All Flesh
The Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives is a continual and divine reminder that God has empowered us with His constant presence. This is SUCH good news! As we lead up to Pentecost Sunday, I thought it would be pretty relevant (and exciting) to talk a bit about that first coming of the Holy Spirit, as documented in Acts, chapter 2, and what that means for our lives today.
After receiving an outpouring of the Holy Spirit (read about it in Acts 2:1-13) Peter, who was once an unschooled fisherman gets up and quotes the prophet Joel.
“And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.” (Acts 2:17-18)
If it wasn’t wild enough that this fisherman was giving the address to all of these gathered believers, what he said certainly was! Peter declares what was to come, which is what is here for us now. Whether male, female, young old, rich or poor, the Holy Spirit is for all of us. As we partner with the Spirit, we are empowered and prepared for the mission of God.
You may be reading this thinking and feeling that you are not ‘qualified’ for this. Perhaps the fear of failure or the shame of your past holds you back from accepting the fact that you are part of that ‘all flesh’ on which God declared He would pour out His spirit. You really are- this is a powerful truth you must choose to believe for yourself every single day. To accept anything less is to say that God has made a mistake. As far as our perfect Heavenly Father is concerned, there is no error involved in His decisions.
As we reflect on Jesus’ life in the scriptures, we can’t help but notice the love and compassion He had for people. Jesus saw and met people where they were at, but He also loved them enough to make sure they didn’t stay there. When He met the woman at the well in John chapter four, for instance- Jesus loved her enough to meet her where she was both practically (a well) and emotionally (broken after five failed relationships). After this encounter, however, she didn’t just feelloved and accepted and leave it at that. She was empowered to share this life-changing truth with others. Through the words of her testimony, many people came to meet with Jesus for themselves.
This is what an encounter with the living God does. Through prayer and worship, we get to encounter Him every single day through the power of His Holy Spirit. As we get ready to celebrate Pentecost this Sunday, let’s ask God for a fresh fill of His Spirit that we might go and boldly be His hands and feet in our world.
What is God preparing you for as you receive His Holy Spirit anew?