Spirit, Fall Fresh on Me!
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven
and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be
tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak
in other tongues [languages] as the Spirit enabled them.”
Acts 2:1-4
Before ascending into heaven forty days after His resurrection from the dead, Jesus instructed
His followers to remain in Jerusalem and “wait for the gift” of the Holy Spirit to be poured out
upon them.
Ten days later, as the believers were “all together in one place,” the Holy Spirit came upon them,
and the Church of Jesus Christ was born. Gifted with the ability to speak other languages, the
disciples mingled among those gathered from all over the world to celebrate Pentecost (a feast
of thanksgiving for the first fruits of harvest). And, as interest rose, Peter stood up among the
crowd and preached his first sermon resulting in over 3,000 converts in one day. The great
harvest of souls had begun.
On the day of Pentecost, the prophecy which God commanded Joel to record was fulfilled:
“‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’” (Acts 2:17-21).
The same Spirit who empowered first-century Christians to turn their world upside-down for
Christ is still working in the hearts and lives of His followers today. If you are a believer and have
received Jesus into your heart and life as your personal Savior and Lord, then you have
received the Holy Spirit. It is He that confirms to your spirit that you are indeed a child of God
(see Romans 8:14-16).
It is He who convicts us of sin and empowers us to live a life that is holy and pleasing to God. It
is He who comforts us in times of sorrow and counsels us through times of difficulty. It is He who
reminds us of and teaches us to obey God’s Word. And it is He who guides us into all truth (see
John 14:26 & 16:7-15).
If you are a follower of Christ, you have not received the gift of the Holy Spirit but have been
gifted by the Holy Spirit to build up the body of Christ and to minister to the needs of the world
around you (See Romans 12:3-8, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, and Ephesians 4:1-16).
As we prepare to celebrate Pentecost, the birthday of Church of Jesus Christ, let us, like the first
Christians, draw near to God with expectancy, longing once again to experience the outpouring
of His Holy Spirit upon His people so that we might be His witnesses in our Jerusalem
(Greensboro), our Judea (Caroline County), our Samaria (People from Different Cultures and
Backgrounds), our World!
In the words of hymn writer Daniel Iverson may the prayer of our heart be:
Spirit of the Living God, Fall afresh on me,
Spirit of the Living God, Fall afresh on me.
Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me.
Spirit of the Living God, Fall afresh on me.
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven
and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be
tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak
in other tongues [languages] as the Spirit enabled them.”
Acts 2:1-4
Before ascending into heaven forty days after His resurrection from the dead, Jesus instructed
His followers to remain in Jerusalem and “wait for the gift” of the Holy Spirit to be poured out
upon them.
Ten days later, as the believers were “all together in one place,” the Holy Spirit came upon them,
and the Church of Jesus Christ was born. Gifted with the ability to speak other languages, the
disciples mingled among those gathered from all over the world to celebrate Pentecost (a feast
of thanksgiving for the first fruits of harvest). And, as interest rose, Peter stood up among the
crowd and preached his first sermon resulting in over 3,000 converts in one day. The great
harvest of souls had begun.
On the day of Pentecost, the prophecy which God commanded Joel to record was fulfilled:
“‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’” (Acts 2:17-21).
The same Spirit who empowered first-century Christians to turn their world upside-down for
Christ is still working in the hearts and lives of His followers today. If you are a believer and have
received Jesus into your heart and life as your personal Savior and Lord, then you have
received the Holy Spirit. It is He that confirms to your spirit that you are indeed a child of God
(see Romans 8:14-16).
It is He who convicts us of sin and empowers us to live a life that is holy and pleasing to God. It
is He who comforts us in times of sorrow and counsels us through times of difficulty. It is He who
reminds us of and teaches us to obey God’s Word. And it is He who guides us into all truth (see
John 14:26 & 16:7-15).
If you are a follower of Christ, you have not received the gift of the Holy Spirit but have been
gifted by the Holy Spirit to build up the body of Christ and to minister to the needs of the world
around you (See Romans 12:3-8, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, and Ephesians 4:1-16).
As we prepare to celebrate Pentecost, the birthday of Church of Jesus Christ, let us, like the first
Christians, draw near to God with expectancy, longing once again to experience the outpouring
of His Holy Spirit upon His people so that we might be His witnesses in our Jerusalem
(Greensboro), our Judea (Caroline County), our Samaria (People from Different Cultures and
Backgrounds), our World!
In the words of hymn writer Daniel Iverson may the prayer of our heart be:
Spirit of the Living God, Fall afresh on me,
Spirit of the Living God, Fall afresh on me.
Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me.
Spirit of the Living God, Fall afresh on me.