Tag: Holy Spirit

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Daily Devotion April 30th

THURSDAY 30th

Acts 1:8 – Power to be Missional

We go back today to Acts chapter one, for when Jesus told the disciples to wait, it was initially to wait to be empowered for mission. ‘Do not go, don’t leave Jerusalem until you have received the promise of the Father, you heard me speak about it, John baptised with water, but you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit . . . you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’

Matthew and Mark record for us the commission of the disciples from Jesus, Matthew in 28:16-20 and Mark 16:15-18.

Back in the commencement of his ministry when Jesus called the disciples, he was calling them to be fishers of men. (Mark 1:17) Today we use the phrase to be evangelists, to tell the goods news so that others will hear, respond, and become disciples. Some of the disciples understood the concept of fishing after all that was their occupation, and they would have known that fishing was not easy, it wasn’t a case of sitting in a boat and looking overboard and saying, ‘here fishy, fishy, jump in the boat so that I can catch you’ no, it took a lot of hard work and energy. They needed to be properly equipped. And Jesus had called them to be fishers of men and it was not going to be easy, they would need to be properly equipped. Therefore, after commissioning the disciples to go and to fish (make disciples) Jesus said, ‘Do not go until you have the power (the resource) or the equipping of the Holy Spirit.

And after they had received the power of the Holy Spirit they went fishing. And the Book of Acts records for us their fishing adventures. Yes sometimes it was a smooth run, but at other times it was tempestuous, fraught with danger, literally for Paul as it involved him being shipwrecked, but because the original twelve had been obedient in ‘waiting until’, they laboured through the good times and the bad times by knowing the enabling strength and power and leading of the Holy Spirit.

The men (and the women with them) fished and fished till they caught fish and in so many places, islands, towns and cities and countries far away from Jerusalem. They went to at least Spain which is mention in Romans 15. And thank God, the fishing has never stopped, the disciples made disciples who in turn made disciples until the fishers of men have eventually caught you and I two thousand years later, and the fishing has taken place and is still taking place the whole world over.

I have never been fishing, other than the occasional crab baiting, I have watched others fish, often wondered why they can be bothered when you can go and buy a piece of fish more easily and quicker from the supermarket or even ready cooked at the chippy! Let somebody else do the fishing!

I wonder if we can be like that spiritually, let someone else do the fishing! But Jesus calls us all to be fishers of men (and women) and he doesn’t expect us to go out and to do it alone, he has also given the Holy Spirit to us, to equip us and to empower us in our sharing of the gospel. And like the disciples it will not always be an easy venture, there will be rebuffs, there may be conflict, there will be those who will reject the message, but it is the only way we will catch the fish. If you do not fish, you will never catch a fish! And believe you me, there are plenty of fish out there, and some are almost ready to jump into the net, it just needs us to put the nets out.

In John 21:3, Peter said to some of the disciples ‘I am going fishing’ and they fished all night and caught nothing – sometimes we may feel we have fished all night and caught nothing, I can assure you I have been there. Then it says that Jesus appeared and said to them ‘Cast the net on the right side’ and in doing so they caught 153 large fish.

In Acts we see the importance of the leading of the Holy Spirit in our fishing ventures. It is all about casting the net on the right side, or in the right place. For example, in Acts 8:29 we read of the Holy Spirit telling Philip to ‘Go over and join this Chariot’ In obedience Philip went and fished, and a man was saved. In Acts 16 which is a great missional chapter because there was successful fishing in so many places but in verse 6-7, we read ‘they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. And when they came to Mysia they attempted to go into Bythinia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.’

We need the help of the Holy Spirit in directing us, but we need to obey his voice, his leading. Next time you feel the Holy Spirit prompt you to speak to someone – be obedient, who knows you may catch a fish!

Peter said, “I’m going fishing,”

so his friends went out with him.

Through the night, they labored, watching,

hauling empty nets back in.

In the grey of early morning,

Jesus, you came walking by.

From the beach you called a greeting,

“Cast out on the other side!”

Soon their nets were filled to brimming;

someone cried, “It is the Lord!”

Jumping in, he started swimming;

Christ, you met him on the shore.

Guiding them to better waters,

eating fish and sharing bread –

you showed Peter and the others:

You were risen from the dead!

Risen Christ, you send us fishing!

God’s great sea is everywhere.

you have guided us in mission,

you have given love to share.

Through the years, our church has heard you,

we have answered your great call:

“Cast your nets where I have told you.

Bring my Word of love to all!”

Lord, be with our congregation;

by your Spirit, send us forth!

May we care for your creation;

may we work for peace on earth.

In our worship, in our giving,

in our serving those in need,

may we know, Lord; you are living,

guiding us in ministry.

Unknown CCLI 788682

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Daily Devotion April 27th

MONDAY 27th

Acts 2:1-13 – Receive

This is one of the pivotal chapters in Scripture, it is a moment of infilling, of impact and of outreach.

The disciples had been obedient to the instruction that Jesus had given them in the previous chapter 1:4, and they waited, and they prayed until the Day of Pentecost arrived ‘and suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.’

When we are told here that the ‘Day of Pentecost’ arrived it is referring to one of the feasts of the Children of Israel, which they observed throughout the year. It was also known as the Feast of Weeks (Leviticus 23:15-16)

But now it was going to take on a more significant meaning, it was to be the moment in which the promised Holy Spirit would arrive and infill the waiting disciples / believers. Pentecost means ‘fiftieth’ and on this day, the fiftieth day after the resurrection a new Pentecost takes place. It is the pivotal moment when we can say that the Church was born, the moment when Jesus began to build his Church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18)

I think that it is quite clear that Jesus intended and expects his Church to be Pentecostal, Spirit filled and Spirit empowered. Remember his instruction, they were not to leave Jerusalem until they had received power and the power would arrive when the Holy Spirit came upon them. (1:8)

We see the initial effect upon the waiting disciples in 2:3-4 ‘And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were ALL FILLED with the Holy Spirit and begun to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ They were filled and they spoke in other tongues. It is important to realise here, that they weren’t making up gibberish sounds, they weren’t uttering unintelligible sounds, (even though they themselves may not have understood) they were speaking in other known languages which they themselves didn’t know, languages different to their own language. Such is the incredible power of the Holy Spirit. We know this because of what it says in verses 6-7. ‘And at this sound the multitude came together (Because the Feast of Pentecost was taking place, Jerusalem would have been filled with visitors from afar) and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them (those filled with the Holy Spirit) speaking in his own language. (Italics mine) And they were amazed and astonished, saying, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own language?’ And the account lists many of the regions and languages. WOW, what an incredible moment in time, what an incredible scene to have witnessed, what a mighty demonstration of the power of God. What a shift in the plan and purpose of God, in a period of 50 days, Jesus had died, had been buried, had risen again, had appeared many times, had returned to heaven and now a movement was born, the Church of Jesus Christ, inaugurated by the coming of the Holy Spirit, infilled with the power of the Holy Spirit and ready to go and infiltrate the kingdom of darkness and to see many delivered from it and brought into the kingdom of light.

They had waited, they had been filled, the power promised had been received, and as a result the disciples were ready to be propelled as witnesses, first into Jerusalem, then into Judea, then into Samaria and then to the end of the earth. Fulfilling the commission given to them by the Lord Jesus Christ. The story continues, two thousand years later and this devotion continues, tomorrow.

The whole wide world for Jesus!

This shall our watchword be,

Upon the highest mountain,

Down by the widest sea.

The whole wide world for Jesus!

To Him shall all men bow;

In city or in prairie,

The world for Jesus now.

The whole wide world, the whole wide world!

Proclaim the Gospel tidings thro’ the whole wide world!

Lift up the cross of Jesus, His banner be unfurled,

Till every tongue confess Him thro’ the whole wide world.

The whole wide world for Jesus!

Inspires us with the thought

That every son of Adam

Hath by His love been bought.

The whole wide world for Jesus!

O faint not by the way!

The cross shall surely conquer

In this our glorious day.

The whole wide world for Jesus!

The marching order sound;

Go ye and preach the gospel

Wherever man is found.

The whole wide world for Jesus!

Our banner is unfurled;

We battle now for Jesus,

And faith demands the world.

Catherine Johnson CCLI 788682

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Devotions

Daily Devotion April 26th

Sunday 26th

Acts 1 – Wait

During this week we will look at some portions of Scripture in the book of Acts, concerning Pentecost and the subject of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and conclude with some verses from 1 Corinthians 12 and Galatians 5.

As a local Church in Gateshead, our name ‘Emmanuel Pentecostal Church’ identifies us as being a Pentecostal Church, which in turns identifies us as being a people of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we should not only be Pentecostal in title but in practice as well.

A few weeks back in the devotions, I highlighted some of the ministries of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. (April 2nd) As we look in the book of Acts during this week we will enlarge further, but for today a brief introduction.

Acts chapter one, starts by informing us that Jesus made many proofs to the disciples of his resurrection by appearing to them over a period of forty days. During this time, he instructed the disciples that they were not to depart from Jerusalem until they had received the Holy Spirit.

In verse 6 the disciples were more interested in the kingdom of Israel being restored to which Jesus replied (in my own words) ‘You don’t need to be concerned about these things, it’s all been sorted and arranged by my Father. What is important for you though is this, wait and when you have been baptised in the Holy Spirit you will receive power and you are going to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, then in Samaria and to the end of the world.’

Is it possible that like the disciples, we too can be preoccupied with other matters instead of the priority of Pentecost in our experience?

Immediately after Jesus had said this, he was taken up from out of their sight and a cloud took him up and back to heaven. This is what we refer to has the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, he had accomplished what he had been sent to do, and now he was returning, back to his Father.

The next verse is an encouraging verse because it confirms to the disciples what Jesus had already told them, (in John 14:1-3) 1:11 ‘This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’ This was good news for the disciples, and it is good news for us today, it is good news, full-stop, but in the trouble-some days in which we are living, it is comforting and reassuring news, that the day is coming and it may be sooner than we realise when this same Jesus who the disciples saw being taken up into heaven is going to come again, and when he does we who are watching and waiting will be taken up so that we will forever be with our Lord. When Paul touches on this same subject in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 he adds at the end in verse 18 ‘Therefore encourage one another with these words.’ May we be encouraged ‘He is coming again’, Amen, even so come Lord Jesus.

The rest of chapter one continues with the disciples returning to the upper room, (v13) they spend a period of time in united fellowship, in one accord with others, including Mary the mother of Jesus and his brothers (120 people altogether) devoting themselves to prayer. It was also there in the upper room, during this time of waiting that they appointed Matthias to replace Judas.

And there they waited, and there they prayed until we get to chapter two and verse one which says, ‘And when the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly . . .’

You may recall I talked about a ‘suddenly’ moment in an earlier devotion, (March 26th) when Paul and Silas were praying and singing at midnight and ‘suddenly’ there was an earthquake. (Acts 16:26) Well, here in Acts 2 there is a ‘suddenly’ moment, and this ‘suddenly’ moment was going to transform the disciples, they were about to receive and to be filled with the promised Holy Spirit and as a result things would never be the same again. But that is the subject for the rest of this week and I pray it is a subject that will not be contained within the boundaries of this week and our devotions but will be the ongoing experience for us as a Church, as a Pentecostal Church as we move forward with God into the future he has prepared for us until that moment when he comes again.

For today, as we embark on this week concerning the Holy Spirit, I jump forward to Acts 19 and ask the question that Paul asked the believers who he met with in Ephesus, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’

I was brought up in a Pentecostal Church, and when I was 18, I went to stay with a friend in Belfast, NI and while there I made contact with one of my dad’s cousins, David Greenow, who lived there and was a full time Evangelist, I knew him well as he frequently returned to Hereford to visit his family and to preach in the Church. We connected for a day and he took me to a few places, but there was one place and one moment that impacted me, it was like a bolt out of the blue. We went to Lough Neagh and as we stood looking across the lough, he turned to me and said, ‘Have you received the Holy Spirit? If not, why not, you belong to a Pentecostal Church.’ It was one of those moments where I knew that God by his Spirit was challenging me concerning my walk and relationship with him. Shamefully I had to reply, ‘No’ and he prayed with me and from that moment on I was desperate to seek and to be filled. I cannot point to a definitive moment when I received, until a while later at a youth conference while seeking the baptism of the Holy Spirit someone praying with me just simply said, I believe you have already been filled, just be released and it happened, I began to speak with tongues as the Holy Spirit gave me the ability. Did something happen at the Lough?

How about you? The disciples had to stay at ‘home’ till they received, wouldn’t it be wonderful if during this time while we have to stay at ‘home’ we were filled either for the first time, or afresh by the Holy Spirit so that when gathered church happens again we will be equipped by the Holy Spirit’s power to take us forward.

They were gathered in an upper chamber,

as commanded by the risen Lord,

and the promise of the Father

there they sought with one accord,

when the Holy Ghost from heaven descended

like a rushing wind and tongues of fire:

so dear Lord, we seek Thy blessing,

come with glory now our hearts inspire.

Let the fire fall, let the fire fall,

let the fire from heaven fall;

we are waiting and expecting,

now in faith, dear Lord, we call;

let the fire fall, let the fire fall,

on Thy promise we depend;

from the glory of Thy presence

let the Pentecostal fire descend.

As Elijah we would raise the altar

for our testimony clear and true,

Christ the Saviour, loving Healer,

coming Lord, Baptizer too,

ever flowing grace and full salvation,

for a ruined race Thy love has planned;

for this blessed revelation,

for Thy written word we dare to stand.

‘This the covenanted promise given

to as many as the Lord shall call,

to the fathers and their children,

to Thy people, one and all;

so rejoicing in Thy word unfailing,

we draw nigh in faith Thy power to know –

come, O come, Thou burning Spirit,

set our hearts with heavenly fire aglow.

With a living coal from off Thy altar

touch our lips to swell Thy wondrous praise,

to extol Thee, bless, adore Thee,

and our songs of worship raise;

let the cloud of glory now descending

fill our hearts with holy ecstasy,

come in all Thy glorious fullness,

blessed Holy Spirit, have Thy way

H Tee CCLI 788682