Jesus. Risen. John’s gospel. Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit on the disciples he loved and sent them on his way (John20.21-22). Pentecost breath is what Jesus breathed on them.
Acts 2. Pentecost. They were all together in one place then. Not us. Not this time. So how important is being in one place—being together—for the Holy Spirit to come? Not so much, as it turns out.
Numbers. Chapter 11. The alternative first reading for today. The LORD took some of the Spirit that was on Moses and put it on seventy elders who were distributed around the tent of meeting (vv24-25). But there were two other men, Eldad and Medad, who were back in the camp and the Spirit rested on them, too. They prophesied in the camp (v26). Joshua tried to get Moses to stop them, but Moses said No! “Would that all the LORD’s people were prophets, that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!” (vv28-29)
I wouldest that, too, wherever you are. We can’t be in or around our tent of meeting this year, we’re all back in our camps like Eldad and Medad, but the Spirit of the LORD can rest on us anyway and we can prophesy—and speak in other tongues, too—if the LORD wills it.
Back to Acts 2. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the LORD set off some Pentecost amazement in our homes, too. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if people thought we, too, were all drunk at 9 o’clock in the morning because the LORD is pouring his Spirit out on us. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our sons and daughters started prophesying, our young men seeing visions, our old men dreaming dreams while the LORD shows accompanying wonders and signs (Acts2.17-21, Mk16.20). The LORD has done it before. He can do it now.
1 Corinthians 12. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the Holy Spirit’s presence and power working through us would cause us to proclaim that Jesus is LORD in word and deed with a new and sparkling conviction and clarity (v3)—you and me, young and old, female and male—by unmistakeable manifestations of the Spirit given to each of us by the Father for the common good (v7). Wouldn’t it be wonderful if—in addition to the Pentecost speaking in tongues and prophesying—the Father would also activate us to receive and use words of wisdom and knowledge, exercise the gift faith, perform miracles, distinguish between spirits, and interpret tongues—just as Jesus and the disciples did.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the Holy Spirit filled us and set us free to prophesy over one another with all the love of 1 Corinthians, chapter 13—building each other up, encouraging one another, consoling and comforting one another (1Cor14.3)—and thereby building up the church so when we get to go from being together in a whole bunch of places to being together in one place again we’ll hardly recognize one another because we will all have been changed and become radiant with the light of a new knowledge and experience of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ! (2Cor4.6)
It’s Pentecost and these are gifts worthy of earnest desire (1Cor12.30, 14.1). God can do it, you know. He’s done it before and he can do it again. Wouldn’t it be wonderful?!
All for Jesus.
Gene+
