Today, Sunday May 23, 2010 is the Day of Pentecost, a day I have never celebrated before, and a day I will never forget again.
Pentecost is historically related to the Jewish harvest festival of Shavuot, which commemorates God giving the Ten Commandments to Moses at Mount Sinai fifty days after the Exodus. It also falls fifty days after Easter Sunday, hence its name “Pentecost,” meaning “the fiftieth day” in Greek.
The real significance of Pentecost, however, has modernly become known as the descent of the Holy Spirit, which is described in the book of Acts.
“1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” -Acts 2:1-4
This fulfilled the promise that Jesus made to the apostles before His death – that He would not “abandon them as orphans” but send the great “Counselor to be with them forever.” (Read John 14:15-27 and John 16:5-7)
With the descension of the Holy Spirit was also the completion of the knowledge of the Trinity. Before Pentecost, the believers of Jesus had only known the Father and the Son. They were beginning to understand the fullness of God.
With this beautiful and priceless gift of the Holy Spirit, came the power by which all the miracles in the book of Acts were performed.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” -Acts 1:8
And so the apostles followed Jesus’ instructions. On the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon them, the apostles went out and preached the Gospel, and through the power and authority given to them they baptized 3,000 people that same day. (Acts 2:41).
As believers, we are also co-heirs to this great power. We have been given the authority, when we are walking in accordance to the will of God, to perform miracles, to preach the Gospel, to heal the sick, to speak with boldness. Are we exercising this spiritual muscle?
The most common lie of the enemy that cripples us from exercising our authority in Christ is that we are simply not worthy of being used as an instrument in the hand of God, that we have nothing to bring to the table. How prideful are His children to think that His performance is contingent upon their excellence? It’s not about what you bring to the table. His banquet is filled to overflowing. His skills and supply are never-ending. His ability and desire to use you as His chosen instrument are indescribable.
I pray that this year on Pentecost, all of us would be filled with fresh fire, burning us from the inside out, refining our hearts, removing our pride, and making us pure and ready to be used by God for the advancement of His will in our world. I pray for new revelation of our authority in Christ. I pray for a new boldness to come alive in all of His believers all over the world, that we would march forth, unashamed, to tell all of His children about His great love for them – that He loved them so much that He sent His only son to die for them, that they might live in relationship with Him for all eternity.
I pray that our lips would be filled with words of love, that our hands would be never ceasing to ease another’s burden. I pray that our minds would be slaves to the will of God, and that our hearts would be broken for what breaks His. I pray that our eyes would never again overlook the hurting, and that our feet would be swift to run to find the lost.
I pray, above all else, for the church to be set ablaze this Pentecost. I pray that lukewarm Christianity would be a thing of the past, Lord. I pray that we would be so on fire that the whole world would feel our warmth. I pray that unbelief would be consumed today, that weak faith would be made strong, that doubts would be erased, and that every lie of the enemy would be revealed and made powerless against His people.
Let’s believe this Pentecost that we are unstoppable, and that nothing is impossible with God. Let’s sing these powerful words from every rooftop…
“The same power that conquered the grave lives in me, lives in me.
Your love that rescued the earth lives in me, lives in me…”
And let’s believe every line.
Here I am Lord... Send Me 