FROM THE FIRE SIDE : PENTECOST
Christians need to ask : Am I serving God through the power of the Spirit ? Am I exercising the gifts of the Spirit in my life , both in the gathered church and as I live for God in the world ? Pentecost is a time to ask God to fill us afresh with the Spirit so that we might join in the ministry of Christ with gusto . And it is a time to renew our commitment to fulfilling our crucial role in the ministry of God ’ s people in the world .
So says The Rev . Dr . Mark D . Roberts is the Executive Director of the Max De Pree Center for Leadership at Fuller Seminary .
And I agree , we all ought to agree with that statement . It is missional , it is the only way to be if we are Christian . And it is so easy to read and to say it from the pulpit , but it isn ’ t quite so simple is it .
First , how do we know what gift we have ?
It ’ s alright for the priest because its stating the blooming obvious ( or is it ?). If you want to know what your spiritual gifting is you must first ask God for it to be revealed to you . It is usually pointed out by others . E . g . “ you are so good at this or that ”; or you yourself realize that you enjoy doing something you can share , or , you absolutely need to share something regardless of whether you enjoy doing it !! ( I don ’ t mean gossip or nasty criticism 😊 ) something that would help God ’ s kingdom come i . e ., “ Lesley-ann have you considered doing / changing …. Or , would you like some help with …. Or , I think you should stop that , it isn ’ t Godly !!! ( gosh I do hope that isn ’ t said to any of us
too often😊 )
Second , why ?
After the Holy Spirit fell upon the first followers of Jesus , Peter preached a sermon to help us understand what had just happened .
He quoted a portion of a prophecy from Joel :
‘ 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 . ( Acts 2:17-18 ; Joel 2:28-29 )
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