Pentecost. It was a day unlike all others. The promise made by Jesus to the disciples was fulfilled where the Spirit that had been “with them” by being in Him, now was “within them,” outpoured. The disciples had waited and God had come -- like a wind, like fire, and they had been filled, spoke in other languages, and witnessed boldly to Jesus. The result of Peter’s first sermon was 3000 added to the church that day. Imagine what that was like. And then, having been filled, they were filled again and again, and the boldness showed up time and again.
What began on the Day of Pentecost, continues today. God isn’t done moving dynamically. Sometimes people experience a personal pentecost, a new experience of the Holy Spirit moving upon their lives. This can be as simple as hearing God speak or as profound as a time of being immersed in God’s Holy Spirit. Other times whole areas or a whole country experiences such a move of the Spirit, followed by many conversions and awakenings. There have been many, many of these ongoing movements throughout history. One in 1972 involved a chapel service at a college in Kentucky that rather than lasting one hour lasted 186 hours and led to student teams leaving every weekend for months after that and going across the country to share at other college campuses and the Holy Spirit showed up in a similar way at each.
God is still moving. God is still alive. And God still moves in ways that are surprising and can be earthshaking. This Sunday we will revisit that first Pentecost, hear stories of other awakenings and look at how God might be asking us to position ourselves for such a move today.
How open are you to the move of God’s Holy Spirit? In what ways are you positioning yourself to experience Pentecost in your life?