Pour Out Your Spirit Lord! Easter to Pentecost Devotional #47

Pour out your Spirit Lord, on your people! (c) Tom Lane [Sunrise photo May 17 2013]

Day 47  Pour Out Your Spirit Lord

As I write this, Pentecost Sunday is just a few days away. This is the day the church was birthed, with a dramatic and spectacular manifestation of the Holy Spirit, unlike anything ever known before  on earth.

The audio track must have been deafening, a sound from heaven, like a tornado – a mighty roaring violent wind.  The tongues of fire, the ecstatic cacophony of every language declaring the wonders of God – all this drew a quite a crowd, and the audience was blown away,  utterly “thunderstruck” (MSG).

“Amazed and perplexed they asked one another, ‘What does this mean?” Acts 2:12

That’s the million dollar question.

Peter, inspired the Holy Spirit, starts talking. Now the Great Commission is launched.

The disciples had followed Jesus wholeheartedly during his ministry, they had experienced an additional 40 days with him after his resurrection, then they had waited on the Lord in prayer for another 10 days, and now  … an explosion. It was nuclear.

“What does this mean?”

Peter put it all together.

Peter Preaches to the Crowd

^14 Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. ^15 These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that. ^16 No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel:

^17 ‘In the last days,’ God says,
‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your young men will see visions,
and your old men will dream dreams.
^18 In those days I will pour out my Spirit
even on my servants—men and women alike—
and they will prophesy.
^19 And I will cause wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below—
blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
^20 The sun will become dark,
and the moon will turn blood red
before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives.
²¹ And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved.’  Acts 2:14-21 (NLT)

This was the sign of the fulfillment of God’s prophetic promises, with the ultimate purpose of salvation. The mission of  proclaiming the gospel was now assigned to his church.

^9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

Friends, I pray that the magnificence of Pentecost is remembered and perpetuated in our worship this weekend.

Let’s Pray:

I invite you to pray with me. It’s a compilation of Pentecost prayers, feel free to borrow and adapt. 

Almighty God, on this day you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit.*   Fill your church with power, kindle flaming hearts within us, and cause us to proclaim your mighty works in every tongue, that all may call on you and be saved,**  through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.*

[Prayer sources: *Scot McNight;   **Lawrence Stookey UMC #542]

Here’s great song of intercession by my friend Tom Lane.

Pour Out Your Spirit Lord

Verse 1
Pour out Your Spirit Lord on Your people
Pour out Your Spirit Lord on Your people
Pour out Your Spirit Lord on Your people
Let it reign let it reign
Verse 2
Pour out Your mercy Lord on Your people
Pour out Your mercy Lord on Your people
Pour out Your mercy Lord on Your people
Let it reign let it reign
BRIDGE
Turn the hearts of fathers to their children
And ev’ry nation to the God of love and holiness
Let the fire of Your Spirit burn
Verse 3
Pour out Your fire Lord on Your people
Pour out Your fire Lord on Your people
Pour out Your fire Lord on Your people
Let it reign let it reign

Tom Lane, CCLI Song # 1890493
© 1999 The Bridge Worx (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)
worshiptogether.com songs (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

About This Devotional Series

According to the historical church calendar, the Easter season is the 50 day period from Resurrection Sunday to Pentecost Sunday.  I’ll post a fresh devotional thought with my sunrise photo of that morning, everyday through Pentecost, commenting as the Spirit inspires. Check out the rest of the series here.

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