Pentecost Sunday is quickly approaching. As a committed continuationist, it should come as no surprise that Pentecost is of interest to me in the present tense. Lots could be said (and have been said) with regards to its significance and relevance both then and now. The fireworks of the coming of the Holy Spirit, the manifestations, the prayer, the preaching, and the results are all noteworthy and a high water mark for the early church. For me, Pentecost should be added to the list of significant moments in Christian history and theology like the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. Pentecost was the activation and empowerment of all that Jesus provided and promised. In one sense it was a culmination of the passion narrative; in another way it was just the beginning.
Articles by Kevin Baird
It’s Time For the Church to Gather
One of the keys (as I understand the Bible) to defining “church” is identifiability. You can SEE it gathering together. It is a witness of God’s people before a watching world. It is a gathering of the “saved ones” (primarily), who are “called out” (EKKLESIA) for assignment in Kingdom matters. It is “not to be forsaken” (Hebrews 10:25). In fact, if the forsaking of the assembly is taken in its context, then one could make a case it is a willful sin not to do so (Hebrews 10:26).
Church is not mystical, ethereal, or nebulous. It is tangible. It is real. It is identifiable. A community can say, “There it is”.
PANDEMIC PERSPECTIVE POST #30
“He also brought them out with silver and gold, and there was none feeble among His tribes.”
Psalm 105:37 NKJV
This will be the wrap-up post of these pandemic perspective-devotionals. I know the quarantine has lasted over 30 days, but I have found myself incredibly busy despite the lockdown. In fact, as far as our personal household goes, this season has been an opportunity for God to move in some amazing ways. Sometimes I hesitate to testify of God’s awesomeness because I am aware that other people have been facing the struggle of a lifetime. I have been in that place too. I have listened to amazing testimonies (let’s say at church), while I have faced a mountain that looks impossible to climb. An amazing praise report from another can feel like a slap in the face to you when you are facing a struggle. No one likes their nose rubbed in another’s praise report. I understand that dynamic and there should be a sensitivity to everyone’s immediate circumstances, but I also have learned that I am “to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). I have endeavored to do that no matter what circumstances I may personally be experiencing at the moment. We need to be cheerleaders for each other.
PANDEMIC PERSPECTIVE POST #29
“If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Isaiah 58:13-14
The Sabbath is not heard from the pulpits as much as it probably should be. It is a major concept in the Old Testament and finds numerous comments in the New Testament, including a whole chapter ostensibly devoted to it in Hebrews chapter four. At its root, it means “rest”. To participate in the Sabbath means you are not only ceasing from what is conventionally seen as “work” or expending physical energy, but it carries with it a cessation from “striving”. That is why the Hebrew writer, I believe, was inspired to use the word, “rest”. Physical rest, for example, is needed. It is vital. It is a part of the human health system. Our bodies and immune systems will break down and be susceptible to disease and viruses, if we don’t maintain a proper rest schedule. There are certain things which will never be addressed correctly in our bodies if we do not choose to rest. This doesn’t mean we are lazy or avoid work. Those concepts are addressed in the Bible too as important. What it does mean is that there is an appropriate emphasis and “balance” on both work and rest in order for us to function at optimum abilities as human beings. Too much of either can be an issue, but a practice of both can be powerful.
PANDEMIC PERSPECTIVE POST #28
“Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
Hebrews 12:11 NKJV
I am convinced that whether one believes God initiates all world events or simply allows all world events, He will certainly USE all world events. If this is true, and according to Romans 8:28 it certainly seems to be the case, then we better be sure we don’t miss the lessons and repercussions that are being applied. This pandemic has been a bombshell to so many aspects to our life. I am becoming convinced that it is being USED by God to discipline His people.