Living in the day of the Spirit
Joel 2: I will pour out my Spirit on every kind of people.
The Hebrew prophets were, in general, positive people. Sometimes they had negative messages to give and sometimes they spoke harshly but they always found a place to promise a better day. In the face of the natural disaster that has befallen his people, Joel calls for them to take stock of their lives and repent of their sin. Then he describes a coming better day. He sees a day when God will “make up for the years of the locust,” restoring what has been destroyed. He pictures tables full of food and people filled with words of praise and thanksgiving. Then Joel says, “If you think that stuff sounds good wait till you hear what else is coming!” He then describes a day of wonderful blessing in which God pours his Spirit out upon, not just one nation, but upon all the nations of the world. He says that in that day their sons and daughters will prophecy and people from all nations and stations of life will be blessed. This event, Joel says, will happen before the “Judgment Day of God.” Years later Peter will quote these words on the Day of Pentecost. Peter will tell people that they’re literally seeing this “Spirit pouring” promise being fulfilled before their very eyes. Even today, we live in that “in between” period of history. We’re between the outpouring of the Spirit and the Judgment Day of God. What a wonderful time in which to live! We’re in the “day of the Spirit.” This is the time when, according to Joel, “Whoever calls, ‘Help, God!’ gets help.”
Take Away: What a wonderful thing it is to live in the “day of the Spirit.”
Tag: Pentecost
Devotional on Acts
Acts 2: Get out of this sick and stupid culture!
It’s the Day of Pentecost. Those in the Upper Room have received the Promise of the Father. The power of the Holy Spirit flows out of them and they proclaim the Good News of Jesus with authority they’ve never had before and in languages they’ve never spoken before. Thousands come running to see what’s happening and Peter preaches his Pentecost sermon. Good people hear this message and are alarmed that the Messiah has come, been executed, and has risen from the grave. Is it too late for them? Has the long awaited Messiah come and they missed the boat? Pleading, they ask, “So now what do we do?” Peter’s answer is this: “Change your life…turn to God…be baptized…receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” A corrupt, Christ-denying culture has brought them to the brink of disaster. Their only hope, Peter says with Spirit-filled confidence, is to “get out of this sick and stupid culture.” This message of both warning and hope is still the one people need to hear today. Our culture of self and materialism is destroying our souls. We’re on the brink of eternal disaster. Our hope is in the resurrected Savior of the world. The message of God to this generation is the same as the one Peter gave to his so long ago: “Repent, turn to God, be baptized, receive the Holy Spirit.”
Take Away: There’s a way through to God and that Way is named Jesus
Devotional on Acts
Believers becoming receivers
Acts 19: We’ve never heard of that – a Holy Spirit? God within us?
They’re a small gathering of believers in the town of Ephesus. They’ve repented of their sins and been baptized with water, believing in the One John the Baptist preached about. When Paul arrives in Ephesus and makes inquiries as to whether there are any followers of The Way in Ephesus, someone tells him about them. They welcome him with open arms and soon Paul is updating them on what God’s doing. As he brings them up to speed he tells them of the awesome events of the Day of Pentecost. They’re thrilled at the idea of God’s Holy Spirit living in their lives. It sounds almost too good to be true. Soon these believers are receivers. They’re filled with the Spirit. Years earlier Jesus so values this infilling that he tells the disciples to remain in Jerusalem until they receive the Holy Spirit. Now, Paul encounters this group of isolated disciples and almost immediately tells them about the Holy Spirit’s infilling. This work of God is, apparently, a priority in the Book of Acts and, is, therefore, a priority for all God’s people. Paul’s focus on the status of their relationship with the Holy Spirit is a good focus for all of God’s people.
Take Away: Have you received the Spirit since you believed?
Devotional on Romans
A theology book
Romans 1: I write this letter to all the Christians in Rome, God’s friends.
No one knows who it was who took the Gospel message to Rome. Some think Peter, but that’s due to a particular theological agenda that isn’t supported by the historical commentary of the book of Acts. I do have the idea that some who heard Peter’s great message on the Day of Pentecost were from Rome and were among the 3000 who became believers. Perhaps they returned home and established Christianity in Rome. If I understand the chronology right, as Paul writes this letter he’s about three years from the events recorded in the closing chapters of Acts that will bring him to Rome. In his other letters, he deals with specific concerns because he’s had personal contact with the churches. When he writes to the church at Rome he takes a different approach. The result is the finest book of theology ever written. I don’t know what the original readers thought of this letter but can only guess that they were as blown away by its depth and complexity as I am. Happily for me, I’m not committed to write a commentary on Romans, just some devotionals. Humanity, Paul says, has ignored God resulting in a sort of downward spiral into more and more outrageous and destructive sin. This book of theology describes how it is God has acted to remedy that situation.
Take Away: If you like to read theology you can do no better than to commit yourself to becoming an expert on the book of Romans.
Devotional on 1 Kings
It’s easy to miss
1Kings 19: …a gentle and quiet whisper.
After hearing the voice of God Elijah’s told that he’s to prepare himself for a personal encounter with the Lord. As Elijah sits inside the mouth of the cave things start happening outside. There’s a great wind, then an earthquake, and then a fire. We’re told that God isn’t in these things. In other words, while they’re sent by God he doesn’t inhabit them. What the Lord has for Elijah is yet to come and it’s only after the wind, earthquake, and fire that the Lord comes to Elijah in the gentle, quiet whisper. When Moses met God on this same mountain it was the same way. There was thunder and lightning and earthquakes followed by a face to face meeting with the Lord. We see this pattern repeated throughout the Bible. For instance, on the Day of Pentecost it won’t be about the sound of wind, the tongues of fire, or other languages being spoken. Rather, it will be about God, the Holy Spirit, filling their lives with himself. As I see this repeated spiritual fact of life I’m reminded to dial back my love of the spectacular and pay more attention to the “gentle quiet whisper” of God in my life.
Take Away: Ultimately it’s not the fireworks but is, instead, the personal presence of the Lord that counts in my life.