The Upload
Posted on Jun 06, 2014 by
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray that you’ve had a blessed week.
This coming Sunday is the fiftieth day after Easter, which means Sunday is the Day of Pentecost. As we read in the Book of Acts, “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting” (Acts 2:1-2).
It was 50 days after Easter, and the disciples had done very little in that time but hang out with Jesus, spending some quality time with their risen Lord. Then he left, really left, ascended-into-heaven left. And as we heard last week, as he ascended he told them to get busy, “You will be my witnesses ... to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). But after he ascended, the disciples just stood there gazing up, and it took two of God’s angels to come and tell them to get moving. As the disciples just stood there, we are told the angels said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11). In essence, the angels were saying, “Quit standing around and get busy.”
But they didn’t get busy, and now, ten days after Jesus’ ascension, we are told that while they were still all in one place not doing the work Jesus had commissioned them to go do that suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. My take on this story is that God had had enough of these disciples doing nothing, and so instead of a nice nudge to get going, which hadn’t worked in the past, this time God sent his Spirit, and that Spirit came as a “violent wind.”
As we know from this story, that violent wind gave them a job and the ability to do the job, and it drove them out into the street so that they would get busy doing that job. God’s Spirit can be both gentle and supportive, but when we need it, it can be an angry and forceful, but loving, Spirit that pushes its followers into the world.
God’s Spirit is here in 2014, too, and it is after us to get out into the world with the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. It is after us to get busy with what we have been called to do. It is after us to quit worrying about being together in one room and to start worrying about going out together to witness to those in need of God’s love. It is after us to look around us and see who it is that we know who needs to know about the love and grace and forgiveness of God in Christ. God’s Spirit is after us, and the only question right now is this: Are we going to go voluntarily or is that ”violent wind” going to have to force us to go?
Pentecost is our reminder that God’s Spirit has already come and has empowered us to go do the work of Jesus. With or without us, God is in the world, and through His Spirit His work will be done. So are you ready to leave the room? Are you ready to go into the world and share the gospel? I pray you are.
Have a blessed week!
Shalom,
Pastor Dave