A Mighty Movement

by Rocky Fleming

Day 4: His Arrival

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2:1-4 (ESV)

As I said before, I believe there is a mighty work of the Holy Spirit going on in other parts of the world that is akin to what happened at Pentecost. It is not the same, for that was a one-time, amazing event that launched the Church. Those people gathered in the Upper Room would have had no idea what would happen later. They didn’t know what to expect. They only knew what Jesus told them to do and that something would happen to empower them to make disciples, as He had instructed. Man, did it happen, as the Holy Spirit first rushed in with sound, which they heard, and then visually as they saw a mysterious touch of the Spirit on each of them. I’m sure all of their senses were touched, as well sight and sound. We all ask if this kind of manifestation could happen again? The truth is, it is happening now, but we do not recognize it, for it happens in a different way. Consider this:

If you will look at the description mentioned in Acts, note that the special manifestation rested on each individual. Later we see that those individuals were given known, foreign languages, and likely they were different languages from one another. Those languages were used to declare God’s glory to foreign people outside the upper room. These disciples were given a purpose, and what they received was for a purpose God had in mind which launched the Church. For that reason, and for the reason that our mission as disciples continues, like that day in the Upper Room, I believe God still gives a special touch on people today for a special service that He has in mind. 

Consider if you will the Spiritual Gifts The Holy Spirit gives gifts to each believer. Each gift has a unique expression that ties in with our time of life, experiences, personality, and calling. Each spiritual gift is given to bring glory to God by building up His Church. The gift might not be a foreign language, but it might be? It is a mystery. The gift might not be a speaking gift, or a healing gift, or a leadership gift, but it will be a gift for serving God’s purpose in some way. The gift is not to bring glory to our self, but rather to bring glory to God. So, the way He touches us today is different from Pentecost, but it has the same purpose, provided we have adopted God’s agenda as our own. As it was true at Pentecost with the disciples in the Upper Room who had to leave their safety and invest their Spiritual gift with those people on the outside, so it is with the use of our gift. We must give this gift to our world around us, to see the Holy Spirit more profoundly in our own life.

There are some points of views that the “sign gifts” seen in the 1st Century are no longer active, and that they were given for a special purpose and for a certain time. This would be a convenient way to excuse why a special manifestation of the Spirit doesn’t occur in a church or a life by saying it no longer takes place. I cannot go there with this reasoning. I believe all the spiritual gifts are real and active. I believe some of them are counterfeited as well, and discernment is needed. That is why there is a gift given for that purpose to protect the Church. 

However, we cannot limit our understanding of the Spirit by our experience, for personally, I have not seen nearly enough to declare the reality of the Spirit’s great miracle work, other than by my faith that He is still working miracles. I am willing to say that I want to see more and need to see more and I ask to see more. But until I do see more, I will believe more, and think more about what He has done, what He is doing … and perhaps what He may choose to do if I position myself before Him to receive His touch. I believe He is waiting for us as His family to come to this position before He will show up in a big way. I believe that this may very well be what He is waiting for. For that reason, will you join me in preparing the way for the Spirit to be welcomed?