by Lt. Colonel Collette Webster
Assistant Territorial Secretary for Program
Jesus has been crucified, raised from the dead and has appeared to his disciples many times, proving to them that He is alive. It’s been 40 days since His resurrection, and in another 10 days something miraculous and powerful is going to happen. When we encounter the first couple of chapters of Acts we see just what that something—or Someone—is. Get your Bibles out, and read it for yourself. It is exciting, and there is much to discover and apply.
In Acts 1 Jesus is with his disciples. He gives them instructions to stay in Jerusalem. He tells them to “wait for the gift my Father promised” (1:4). Jesus tells them that when the gift of the Holy Spirit comes, they will receive power and will be His witnesses to the ends of the earth (1:8).
So, the disciples stay in Jerusalem, and Acts 1:14 tells us that while they were waiting, “they all joined together constantly in prayer.” I imagine they ate together, shared with each other and were of one mind praying and waiting for what was to come. Then it happened. The day arrived. Fifty days after the resurrection while they were all in the same room, their senses were awakened, and the Holy Spirit descended on them.
First, they heard “a sound like the blowing of a violent wind” (2:2). Then they felt the wind as it blew through the room where they were staying. And then they saw “tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them” (2:3). Can you imagine it? Were they afraid? Was it chaotic? Did they hide? Or did they stand bravely and confidently?
I don’t know the answers, but I do know they were changed. Once the Holy Spirit descended on them, miraculous and powerful things began to happen in and through them. They spoke in other languages to spread the Gospel. There were miraculous healings, not only of body, but also of mind and soul. The Bible tells us repeatedly that as the apostles witnessed to that “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (2:47).
That same power is available to you and me as we live for Christ. The power of the Holy Spirit is waiting to descend on you. Wait in prayer. Wait in agreement with others. Wait in obedience. Expect Him to work, expect Him to answer and expect Him to do miraculous things in and through you for the sake of His Kingdom.
Pentecost is celebrated on the Christian calendar 50 days after Easter. This year it’s May 19.
