Unleashing
the Power of Pentecost
The
problem is not that we are sinners, but that we do not allow ourselves to be
transformed by the encounter with Christ in love.
Surrounded by Your glory,
What
will my heart feel?
Will I
dance for You Jesus,
Or in
awe of You be still?
Will I
stand in Your presence,
Or to
my knees will I fall?
Will I sing Hallelujah,
Will I
be able to speak at all?
I can
only imagine.
I can only imagine.
[old song Psalm 149; Psalm 150]
"Joy unspeakable and full of
glory" 1 Peter 1:8
"leaping and dancing and praising
God" Acts 3:8
1. Jesus said: I will build My Church!
Quote: “The
Church is the People united by the unity of the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit.”
"Make
every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves
together with peace. For there is one
body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the
future. There is one Lord, one faith,
one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living
through all."
Eph 4:3-6 (NLT)
"The
human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is
with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are
slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one
Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit."
1 Cor 12:12-13 (NLT)
"Do not
stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is
said. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil." 1 Thess 5:19-22 (NLT)
2. God who is acting in our world.
“And as I
began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning.
Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, 'John indeed baptized with
water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' If therefore God gave them the same gift as
He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could
withstand God?" When they heard
these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, "Then God
has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life." Acts 11:15-18
"But
some of them were men from Cyprus
and Cyrene , who, when they had come to Antioch Jerusalem , and they sent out Barnabas to go as
far as Antioch
3. Pentecost: the Law; the Church.
a) Pentecost:
the giving of the law on Mt.
Sinai
What happened
with Moses and the people of Israel
b) Pentecost:
the giving of the Holy Spirit to Christ’s followers on the feast of Pentecost
created a new chosen people, the Church, united by something within themselves:
the presence of the Holy Spirit, the living law of God’s love that makes up the
New, imbedded, and everlasting Covenant.
The Holy
Spirit works with us, within us, guiding and enlightening, but not taking away
our natural abilities and personality.
It’s a partnership, and these four gifts of the Holy Spirit — wisdom,
understanding, knowledge, and counsel — make us better partners, better
listeners, better disciples.
Take some
time now to savor these gifts, which you have already received. Reflect a little bit on how these gifts have
influenced your life up to now, and stir up a fresh desire in your heart for a
new outpouring of these gifts, so that you can say: "I know... that the
light of God exists, that He is Risen, that His light is stronger than any
darkness, that the goodness of God is stronger than any evil in this world. And
this helps me to go forward with certainty."
"Dear
friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that
I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your
salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the
desire and the power to do what pleases him." Phil 2:12-13 (NLT)
No comments:
Post a Comment