Soften my heart Lord,
Soften my heart,
From all indifference,
Set me apart.
Feel Your compassion,
Weep with Your tears,
Soften my heart, Lord,
Soften my heart.
Grace and compassion,
You have for me,
Goodness and mercy,
Always will be.
To have Your mercy,
Forgiveness and love,
Value my brother,
Soften my heart.
(Music: Have your own way, Lord)
Friday, July 29, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
The importance of true worship (3) final
God is spirit; and those who worship him must worship through the Spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)
God created us to worship him. We therefore thirst to worship the Lord, even when we do not acknowledge the need. We will remain unfulfilled if we don’t. We already mentioned that our worship of God is not so much for God’s benefit, than ours. So what do we seek when worshipping God?
1) God desires people who will praise and worship him. So, one reason for true worship is that we want to be obedient to God.
2) And we want to worship because we know and believe that God is worthy of it. Consider Revelation 5:11-12, "And I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.’"
We want to worship God, because our God is worthy of our praise.
3) But praise and worship is also the way that leads us into the presence of God. Psalm 100:4 says, "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise." When we go to worship God, we shift our focus from ourselves to him. We become aware of his presence and open our hearts and minds to have fellowship with him. We become aware of his awesome holiness, divine love and majestic power. Worship brings us into the presence of the living God, where we can hear him speaking to us and we receive his blessing and are sent into the world in his service.
4) We worship God to receive his perspective on our lives. We become aware of his will and ability to deal with our questions and concerns, when we enter his presence.
When we focus on our situation or issues, they may be threateningly large. But when we focus on the almighty God, we become beware of God’s perspective, and as we look at the situation in the light of the power and authority of God, we find that through his divine ability the issue can be worked out. Our worship of God helps us to see that nothing is impossible with God – and we need to see that all the time.
5) But most importantly, when we worship God, we seek to be changed. Worship changes our attitudes and approach to life. It takes away our cynicism and gives us hope and faith. It takes away our anger and gives us love and a heart that forgives. It takes away our fear and gives us courage. When we worship God, we learn to trust him and surrender to him and it changes our whole lives!
Make regular time of worship your priority. During your private quiet time and during family time. And never forget that worship happens in the Body of Christ. Make it your priority never to miss worship time with the Body. Never exclude you and your family when God is busy equipping, inspiring and rejuvenating his Church. Be there!
Make it your priority.
God created us to worship him. We therefore thirst to worship the Lord, even when we do not acknowledge the need. We will remain unfulfilled if we don’t. We already mentioned that our worship of God is not so much for God’s benefit, than ours. So what do we seek when worshipping God?
1) God desires people who will praise and worship him. So, one reason for true worship is that we want to be obedient to God.
2) And we want to worship because we know and believe that God is worthy of it. Consider Revelation 5:11-12, "And I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.’"
We want to worship God, because our God is worthy of our praise.
3) But praise and worship is also the way that leads us into the presence of God. Psalm 100:4 says, "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise." When we go to worship God, we shift our focus from ourselves to him. We become aware of his presence and open our hearts and minds to have fellowship with him. We become aware of his awesome holiness, divine love and majestic power. Worship brings us into the presence of the living God, where we can hear him speaking to us and we receive his blessing and are sent into the world in his service.
4) We worship God to receive his perspective on our lives. We become aware of his will and ability to deal with our questions and concerns, when we enter his presence.
When we focus on our situation or issues, they may be threateningly large. But when we focus on the almighty God, we become beware of God’s perspective, and as we look at the situation in the light of the power and authority of God, we find that through his divine ability the issue can be worked out. Our worship of God helps us to see that nothing is impossible with God – and we need to see that all the time.
5) But most importantly, when we worship God, we seek to be changed. Worship changes our attitudes and approach to life. It takes away our cynicism and gives us hope and faith. It takes away our anger and gives us love and a heart that forgives. It takes away our fear and gives us courage. When we worship God, we learn to trust him and surrender to him and it changes our whole lives!
Make regular time of worship your priority. During your private quiet time and during family time. And never forget that worship happens in the Body of Christ. Make it your priority never to miss worship time with the Body. Never exclude you and your family when God is busy equipping, inspiring and rejuvenating his Church. Be there!
Make it your priority.
Monday, July 25, 2011
When the youth is slaughtered and sacrificed to our idols
Ezekiel 16: 19 – 21 And the food I provided for you—the fine flour, olive oil and honey I gave you to eat—you offered as fragrant incense before your idols. That is what happened, declares the Sovereign LORD. And you took your sons and daughters whom you bore to me and sacrificed them as food to the idols. Was your prostitution not enough? You slaughtered my children and sacrificed them to the idols.
Nowhere else the story of God’s people as the unfaithful wife of a gracious God who loved them more than anything else, is told more graphically than in Ezekiel 16.
The people of Israel became a whore when she used God’s blessings and affectionate gifts of gold, fine clothes and the best food, to adorn the false gods of their neighboring nations.
When the gifts that God gives in love, become the reason why we embrace a way of live where not our Lord, but the prosperous lifestyle he grants us is the most important love of our lives, our unfaithfulness becomes an unbearable shame and the reason for both God’s broken heart and his wrath.
The worst moment in the life of God’s people though, is when our unfaithfulness to the Lord impacts on the lives of the children that we bore to God! When the reality of abusing the blessings, the tokens of his love, lead to not only our shame and judgment, but to life choices and life styles where our children are “slaughtered and sacrificed to our idols.”
When the children of those who are called God’s people become the victims of their materialism, selfishness, greed, self-indulgence and unfaithfulness to God, it results in a youth whose lives are ruined by godless greed, immorality, addictions and profane high risk pleasure-seeking, we are to be blamed and shamed. And more importantly, when we in this way sacrifice our children to our idols, God comes to the end of his patience with our infidelity.
When children, God’s greatest gift, become the victims of our choices and preferences, we arrive at the place where we have to finally choose between loving or leaving our Saviour.
Ezekiel phrases it as follows in Ezekiel 18: 30 – 32:
Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign LORD.
Repent!
Turn away from all your offense, then sin will not be your downfall.
Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, o people of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD.
Repent and live!
Nowhere else the story of God’s people as the unfaithful wife of a gracious God who loved them more than anything else, is told more graphically than in Ezekiel 16.
The people of Israel became a whore when she used God’s blessings and affectionate gifts of gold, fine clothes and the best food, to adorn the false gods of their neighboring nations.
When the gifts that God gives in love, become the reason why we embrace a way of live where not our Lord, but the prosperous lifestyle he grants us is the most important love of our lives, our unfaithfulness becomes an unbearable shame and the reason for both God’s broken heart and his wrath.
The worst moment in the life of God’s people though, is when our unfaithfulness to the Lord impacts on the lives of the children that we bore to God! When the reality of abusing the blessings, the tokens of his love, lead to not only our shame and judgment, but to life choices and life styles where our children are “slaughtered and sacrificed to our idols.”
When the children of those who are called God’s people become the victims of their materialism, selfishness, greed, self-indulgence and unfaithfulness to God, it results in a youth whose lives are ruined by godless greed, immorality, addictions and profane high risk pleasure-seeking, we are to be blamed and shamed. And more importantly, when we in this way sacrifice our children to our idols, God comes to the end of his patience with our infidelity.
When children, God’s greatest gift, become the victims of our choices and preferences, we arrive at the place where we have to finally choose between loving or leaving our Saviour.
Ezekiel phrases it as follows in Ezekiel 18: 30 – 32:
Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign LORD.
Repent!
Turn away from all your offense, then sin will not be your downfall.
Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, o people of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD.
Repent and live!
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Church of God, elect and glorious
Church of God, elect and glorious,
holy nation, holy race;
called as God’s own special people,
royal priests and heirs of grace:
know the purpose of your calling,
show to all his mighty deeds;
tell of love which knows no limits,
grace which meets all human needs,
God has called you out of darkness
into his most marvellous light;
brought his truth to life within you,
turned your blindness into sight.
Let your light so shine around you
that God’s Name is glorified;
and all find fresh hope and purpose
in Christ Jesus crucified.
(Music: Ode to Joy)
holy nation, holy race;
called as God’s own special people,
royal priests and heirs of grace:
know the purpose of your calling,
show to all his mighty deeds;
tell of love which knows no limits,
grace which meets all human needs,
God has called you out of darkness
into his most marvellous light;
brought his truth to life within you,
turned your blindness into sight.
Let your light so shine around you
that God’s Name is glorified;
and all find fresh hope and purpose
in Christ Jesus crucified.
(Music: Ode to Joy)
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
The importance of true worship? (2)
God is spirit; and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)
God expects us to worship and praise him. God created us to worship him. We therefore will thirst to worship the Lord, even when we do not understand or acknowledge the need. We will remain unfulfilled if we don’t. To worship God is the purpose of our existence.
But what is true worship? If you research this you will find that believers seem to answer this question in many ways. There seem to be so many churches with different customs, styles and traditions. Who is right?
If you would visit a different service every Sunday, you would find that some churches have a lot of formality, ceremony and ritual. Things are done in the same way and order every Sunday.
There are on the other hand also a variety of less formal churches with an unwritten order that may differ from Sunday to Sunday and that could feel disorderly if you are not used to their style and traditions. And you will also find a lot of “in-between” services as you look around.
Are some wrong and others right? Are some better churches than others? The truth is that they could all be right or all be wrong, and whether they are, has little to do with their style, but has everything to do with the heart of the worshipper and his/her relationship with God in Jesus Christ.
All churches from all styles and traditions should pray that God will constantly move the Church to restore true praise and worship, which is worship that is lead by the Spirit, while seeking God’s truth without compromise. We ought to understand what is important to God; truth, earnesty, honesty, authenticity, hope, faith and more than anything else, love for him.
After all, praise and worship are God’s ideas, not ours. Yes, we have a desperate need to have fellowship with God, whether we believe it or not! But God is not interested in our choice of style or customs, but that we worship him with love, in truth and under guidance of his Spirit.
Over and over in Psalm 150 we hear the command to "praise the Lord!"
Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty expanse.
Praise Him for His mighty deeds;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.
Praise Him with trumpet sound;
Praise Him with harp and lyre.
Praise Him with timbrel and dancing;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe.
Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord!
God expects us to praise him. And God is saying to his church today, as he has said many times in the past, "Praise Me!"
God expects us to worship and praise him. God created us to worship him. We therefore will thirst to worship the Lord, even when we do not understand or acknowledge the need. We will remain unfulfilled if we don’t. To worship God is the purpose of our existence.
But what is true worship? If you research this you will find that believers seem to answer this question in many ways. There seem to be so many churches with different customs, styles and traditions. Who is right?
If you would visit a different service every Sunday, you would find that some churches have a lot of formality, ceremony and ritual. Things are done in the same way and order every Sunday.
There are on the other hand also a variety of less formal churches with an unwritten order that may differ from Sunday to Sunday and that could feel disorderly if you are not used to their style and traditions. And you will also find a lot of “in-between” services as you look around.
Are some wrong and others right? Are some better churches than others? The truth is that they could all be right or all be wrong, and whether they are, has little to do with their style, but has everything to do with the heart of the worshipper and his/her relationship with God in Jesus Christ.
All churches from all styles and traditions should pray that God will constantly move the Church to restore true praise and worship, which is worship that is lead by the Spirit, while seeking God’s truth without compromise. We ought to understand what is important to God; truth, earnesty, honesty, authenticity, hope, faith and more than anything else, love for him.
After all, praise and worship are God’s ideas, not ours. Yes, we have a desperate need to have fellowship with God, whether we believe it or not! But God is not interested in our choice of style or customs, but that we worship him with love, in truth and under guidance of his Spirit.
Over and over in Psalm 150 we hear the command to "praise the Lord!"
Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty expanse.
Praise Him for His mighty deeds;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.
Praise Him with trumpet sound;
Praise Him with harp and lyre.
Praise Him with timbrel and dancing;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe.
Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord!
God expects us to praise him. And God is saying to his church today, as he has said many times in the past, "Praise Me!"
Monday, July 18, 2011
Beware of false security.
"Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria, you notable men of the foremost nation, to whom the people of Israel come!" (Amos 6:1)
There were many in the day of Amos, as there are in ours, who were content to trust in outward prosperity and in the glamour of their places of worship. Amos said they were "complacent in Zion." He said they felt “secure on Mount Samaria”. Amos was preaching to the notable leaders of God’s people concerning the security they felt in the trappings of outwardly signs of piety. And this made them complacent.
But it was false security. They were effectively trusting in their own sufficiency and not in God.
And then the real issue is brought clearly into focus by this phrase "you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.” (Amos 6:6) In Amos’ day this charge meant that the leaders of Israel were unconcerned about the fate of the majority who did not share in their prosperity.
God was concerned about the plight of the poor. His heart was broken by their sad circumstances. But the hearts of the leaders were unmoved. They were out of "sync" with the heart of God.
Our complacency may mean that we are simply not shaken by what we believe.
We all have to answer these questions: Are our hearts in "sync" with the heart of God? Are we moved by the things that move him? Are we, his Church, a people who care about the things God cares about? Is his passion, our passion?
There were many in the day of Amos, as there are in ours, who were content to trust in outward prosperity and in the glamour of their places of worship. Amos said they were "complacent in Zion." He said they felt “secure on Mount Samaria”. Amos was preaching to the notable leaders of God’s people concerning the security they felt in the trappings of outwardly signs of piety. And this made them complacent.
But it was false security. They were effectively trusting in their own sufficiency and not in God.
And then the real issue is brought clearly into focus by this phrase "you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.” (Amos 6:6) In Amos’ day this charge meant that the leaders of Israel were unconcerned about the fate of the majority who did not share in their prosperity.
God was concerned about the plight of the poor. His heart was broken by their sad circumstances. But the hearts of the leaders were unmoved. They were out of "sync" with the heart of God.
Our complacency may mean that we are simply not shaken by what we believe.
We all have to answer these questions: Are our hearts in "sync" with the heart of God? Are we moved by the things that move him? Are we, his Church, a people who care about the things God cares about? Is his passion, our passion?
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Pray with the Church in China.
Pray with the Church in China.
Church leaders fear a crackdown.
Read the CNN article about this and look at a rare video clip of one of the biggest "house churches" worshipping, if you click on the link below.
When one part of the Body suffers, so does the rest of the Body.
"Dear Lord, keep all your children in China safe! Protect them! Grant them the privilege of complete freedom to serve you and share your Word with everyone! For Jesus Christ sake. Amen."
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/13/china-christian-crackdown/
Church leaders fear a crackdown.
Read the CNN article about this and look at a rare video clip of one of the biggest "house churches" worshipping, if you click on the link below.
When one part of the Body suffers, so does the rest of the Body.
"Dear Lord, keep all your children in China safe! Protect them! Grant them the privilege of complete freedom to serve you and share your Word with everyone! For Jesus Christ sake. Amen."
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/13/china-christian-crackdown/
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
The importance of true worship? (1)
God is spirit; and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:24)
God has commanded us to worship and praise him. It is essential for us to make praise and worship part of our lives, simply because God created us to praise Him. It is the purpose of our existence.
We have a deep felt need to worship God, even when we do not realise that we have this need – or even sometimes deny that we have it!
Wherever you find humans, you will find that they worship a god or gods. It may look a lot different from what we know as Christian worship, but humans are generally worshipping as part of the way they live. People have a need to reach out beyond their daily existence and declare their dependence of something higher and more powerful than themselves. People will always have a god - even if it is not the one true God revealed in Jesus Christ and the Bible.
But God commands us to become true worshipers who are worshiping the true God in spirit and in truth. John says in chapter 4:23-24: "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be his worshipers. God is spirit; and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
God seeks true worshipers. They are people who come to him honestly, sincerely and reverently. To worship in spirit and truth is to engage the whole person in bringing honour, glory, praise and thanks to God through physical prayer and praise as well as emotional commitment, love and passion. We are also to be inspired and guided by the Holy Spirit to worship in truth.
To worship God with his people is our highest calling in life. Nothing compares to it, nothing can take its place in our lives and we do not have a higher priority!
Entering into true praise and worship is not optional. It is a command of God. It is crucial that we come to understand and practice true biblical praise and worship if we consider ourselves to part of Christ’s Body on earth.
We bring the sacrifice of praise
into the house of the Lord.
And we offer up to You
the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and we offer up to You
the sacrifices of joy.
God has commanded us to worship and praise him. It is essential for us to make praise and worship part of our lives, simply because God created us to praise Him. It is the purpose of our existence.
We have a deep felt need to worship God, even when we do not realise that we have this need – or even sometimes deny that we have it!
Wherever you find humans, you will find that they worship a god or gods. It may look a lot different from what we know as Christian worship, but humans are generally worshipping as part of the way they live. People have a need to reach out beyond their daily existence and declare their dependence of something higher and more powerful than themselves. People will always have a god - even if it is not the one true God revealed in Jesus Christ and the Bible.
But God commands us to become true worshipers who are worshiping the true God in spirit and in truth. John says in chapter 4:23-24: "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be his worshipers. God is spirit; and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
God seeks true worshipers. They are people who come to him honestly, sincerely and reverently. To worship in spirit and truth is to engage the whole person in bringing honour, glory, praise and thanks to God through physical prayer and praise as well as emotional commitment, love and passion. We are also to be inspired and guided by the Holy Spirit to worship in truth.
To worship God with his people is our highest calling in life. Nothing compares to it, nothing can take its place in our lives and we do not have a higher priority!
Entering into true praise and worship is not optional. It is a command of God. It is crucial that we come to understand and practice true biblical praise and worship if we consider ourselves to part of Christ’s Body on earth.
We bring the sacrifice of praise
into the house of the Lord.
And we offer up to You
the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and we offer up to You
the sacrifices of joy.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Bruised reeds
"A bruised reed He will not break." (Isaiah 42:3)
Bruised reeds are symbols of people. The word "bruised" is used by Isaiah to refer to discouragement in life. We have all been bruised reeds from time to time. We all have experienced times when we were depressed, beaten and almost broken.
God says that he will not break the bruised reed. When you think about this illustration in terms of people, you realize what God is saying. Bruised people don't have their lives together. They are the people who do not live up to their own, or other's expectations. Society is quick to write off sad, struggling people, but Jesus does not.
When we are like bruised reeds, we need to understand that God hasn't given up on us. He is the reed-repairer. He is the One who can take a bruised reed and work with it until it becomes useful and make a difference once again.
Sometimes God even takes those bruised places in our lives and uses these experiences of hurt to enable us to understand pain better and are therefore able to help others who feel crushed by life’s experiences. And through helping others we too may be healed.
Bruised reeds are symbols of people. The word "bruised" is used by Isaiah to refer to discouragement in life. We have all been bruised reeds from time to time. We all have experienced times when we were depressed, beaten and almost broken.
God says that he will not break the bruised reed. When you think about this illustration in terms of people, you realize what God is saying. Bruised people don't have their lives together. They are the people who do not live up to their own, or other's expectations. Society is quick to write off sad, struggling people, but Jesus does not.
When we are like bruised reeds, we need to understand that God hasn't given up on us. He is the reed-repairer. He is the One who can take a bruised reed and work with it until it becomes useful and make a difference once again.
Sometimes God even takes those bruised places in our lives and uses these experiences of hurt to enable us to understand pain better and are therefore able to help others who feel crushed by life’s experiences. And through helping others we too may be healed.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, for He is glorious!
Never shall His promise fail.
Christ has made His saints victorious,
sin and death shall not prevail.
Praise the God of our salvation!
Hosts on high, His power proclaim;
Heaven and earth and all creation,
laud and magnify His Name.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Why does Pentecost matter? (4) - Final
Pentecost matters, because the complete ministry of the Church was guaranteed on Pentecost.
On Pentecost the Holy Spirit empowered the first disciples and formed them into the Church of Christ, which still is central to God’s work in the world. They proclaimed God’s Good News in many languages on Pentecost day to demonstrate that there would be no doubt in anybody’s mind that the Church, which is an instrument in God’s hand, in its purest form is multicultural and therefore linguistically, culturally and racially inclusive.
Pentecost guarantees a complete ministry…
On Pentecost Peter preached a sermon to also help the people understand that the Holy Spirit was given to all who turned from their sin and turned to God through Jesus (Acts 2:38). The “text” of his sermon was Joel 2: 28 – 29: ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants –men and women alike– and they will prophesy.”
This was a turning point in God’s work on earth. God began to do what he had promised through many centuries and generations, that all God’s children will be equally involved in his complete, comprehensive ministry in this world. Every category of people would now be called to be God’s servants in his work.
In the Old Covenant the Holy Spirit was poured out on prophets, priests, and kings. In the New Covenant, as was promised through the Old Testament prophets, the Holy Spirit dwells in “all people.” Everyone who shared the experience of receiving God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ, is empowered to serve in the Church, irrespective of class, culture, gender or age. In the new covenant, in the Church of our Lord, all believers would be priests of God, doing his work on earth.
The church of Jesus Christ is God’s strategy to involve every believer, and every member of the Body to contribute to the work and mission of the Church (Eph 4:11-16).
The ministry of God’s Church is being accomplished when each Christian understands God’s purpose for him/her in his work. Everyone receives gifts according to God’s grace and all the gifts used as a body, completes God’s work in the world. Pentecost guarantees this complete ministry through the power of the Holy Spirit that works through every believer.
I am therefore challenged with the question whether I am exercising the gifts of the Spirit in my life. Do I serve God wholeheartedly according to his purpose for my life and according to the gifts the Lord gave me through his Spirit? Is this a time to renew my commitment to fulfilling my unique role in the ministry of God’s people in the world?
Pentecost gives us a season to recommit ourselves to be prepared and encouraged for our service to God. When we desire this and open up our hearts, souls and minds, the Holy Spirit will use the church of Jesus Christ for God’s complete mission and purpose in the world.
On Pentecost the Holy Spirit empowered the first disciples and formed them into the Church of Christ, which still is central to God’s work in the world. They proclaimed God’s Good News in many languages on Pentecost day to demonstrate that there would be no doubt in anybody’s mind that the Church, which is an instrument in God’s hand, in its purest form is multicultural and therefore linguistically, culturally and racially inclusive.
Pentecost guarantees a complete ministry…
On Pentecost Peter preached a sermon to also help the people understand that the Holy Spirit was given to all who turned from their sin and turned to God through Jesus (Acts 2:38). The “text” of his sermon was Joel 2: 28 – 29: ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants –men and women alike– and they will prophesy.”
This was a turning point in God’s work on earth. God began to do what he had promised through many centuries and generations, that all God’s children will be equally involved in his complete, comprehensive ministry in this world. Every category of people would now be called to be God’s servants in his work.
In the Old Covenant the Holy Spirit was poured out on prophets, priests, and kings. In the New Covenant, as was promised through the Old Testament prophets, the Holy Spirit dwells in “all people.” Everyone who shared the experience of receiving God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ, is empowered to serve in the Church, irrespective of class, culture, gender or age. In the new covenant, in the Church of our Lord, all believers would be priests of God, doing his work on earth.
The church of Jesus Christ is God’s strategy to involve every believer, and every member of the Body to contribute to the work and mission of the Church (Eph 4:11-16).
The ministry of God’s Church is being accomplished when each Christian understands God’s purpose for him/her in his work. Everyone receives gifts according to God’s grace and all the gifts used as a body, completes God’s work in the world. Pentecost guarantees this complete ministry through the power of the Holy Spirit that works through every believer.
I am therefore challenged with the question whether I am exercising the gifts of the Spirit in my life. Do I serve God wholeheartedly according to his purpose for my life and according to the gifts the Lord gave me through his Spirit? Is this a time to renew my commitment to fulfilling my unique role in the ministry of God’s people in the world?
Pentecost gives us a season to recommit ourselves to be prepared and encouraged for our service to God. When we desire this and open up our hearts, souls and minds, the Holy Spirit will use the church of Jesus Christ for God’s complete mission and purpose in the world.
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