The Central Moment

So many of us are longing for a Jesus-centered spiritual renewal in the nation. With God’s Spirit upon us, let’s not give up or give out until it happens!

Jesus is our Savior, healer and soon coming King, but he is also our Baptizer in the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the active agent of this baptism and the Holy Spirit is the medium into which we are immersed. Lord, baptize us in your Spirit!

There is no age, gender or racial discrimination when it comes to being filled with the Spirit -- young and old, male and female, and people of every ethnicity and language. This is the inclusive gospel!

Speaking in tongues as evidence of the Pentecostal experience reminds us that we are all on a mission. That verbal sign means that God has made us his mouthpiece to proclaim the gospel to our neighbors and the nations!

Why push a car with an empty fuel tank uphill when you could fill it up with gas and drive it? And why try to serve God in our own strength when Jesus can fill us with his power! That is the potential of Pentecost.

Jesus sent his followers out to minister two-by-two. When he  made a team out of his closest ministry partners he chose twelve of them. This is the power of “with” -- with God’s power and with each other.

Sometimes we ask the wrong questions. When will Jesus return? What about the latest conspiracy theories? Which of the latest trends should I be following? But Jesus’ agenda is strikingly different.

Along with the assignment that Jesus gave us came the promise of being ‘clothed’ with his power. In other words, “don’t do this alone!” Our obligation follows his enablement, not the other way around.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is more than a proposition -- it is God’s power to both deliver and restore. It is no wonder that the New Testament preaching of the gospel was accompanied by supernatural acts of healing and freedom.

Jesus left us with a job to do. He wanted to link his authority with our obedience. May Christ’s “Great Commission” not become the church’s great omission!