FIRE AND WIND!

Today the Christian Church celebrates an amazingly miraculous day! Let's look at it. Jesus gave His disciples a very specific post-resurrection command recorded in the first chapter of the Book of Acts. Before we consider His command, let's review some facts leading up to that final communi-cation He had with His followers before His ascension back to heaven.

The opening twelve verses of Acts Chapter 1 give us the account of the last days on earth, that Jesus and His disciples spent together. Jesus The Christ came to this earth for a period of 33 plus years, three of those He taught truths of the Kingdom of God, ministered to and served people, performed many miracles, died on a cross, shed His blood for the sins of the whole world, was buried and rose up from the grave, alive and well! Then He was with His disciples for another 40 days after His resurrection. On the last of those 40 days, He gathered His disciples on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. This was the scene of that specific command that carried so much importance and relevance! Here is what He told those followers He was leaving behind: Gathering them together, "He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised , 'which,' He said, 'you have heard of from Me. . .you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now' " (Acts 1:5). Three verses later, He gave them the purpose for that "baptism". ". . . but you will receive POWER when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you SHALL BE MY WITNESSES both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Then He ascended back to heaven. As His disciples looked and watched intently as Jesus ascended into the clouds, two men in white apparel (angels) said to them, "You men of Galilee, why are you standing here gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come back in the same manner as you have seen Him go into heaven" (Acts 1:9-11).

When they could no longer see Him, the disciples DID EXACTLY as Jesus commanded them! No debates, no arguments, no rationalization, no alternative plans or actions, no differing opinions, no excuses and no doubts; they did what Jesus told them to do! My! WHY can't we do the same? Why are so many of us reluctant, fearful, self-determined, or obstinate when it comes to doing what God says? Why do we so often neglect His Word (commands, teachings, and warnings) and fail to act upon what the Bible says?

Well, the disciples returned to the city and went again into the Upper Room Did you know this was the same place where they and Jesus had celebrated the "Last Supper" in celebration of the Passover, just a bit over 40 days before? They went back, this time to WAIT for the "promise of the Father" they had heard about from Jesus! I'm quite sure they were thrilled and excited about the truth that Jesus was going to come back again, though they had no idea when He would return - WE still don't! But He could return at any moment! Can we honestly testify that we are indeed completely ready to meet Him when He does return?

Jesus' followers now numbered 120 gathered in that Upper Room. They were not only WAITING, but they were IN EARNEST AND CONSISTENT PRAYER! It was at least one of the most POWERFUL ten day Prayer Meetings of all time! I'm reminded of a true story about Rev. Charles Spurgeon. A visitor came to see him at his church, The Metropolitan Tabernacle, located in South London, England. The man inquired of Rev. Spurgeon about the reason for the "success", growth and influence of his church, why it seemed to be so powerful in the city. Rev. Spurgeon said to him, "That's easy, follow me." He led his visitor down stairs into a large room and there on their knees were 300 prayer warriors lifting their hearts and voices to God in earnest prayer! Rev. Spurgeon said, "This is the reason!"

You know, prayer meetings at church are a thing of the past! For the most part, churches do not have prayer meetings. When was the last time you were aware of any, or attended one? Church leaders do not seem to be convinced that having a prayer meeting would be productive or attended by their congregations. Churches can have worship services, pot-luck dinners, movie nights, business meetings and other activities, including small groups, but NO Prayer Meetings. Rev. Spurgeon would say, "no wonder the church today is powerless, anemic and of little consequence.!" You see, the church is not a building, it is people; the followers of Jesus! So, could it be that you and I are powerless, anemic and of little spiritual consequence? I think a revival of spiritual life would begin with a revival of personal and corporate prayer!

For ten days, the followers of Jesus gathered in the Upper Room to Pray! At the end of that ten day prayer meeting, the doors flung open and they went out into the City of Jerusalem and boldly and miraculously proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What had transpired in that room gave them the Power to do what Jesus had commanded them to do. Thousands of people from different languages heard and responded to the message of repentance and faith and became followers of Jesus too! And that was just the beginning!

Those of us who are "church-goers" are familiar with the Day of Pentecost. TODAY is the DAY OF PENTECOST 2026. The first Day of Pentecost is recorded for us in the Second Chapter of Acts. I trust we know what took place that day in Jerusalem. It was the day when the "FIRE' OF GOD" fell upon the believers/followers of Jesus! "And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them" (Acts 2:3). It was the day when the WIND OF GOD blew with fresh indwelling and power, across the hearts and minds of those men and women. "And suddenly there came from heaven a noise of a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole place where they were sitting" (Acts 2:2). It was the day when the Holy Spirit of God came down and filled the lives of those assembled. "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. . . ." (Acts 2:4). This was the first time ever when the Holy Spirit became an indwelling presence in the lives of those who love and serve Jesus! It was the day when the Church was born! It was the day when Jesus' teaching to His followers was fulfilled for He had said to them, "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another HELPER, that He may be with you forever; that is the (Holy) Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because the world (unbelievers) does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you" (John 14:16-17). He IS WITH you, but He SHALL BE IN YOU!

We may know ALL these things about the Day of Pentecost, and many of us who follow Jesus long for Spiritual revival, the out-pouring of God's Holy Spirit, and His accompanying power, the cleansing of our culture, the empowerment of our churches and their leaders, and the genuine repentance of those who do not yet know the Lord Jesus as Savior and Lord!

But, we must not fail to recognize that we cannot have a renewed Pentecost until we have come to embrace the principles that produce it! We cannot have the power of Pentecost or of Acts Chapter 2, until we have genuinely experienced the preparations for it!

What are these preparations? They are:

1) Being in Christ's Presence, as His disciples were in His Presence (for over three years). We are in His presence when we worship Him, read the Bible and pray!

2) Listening to and obeying His Word, as His disciples did.

3) Being unified and having a definite purpose with other believers in Jesus. "When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place" (Acts 2:1). "There with one mind (accord) they were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the Mother of Jesus, and with His brothers" (Acts 1:14).

4) Waiting in Earnest Prayer!

We can remember the Day of Pentecost as just a single historical holiday or a religious day of observance. But I have a real challenge for each of us. I challenge us to treat it as an active, daily life-style, incorporating each of the four principles given above. These will help us focus on transforming our faith into action! They enable us to leave our spiritual "hiding places" of comfort and complacency. So we step out of our comfort zones, and actively put our relationship to the Holy Spirit into a daily, intentional life-style that anchors us to life centered in God rather than around the distractions of our daily, busy lives. Will you accept this challenge?

THIS IS ALSO MEMORIAL DAY 2026! A Heart felt Thank You to ALL those men and women who have given themselves in service and sacrifice to God and our Country! And thanks to ALL those women and men in uniform who protect and bless us immensely!