Ordinary, Yet Spirit-Filled
On this Lord’s Day we remember that great day of Pentecost, where God graciously poured out His Spirit on the Church and anointed Peter to proclaim the gospel to the nations gathered in Jerusalem.
And the question I want to consider this morning is this: What follows Pentecost? What does it look like to live a Spirit-filled life? Does it involve seeking out new Pentecost-like experiences, or is there something else we should be doing?
I don’t believe the answer is hard to find, for Luke tells us exactly what the church did following this spectacular event. He writes that the believers “continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” He says they “continued daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all people.” With the result of all of this being the Lord adding to the church daily those who were being saved.
Now all of this might sound quite… ordinary. But here we have a true picture of the Spirit-filled life. This is what the church is called to do now that God has poured out His spirit on all flesh.
Jesus told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit, who would give them the power to be His witnesses throughout the whole earth. And so having received that Spirit, this is how the church went about witnessing to the world.
Every Lord’s Day Christians gathered to worship in the Spirit, hear the apostles doctrine preached in the Spirit, fellowship with one another in the Spirit, observe the Lord’s Supper in the Spirit, and lift up their prayers to throne of God in the Spirit.
This is God’s plan for winning the nations. From AD 33 in Jerusalem—to AD 2023 in northern Idaho. From 12 apostles, to 120 disciples, to 3,000 men, to billions found in the four corners of the earth. It is through these seemingly ordinary but Spirit-filled means that God has ordained to save the world.
So in meekness of heart devote yourselves to these things by the power of the Spirit. Do it all to the glory of God and with His praises continually on your lips. For as Zechariah once prophesied long ago, God will build His living temple—not by might, nor by power—but by His Spirit (Zech. 4:6).