Pentecost is one of the three great festivals of the church. Christmas and Easter have pretty much been co-opted by the world but not Pentecost. There is no giant dove that leaves eggs or gifts, no one dressed in a flame costume with whom to have your picture taken. Now you may be a Christmas or an Easter Christian; as well you know this has rather a negative connotation. Ah, but to be a Pentecost Christian-what would that mean? What does it mean to be a Pentecost Christian, to be Pentecostal in the best sense of that word?
I apologize if the word Pentecostal conjures up images of ladies with beehive hairdos or carefully, loudly enunciated "Thus saith the Lords." To be truly Pentecostal means a whole lot more than that. Read Acts 2 if you don't believe me.
To be a Pentecost Christian means to be prepared for "the suddenlies of God". Indeed one of my YWAM teachers, a godly man named Ken McGreavy, exhorted people to pray, "Father, prepare us for the suddenlies of God." For you see the "suddenlies of God" (suddenly the sound of a violent wind, suddenly there was with the angel, or how about this word from the prophet Micah suddenly the Lord your are seeking will come to His temple..), those kairos fullness of time moments are birthed in the heart of God long before some erstwhile disciple writes of them. I believe we can hasten or hinder the suddenlies of God.
To be prepared for the suddenlies of God means that you are ready not just for that sweet gentle Holy Spirit breeze which comforts and encourages. You need to be prepared for a violent rushing wind which disturbs the status quo and shakes things loose. Pentecost changes everything! This is after-all the breath of Almighty God. Timid disciples become brave proclaimers of good news. Supernatural things inevitably accompany Pentecost Christians. Indeed the writer of Acts later records a new name for the disciples, "those men who turned the world upside down." That's not a comfortable gentle breeze but a Pentecost wind. We need some of that. We need some Pentecost Christians to turn the world upside down so it can be right side up again!
Enough for today! I will continue tomorrow... Let me close with a Graham Cooke quote, "Never underestimate the power of God's passion for you. Live life in a way that prepares you for God moments." Be prepared for the suddenlies of God!
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