Verse: He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth."- Acts 1:7-8
Topic: Does God still do miracles today?
Personal Piece: For those who don't know we are nearing the end of the 50 day countdown to Pentecost. Interestingly enough it has also turned out to be the countdown to the end of my wrestling with God that started little over a year ago. God has been teaching me so much over the last year and while I wouldn't say it was a "dark time" or even a necessarily difficult lesson, it has been by far the most confusing lesson I have ever had to learn. God has been tearing down into my roots and growing me up on stronger foundations. Having been a Christian since I was 4 years old, this is a necessary process to move into adulthood and maintain my faith in who he is. I can't depend on the habits and thought processes that got me through high school I must "let go of my childish ways" (1 Cor. 13:11). But beyond that, God has been growing a new spiritual gift within me. He has been teaching me to discern between spirits. Not only good and bad spirits but also "almost good" and good. He is teaching me to discern where the spirit of man is pushing him out, even in the lives of Christians I look up to. What better time to hit the climax of this time then right on the eve of Pentecost when Yahweh poured out his spirit on man and filled them with his power.
Thought of the Week: The room was silent, the only sound was the occasional whispered prayers as those closest to Yeshua huddled together in an upper room. It had been 10 days since Yeshua had left them. The roman soldiers were still looking for his body, desperate for some kind of proof that the disciples had only stolen his body. Every sound caused them to jump, wondering if perhaps the Roman's had come to arrest them. It had been ten days and already doubts were beginning to sneak in. He had told them to wait, to not even leave Jerusalem until they had received some kind of gift. But what if it never came? Or what if like the times before his time frame was different than theirs? And what could this gift possibly be? He had said they would be witnesses to the world but looking around this packed out room it sure didn't look like a room of witnesses. The people trembled, the eyes were filled with fear though they tried to hide it. They all struggled to pray, as they wrestled with the question on all their minds. Why did Jesus have to leave?
These were the thoughts that may have plagued Peter's mind as he sat with the other devoted followers of Christ on that special Pentecost. How many previous Pentecost's had he come to Jerusalem, hoping that Yahweh would fulfill his promise of power. For 1500 years the Jews had made this pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The prophet Jeremiah had promised that God would one day write his laws on their hearts (Jer. 31:31-34) and Pentecost was the day they looked for that fulfillment. But after 1500 years, could Peter dare to hope that this was the Pentecost they had been waiting for.
Then it happened, a mysterious sound moved through the room. It sounded like the storm winds he had heard so often on the Sea of Galilee, but the room was sealed and more than that the wind could be felt but not on the skin like most wind. This wind could be felt in his soul. Something was happening within him that could not be explained. The soul wind was heavy on him and he felt like he might burst. What was happening? Someone cried out and he looked to see what looked to be a fire in the middle of the room, the fire began to separate and settle above each head in the room until all were consumed. Something unexplainable was happening inside of him. He wanted to laugh and cry, all at once. He felt like singing, dancing shouting, falling to his knees. Finally he did the only thing he could, he opened his mouth and what came out were words that he had never heard before.
Tears began to stream down Peter's face and suddenly he knew, knew with absolute certainty that Jesus was not gone. He was here in this room. No, he wasn't in the room, he was inside of him, inside each of them. They were all speaking in the strange language and it was beautiful. A language from the heart, words spoken privately between Jesus and himself. Peter jumped to his feet and raced to the door. He couldn't contain it anymore, he had to share with the world. He didn't care if they laughed, he didn't care if they arrested him. He had to speak, had to tell the whole world that Yeshua was alive, that he was still among them, that he was coming back. Oh, there was so much to say how would he ever find the words. But he didn't have to worry about that, did he? Yeshua was there, Yeshua would do the speaking, he need only open his mouth and allow Yeshua to use him. This was just the beginning of a grand adventure.
We don't know for sure how exactly Peter might have felt before and after the spirit of Yahweh fell upon his people for the first time. I have nothing to go off of but my own experiences and I can tell you it is nothing short of miraculous. There are many churches that believe that speaking in tongues and doing miracles is a thing of the past, something saved only for the early disciples. Yet there is no account of the moment that God decided to withdraw his spirit, there is nothing in the feasts that indicate that that was part of the deal. There is no logic in a God who would give us a book filled with over 4000 years of miracles to show us how powerful he USED to be. I believe that his spirit still lives within me, pushing me to do things and say things I would never do on my own.
What the feasts do show us is that after Pentecost there will be a dry season. On the Jewish calendar there are about 3-4 months between Pentecost and the fall feasts. The Jewish feasts follow the harvest cycle and this 3 month period was the driest part of the year. But it was also the time that the harvest grew and prepared to be reaped. We are in that dry season. Every day we must fight against the weeds, and the birds and the hot sun (see parable of the sower) in order to be harvest-able when Jesus returns. Some days we have to fight to feel his spirit, we have to fight against distractions and chemical imbalances and secret sin in order to experience the miracles that he intends for us to see. That's what I fight for. Some days I win and some days I lose but I will always keep fighting.
Digging Deeper: For the account of Jesus' departure and the following day of Pentecost read Acts chapters 1 and 2. The rest of Acts tells the story of the numerous miracles performed through God's spirit. 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14 gives a detailed explanation of the numerous giftings of the Holy Spirit as well as proper use of them in the church.
The Parable of the Sower can be found in Matthew chapter 13
For more on the feast of Pentecost check out "Celebrating Jesus in the Biblical Feasts" by Dr. Richard Booker. I also highly recommend "The Code of the Holy Spirit" by Perry Stone which I read over the course of these 50 days and was given a completely new outlook on the Holy Spirit.
Challenge: Spend some time to get to know the person of the Holy Spirit. There are numerous books on the subject and the apostle Paul speaks a lot about him throughout the New Testament. So whether you do a Biblical study, a book study or just dialogue with God about it take some time to figure out who the Holy Spirit really is and what his role is in our world and in your life.
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