Friday 29 May 2020
Do not be drunk with wine, which will ruin you, but be filled with the Spirit.
Today we celebrate Pentecost, God sending His Holy Spirit upon the first Christians and the birth of the Church. Lifting them from a group of bewildered, fragile and fearful people to become bold witnesses empowered to start a global movement that has touched millions upon millions of people in every corner of the world in every generation, and is the true hope for this world and its peoples.
I Love to sit on the beach and just watch the tide ebb and flow. As it comes in and out it reaches certain points at very specific times, for every area on the coastline you can find out the exact times of high and low tide. The cross where Jesus died for the sins of the world was the place the tide turned from the low of the worlds lost and hopeless state and the great reversal of the curse because of sin started, the tide of the next stage of God’s work to reconcile all things to Himself and saving the world had begun. Pentecost was a powerful sign of what that would look like with people filled with the life, the love, the joy and the power of God’s Holy Spirit joining with Him in bringing, salvation and hope to the world. The tide has definitely turned and is coming in flowing towards that High point when Jesus returns and all things will be put right and God’s kingdom will be fully restored. As I have watched the tide coming in its difficult to see its movement as it progresses slowly, but once it has begun, we can we sure it will reach that high point.
The events of Pentecost can seem light years from way from our time and the world we live in, but Jesus is same yesterday, today and forever. Jesus is still touching millions of lives in the same way across the world, even during this time of difficulty and trial through the work of the Holy Spirit through His people.
The Bible gives us a command that we should be filled with the Spirit. The word filled means to be continually filled, it’s not just a one-off event. God wants to constantly refresh and renew you, so you can flow in that oncoming tide with God’s life, His freshness, and the hope that Jesus will renew not only your life but will also flow out of you to the world around you that they too may receive Salvation and be part of Gods family.
We need that filling and refreshing constantly so we can continue to delight in Jesus and find his refreshing to continue serving him filled with His love and His power.
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Acts 2 v 1-12.
The Spirit-filled life is not a special, deluxe edition of Christianity. It is part and parcel of the total plan of God for His people.