‘Spirit Filled, Spirit Led’
It was one of the most wonderful and exciting moments in the history of the Christian faith. The Holy Spirit had fallen fresh on the lives of those who believed in Jesus Christ. People were filled with the passion and fires of the Holy Ghost. They were shouting joy from all directions.
They were gathered from every persuasion and city, every nation and province. They were all glorifying God, speaking in foreign languages but understanding each other. Expressing different voices but still in one accord. This was the time of Pentecost, when God saw fit to pour out the spirit which spawned the birth of the Church. Today we need that same fervor, fire, passion, and Spirit of Pentecost. Oh church - we need Pentecost.
American Christianity needs a rebirth of the spirit, where souls are on fire with the love of Christ, where barriers are broken down and superficial divisions are bridged through a unity of the Spirit. Today more than ever the church needs to recapture the fires of Pentecost so that souls can break free from religious bondage. In order that healing, deliverance, and the full power of God’s anointing can be experienced by all God’s people.
We need to be free in our spirits to shout amen, and raise our hands. To sing with a reverent glory and praise our Lord unashamed. Too many of us have lost sight of the freedom of the Holy Spirit of Pentecost! Children of God - My sisters and brothers we need the Spirit of God to invade the church. John Wesley would ask us today “Do you have ‘the fire in your belly’?” Do we have the enthusiasm it takes to save lost souls, or are we simply doing church?
Do we have an un-yielding un-relentless joy for the Lord to share today? Or have we experienced what Bishop, Will Willimon calls “Spiritual Dry Rot.”
It is time for those of us who love the Lord to stop doing church and start doing Pentecost. The church of Jesus Christ must be alive with the Holy fire of Pentecost. In fact, Christianity is still the fastest growing religion in the world. But it is not growing in the Northern and Western hemispheres but in the South and Eastern hemispheres.
Why the difference? Why is Christianity surging in Africa and Asia and not in America and Europe? It is really pretty simple. The ...
