pentecost when the God-fearing Jews from all over the known world were gathered in Jerusalem. It was to them that Peter and the other disciples first witnessed the wonders of God in Christ (Acts 2:11). In other words, God was beginning to reverse the curse of Genesis 11 with the arrival of the Spirit.
No wonder – this was a huge prophetic and symbolic sign accompanying the instruction that Jesus gave to the disciples: “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 1:8). The books of Acts documents for us that this small, insignificant bunch of Jewish men and women turned the known world upside down in a generation (Acts 17:6)! And early tradition has it that the Apostle Thomas made it all the way to southern India, and the Apostle Paul made it to Spain, before returning to Rome where he was martyred.
If this was the case for the early disciples – then it is the case for us! The Spirit of God is a pearl of great price, the gracious gift of God's personal presence to us, his children. But God’s heart is to reach the world - through us. Come Holy Spirit, have your way in us, so that by you "all peoples will be blessed through us." We say Lord, "Here we are, send us!”

Friday

Acts 1:14; 2:42 - August 28, 2009

Acts 1:14; 2:42: “They all joined together constantly in prayer. They devoted themselves to…prayer.” NIV

Pentecost – Part V

Oh get ready Church for a move of God! We’ve been looking at ways of preparing for a Pentecost-al move of God. So far we have thought about three keys: Repentance, Obedience, and Unity. Clothed with these garments of revival from the Lord, we add a fourth key that is central through and through: Prayer.
The coming of the Spirit to God’s people is first rooted in the prayers of the Son to the Father (Jn 14:16): “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.” At the same time, Jesus “has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear” (Acts 2:33). In other words, through the prayers of the Son, and the unity of action between the Father and the Son, the Spirit was poured out upon that first group of disciples. And of course, the outpouring of the Spirit was preceded by the prayers of the church. The disciples “all joined together constantly in prayer” (Acts 1:14). It was when they were continuing in prayer “all together in one place” that the Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1). As we pray in dependence and expectation – as the church in other words puts up its sails – the Spirit will also come to us with the “sound like the blowing of a violent wind!” (Acts 2:2)
And this life of prayerfulness and intimacy with God is to be a trademark of the Pentecost-al church. The early church knew this as they devoted themselves to prayer (Acts 2:42-47). And as they lived this life of prayer – Guess what? – The Spirit kept on coming! “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word boldly” (Acts 4:31). As in John’s Gospel where, “these were written so that you may believe,” so the pattern of the early church is written for us so that we might also believe and become Pentecost-al people of God! The promise for them is the promise for us, and in fact, “is for you and your children and for all who are far off-for all whom the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:39).
The link between prayer and the Spirit is clear from the above, even as Jesus while in his earthly ministry told his disciples that his Father will give the Spirit to all who ask (Lk 11:13). The Apostle Paul as he labored for the welfare of his churches, prayed that they would continually receive more of and from the Spirit (Eph 1:14-17; Col 1:9). Many know that the Great Awakening in America was launched by Jonathan Edwards' most famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” But few know that he had preached it a number of times with no effect. Yet, Edwards was driven to three days and nights of continual prayer, without food and sleep, before he preached it again. “O Lord, give me New England.” And God certainly heard from heaven – and the rest is history. “Oh Lord give us Sturbridge! Give us New England again! Oh Lord, give us Belgium, France, Germany! We have heard of your great deeds – renew them in our day once again!”
If God is going to visit us, personally, and corporately, then prayer must become a priority. So let us pray! Let us be devoted to the four keys to Pentecost: Repentance, Obedience, Unity, and Prayer and see what God will unlock for his church in our day! So let us pray!

Thursday

Acts 1:14;2:10 - August 27, 2009

Acts 1:14: “They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.” Acts 2:1: “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.”

Pentecost – Part IV

In looking at ways of preparing for a continual Pentecost, we’ve considered two keys thus far: Repentance and Obedience. Today, we look at the third non-negotiable key: Unity. Oh Unity! – That elusive state of communion that God created humanity to live in – with God and with one another. And it is this that will let the world know that God has truly sent Jesus (Jn 17:21).
Unity is so important to God that it was the heavy burden that was upon Jesus’ heart and lips as he prayed to the Father before he went to the cross. Talk about selfless love – praying and thinking about our welfare as he went to the cross! “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you have me, that they may be one as we are one. I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (Jn 17:11,20-23). What an incredible and challenging prayer from Jesus – that we, the church, would be one, just as Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit are one. Jesus’ desire and earnest prayer is that we would come to know this in our experience in an ever-increasing manner that we “may be brought to complete unity…”
Unity has many dynamics but it all revolves around the shared belief and trust in Christ, the Word of God, which brings us into the fellowship of God (Jn 17:20-21). The early Pentecost-al church lived in this. Before the Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost, they joined together constantly in prayer and were all together in one accord (Acts 1:14;2:1). The church already had a measure of God’s Spirit even before the day of Pentecost, as Jesus had breathed on them after the resurrection (Jn 20:22-23). Yet it should be no surprise that there was more to come as they lived in unity eagerly crying out to God. Psalm 133:1-3 delights in the prospect of brothers living together in unity and declares that it is like an overflow of anointing oil. It is in this place, the psalmist tells us, that God commands his blessing. Anointed blessing is not just a consequence from unity, but actually of command from God! Hallelujah! Would that we live in such unity! And as that early church continued in unity, God’s blessing was upon them (Acts 2:42-47) and they were “of one heart and soul” (Acts 4:32) and the world saw that Jesus was sent from God.
If the church is full of division, gossip, pettiness, and self-centeredness – how can we possibly live in an experiential unity with God and one another? What kind of message does this send to those who visit us, our neighbors, and our communities? But if we as individuals would each do our part, living in a determined way to strive for unity, seeking the good of others practically (1 Co 10:24), being “devoted to one another in brotherly love” and “honoring one another above yourself” (Ro 12:10-11), even when it hurts, then like the early church God will command his Pentecost-al blessing, and the world will truly see what we see about Jesus. “Lord, help us to walk in real unity so that your prayer may be fulfilled in us.”

Wednesday

Acts 1:4-5 - August 26, 2009

Acts 1:4-5, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” NIV

Pentecost – Part III

In continuing our brief tour of Pentecost, we looked yesterday at the non-negotiable key to continual Pentecost: Repentance. Another non-negotiable key for a true move of God’s Spirit in a Pentecost-al way is Obedience. This follows very closely to Repentance. If God is asking his people to turn away from their sins and turn to him, doing so is an act of obedience to God: “Return to me and I will return to you” (Zech 1:2). God prizes and delights in our obedience to his voice more than anything we could do on our own (1 Sa 15:22).
If repentance is the first step, then continual obedience at every moment, in every thing, great or small, public or private, is the way of life for the Pentecost-al bound believer! There are two sides to living in Obedience. On the one hand, Obedience is obeying all of God’s moral commands. God is a holy God who wants to replicate his image in us by his Spirit. If we do not keep his commands, how can we possibly be the life-giving extension of God’s presence to the world! What part does darkness have with light?! In Psalm 51, that we mentioned yesterday, David knew that because of his disobedience, he himself had pushed away the Spirit. Yet, he knew that God would give his Spirit back to him if he repented and strove from his heart to walk in obedience – which is exactly what he did. Saul, however, who preceded David as king over Israel, did not repent and did not strive to walk in obedience to the voice of God. In fact he pursued his own agenda and path of disobedience and idolatry (1 Sa 15:19-23). The result was that God rejected Saul as king, and “the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul…” (1 Sa 16:14). This taking of the Spirit from Saul does not necessarily mean that he was beyond ultimate hope – God knows the heart. But it meant, practically in the present, as long he was bent on pursuing the idolatry of his heart, he would feel the loss of God’s presence.
On the other side, Obedience is also doing whatever God is asking you to do in a given moment. This goes beyond simply not disobeying God’s moral commands. Jesus told his disciples “do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised” (Acts 1:4). This wasn’t a question of not stealing, or not having a bitter heart…etc. This was a matter of trusting Jesus’ word and obeying. And the result of their trust and obedience was the massive outpouring of the Spirit and launching of the church. Just imagine if they had tried to go about witnessing on their own, in their own strength. They would have been a spectacular failure. But Peter, as with the rest of the disciples, had learned that Obedience goes hand in glove with the Holy Spirit: “the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him” (Acts 5:32). Jesus spoke in a similar vein as well: “If you love me you will keep my commandment, and I will ask the Father to give you another Helper, to be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth” (Jn 14:15). Our Obedience shows God that we take him seriously. The result is that he takes us seriously. And that is a scary prospect in a good way! If we are seeking to have a renewed Pentecost in our sphere of existence then we need to ask ourselves: Am I doing everything God wants me to do? Am I tolerating a life of sin? Am I making room to listen to what God is saying? Am I hesitating or refusing something God has asked of me? If so: Repent! And Obey. And see what God will do!

Tuesday

Acts 1:4-5 - August 25, 2009

Acts 1:4-5, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” NIV

Pentecost – Part II

Yesterday we thought about the fact that God wants his church to have continual “Pentecosts” – and about how the world truly needs to see such activity in the church today! When Pentecost comes it is the very Spirit of God choosing to dwell with us, his people, according to his timetable. Jesus himself, indicating the sovereignty and unpredictability of the Spirit, talked about the Spirit’s activity with man as like the wind: “You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going” (Jn 3:8). So the Spirit remains sovereign – but God has indicated many things that we can do to prepare for a renewed Pentecost in our personal lives, and in our communities. It is like one who desires to sail the ocean blue – the boat and sail must be in good condition, all the prep work done for the trip, and the sail up and ready for that mighty wind to blow.
Repentance is one such key step in preparation for a continual Pentecost. Repentance is not simply a religious act, a formula, or a duty to perform to appease God. Rather, it is a heart disposition with flesh on it - a turning from sin and a re-turning to God. Psalm 51 is a classic exposition on a penitent heart. David has just committed adultery and murder. He begins by crying out for mercy to God, because he knows God is a God of unfailing love and compassion. He acknowledges all his sin, and recognizes that his sin is sin against God. David is appalled at his sin and pleads to God to cleanse him and not to “take your Holy Spirit from me” (Ps 51:11). He knows that sin induces separation from God. But when, like David, we turn from our wickedness and turn back to God, God returns to us. “Return to me and I will return to you” (Zech 1:2). “Return…for I am merciful…only acknowledge your guilt…” (Jer 3:12-13).
All the great revivals over the years have always begun with repentance. John the Baptist prepared the people for the return of the Lord, which in turn launched the greatest revival in history – the ongoing ministry of Jesus Christ! In the days of the Great Awakening through John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, and George Whitefield, American and Great Britain turned back to God. As a result a deeper foundation in God was laid in America that unified the colonies before the War for Independence with Britain. And it has been said that John Wesley single handedly saved a nation and kept at bay the encroaching waves of secularism and ungodliness that were covering continental Europe at that time. With repentance nations are shaken. Hallelujah! With repentance, 3000 turned back to God with Peter’s preaching on that first Pentecost!
Repentance was the key to the great Asbury revival in 1970 when one brave college senior repented publicly in a chapel service. As a result, a chapel service scheduled for 50 minutes lasted 185 hours non-stop with students flooding in and unable to leave because of the Spirit of conviction! From that place, the revival fire spread to colleges all over the country, and even beyond. This was a tumultuous time in America’s history, with riots against the government, frustration over Vietnam, and the Hippie movement dominating the culture of the youth. But with one repentant individual, God raise up a movement that shook the colleges of the nation. In a word, Repentance is the non-negotiable to personal revival and Pentecost, as well as communal, and national. As the old phrase goes, “without this – nothing!” But we can do better: With this – Everything! Just imagine what God wants to do! Just imagine what He can do! And just imagine what we need him to do in our own day! Would you humble yourself today – “Lord, send revival – start with me!”

Monday

Acts 2:1-4 - August 24, 2009

Acts 2:1-4: When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. NIV

Pentecost – Part I

The day of Pentecost came. Those first believers were filled with the Holy Spirit and empowered to go forth and proclaim, in word and deed, what the Living God had done in Jesus Christ. It was a motley group comprised of women, fisherman, the uneducated, and others who had seen something in Jesus that worth forsaking all else. In one sense the day of Pentecost can never be repeated. It was a once-for-all historical moment, much like Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. It was the very moment in history when the promised future of God, the Age of the Spirit, when God would bring renewal to the earth, came bursting forth into the real space and time of the Present Age we still live in. History would never be the same – and that first Pentecost marked the extension of God’s renewal project to the ends of the earth. Hallelujah. God is on the move!
But though this was a once-for-all watershed moment in history – God desires us to have an ongoing “Pentecost.” We now live in the Age of the Spirit, and God’s plan is for us to have the continual abidance of the Holy Spirit, his filling of us, his praying with us, his dwelling with us, his speaking to us, and his guidance over our lives (see John 16:12-15) – so that we may be the witnesses to the world that there is One who has a final and more powerful word than the death the hangs over all humanity. Even when the believers had just received the experiential outpouring of the Holy Spirit, 2 chapters later the Spirit came again to those same believers and actually shook the place where they were meeting, and enabled them afresh to speak the word of God boldly (Acts 4:31). Imagine for a moment the media reaction today if something like that happened! Oh Do it Lord! How about right on CNN prime time?! How about on American Idol?! "He didn't just go there did he?...!" Oh I sure did! Imagine in such a way that the powers that be have to acknowledge that there is something else, Someone Else, at play! I know one brother from Ghana who had witnessed a church building during worship literally being shaken and what appeared to be flames engulfing the roof – yet actually not burning it! Looks like God is still at work – he didn’t stop at the burning bush with Moses! Nor did he stop at the tongues of fire on those first believers.
Oh Holy Spirit, would you come and fill us, your people, afresh. Oh how we want to be close and intimate with you that we ourselves would be renewed so that whatever the challenges in life we can be filled with joy, life, and power, to go forth and bring your hope and life to those around us. Would you renew your Pentecostal act in our midst once again Oh God! Maybe its been a while since you’ve experienced what you know is true of God. Don’t necessarily look for the ways God has moved in your past – simply join with Habakkuk and cry out to the Lord, “LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD. Renew them in our day…” (Hab 3:2) Cry aloud to the Lord, "Come Holy Spirit, Come.”

Sunday

August 23, 2009

The Daily Devotional has taken a Sabbath today. Please enjoy the same. Sorry for any inconvenience. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow.

God bless - And remember to "stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:58).