In a
recent meeting with other pastors we were taught that there are some things
that cannot be brought back once they have passed. Words spoken.
Time. Opportunities. When words are out of our mouth they are gone
forever, unable to be brought back in.
When time has passed there is no way to get it back. When opportunities come and we do not act on
them they are lost.
The
arrival of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is recounted near the beginning of the
Book of Acts. From that point on we see
the working of the early believers, the differences they made throughout the
known world, the lives that were impacted.
Paul
and Barnabas are traveling around the region sharing the good news of
Jesus. They have arrived in Pisidian
Antioch, a city in what is now Turkey.
As they preach the Jews who have gathered are jealous that the message
of salvation and God’s love is including the Gentiles – those outside the Jewish
faith. How do these two apostles
respond? Why do they preach to the
Gentiles? What was the response?
In his
ministry Jesus declared that he was sent for the chosen people of God, the
Jews. But since so many failed to
recognize his ministry and his authority he opened the message of salvation to
the entire world. Paul was one of the
leaders in the early church who focused a great deal on the Gentiles. He and Barnabas explained that the message
was given to the Jews first, but since they rejected it the Gentiles were now
invited to receive God’s salvation.
Like
the wind that blows through the trees and over the fields, the Holy Spirit and
the grace of God cannot be contained.
The Holy Spirit touches on the faithful and will remain with those who
accept it. But for those who ignore the
Spirit they are passed over and the Holy Spirit moves on to others.
We can
experience the presence of the Spirit time and time again in our lives. The question is, will we accept it? Will we allow the Spirit to change us?
If we
do not, we do not stop the Spirit. It
moves on to others and we have missed that opportunity to live a life that is
changed and on fire for God. We must
choose to receive the Spirit. We must
choose to be changed and made new. We
must choose to be on fire for God.
DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you choose to receive the Spirit? Are you willing to be changed?
