Hi Church,
Winter has hit hard over the weekend. But on Sunday it was hot in the house as we pressed in for Pentecost Sunday. People pressed in for more of Holy Spirit during worship and as the word went out to encourage us to be a Spirit filled people. Pentecost Sunday reminds us that the Church was birthed in Presence and Power.
I will remind you of the word of God from Acts 1 and 2, That Pentecost is about the Person of the Holy Spirit. The Power to change our world and the Presence of the Holy Spirit to be Joyful and praise filled. The Purpose of the Holy Spirit to be a witness for Jesus to the ends of the earth. The Pointers (signs) of the Holy Spirit that prove God is truly amongst us and that Pentecost was Prophesied about some 800 years before it happened. The Prophet Joel said God will pour out His Spirit on all flesh and that the same quality and quantity would be available for young, old, gender and class. We are all in.
I was greatly encouraged through the life story of William Booth who founded the Salvation Army. He was determined to win souls of every man especially the poor. He was convinced that we need to live in the power of Pentecost to undertake the task of bringing souls to Jesus.
He believed a Baptism in the Spirit for every believer would give them 4 key experiences:-
1. Heighten awareness of the cleansing of Sin
2. Awe inspiring realisation of the presence of God
3. Glorious filling up of divine love, towards Him and others.
4. A Burning desire to proclaim Jesus to the outermost parts of the world.
How could we not agree with that! Lord, we need another Pentecost. Booth wrote a Hymn for his time called. Send the Fire! The opening verse reads as follows: -
Thou Christ of burning, cleansing flame,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
Thy blood-bought gift today we claim,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
Look down and see this waiting host,
Give us the promised Holy Ghost;
We want another Pentecost,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
Church our heart for this year is for more. More of everything that we need to bring us into the full measure of Christ, to be mature. This will take us closer to be with Jesus, to become like Jesus and to do what Jesus does. We will become His image bearers in this world when we live with this desire and practice.
So come Holy Spirit, send your fire.
Also thank you to everyone who contributed to our New People Lunch. It was a marvellous time connecting with the people who made Grace Church their home over recent months and weeks. This has been our first in nearly 20 months and so we pray this will be the first of many over the coming year.
For those who know Frank Bardell please pray for him and connect with him as you can. He can’t get to Church as much as he would like now but would love to catch up with you. He is receiving palliative care for cancer, but He is available for a visit if you can.
Other news it was great to celebrate the return of the Teisen family from the USA. And thank you to everyone who helped them financially. They are now re-settling the family in school and seeking employment. They do have a permanent need for a family car so if anyone is willing to sell a reliable vehicle at a good price I’m sure they would like to chat about that.
Peace and Love
Ps Greg and Amanda