Pentecost

June 1, 2020 Monday Message:

“Everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:4a

The Christian Church celebrates three major events:

1. Christmas, the coming to earth of the Son of God.

2. Easter or Resurrection Sunday, when Jesus conquered sin and death. And,

3. Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was given to the believers.

And my question to you is, if you could go back in time, if you had to pick only one, “Which of these events would you attend?”

My answers may be different from yours, but if forced to make a choice, I think I’d skip Christmas. Obviously Jesus coming to earth is HUGE, but at that point he’s just a baby in a stable with a few angels overhead. After all, it seems that the older Jesus gets, the more exciting the story becomes.

It’s harder to choose between Easter and Pentecost. Easter had the trial, the scourging, and the crucifixion, culminating with the empty tomb on Easter morning. Jesus had indeed risen from the dead, which lets us all know that life after this life is possible. But it seemed, at the time, that Jesus’ earthly ministry had been sidelined.

Pentecost, on the other hand, is the re-birth of Jesus’ ministry on earth. We consider it the birthday of the church. Listen to this: The believers were all together, praying, waiting for a sign, when little flames fell from the sky and landed on each person, a visible sign of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Then the disciples started speaking, and all the foreigners in Jerusalem for Shavuot understood them in their native language. Simon Peter preached the best Come-to-Jesus sermon ever, gave the altar call, 3,000 people were baptized that day, and the Christian Church was up and running! That excites me! Maybe I could have helped with the baptisms – who knows!

I’ll be teaching in depth about Pentecost on our Facebook Live Stream Wednesday 7pm. Have your Bibles open to Acts ch. 2. See you there! “Jesus in the City Fellowship” on FB.

God’s blessings on you and your loved ones – stay safe!

Norton Lawellin, Worship Pastor

Jesus in the City Fellowship.

3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406