So, what are you getting up and doing now that the Holy Spirit is working in you?

For that matter, what is it like for you when the Spirit moves!

There are lots of wonderful examples in scripture of people moved by the Spirit who did amazing things. 

Some led armies, including Moses leading the children of Israel out of Egypt, and some brought about amazing healings, including the apostles as well as prophets like Elisha.

Some wandered through difficult and dangerous times following God’s lead. The stories in Judges and in 1&2 Kings and 1&2 Chronicles and elsewhere tell us of the dangers.

The faithful remnant in so many biblical stories kept the faith even when it was hard and sacrificial, although it appears Israel and/or Judah lost their way at times and ended up following other Gods, much to God’s disappointment. 

Even some churches have done the same, been coopted by the culture in which they have lived, as the stories in the book of Revelation and the letters of Paul and James and John remind us

The church can lose its way, its motivation, even its identity as God’s people, especially when it fails to get up and follow the leading of the Spirit.

Other Spirit filled followers got up and ran with chariots including Philip who somehow kept up with the Ethiopian official before sharing with him the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

And then there was Elijah who somehow filled with the spirit ran ahead of King Ahab from Mount Carmel to Jezreel, a distance of 31 miles!
Others left everything and followed Jesus!

But of course, the greatest story of the spirit’s work in moving God’s people, is that of today’s scripture reading!

The story of when the disciples gathered in an upper meeting room during the Jewish Festival of Pentecost, experienced the arrival of the Holy Spirit with power to all who were waiting.

The scripture says that the Holy Spirit’s presence in the lives of the disciples was so visible it looked as if flames of fire sat on them without consuming them, clearly harkening back to the flames of fire in the bush Moses knelt before in the wilderness.

And with the spirit’s presence came the sound of rushing wind a reminder of the constant movement of the spirit in the world, in the church, and in us. 

And then came the incredible moment when they all went into the crowded streets of Jerusalem telling the stories of Jesus’ death and resurrection in many languages, so that everyone gathered in Jerusalem, no matter where they had come from, could understand the story in their own native languages.

It is so clear!

When the spirit is present, God’s people get up and go, get up and speak, get up and share, get up and make a difference!

So, it begs the question what are you getting up and doing now that the Spirit is working in and through you?

You do notice that the option to just sit still is not available, right!

Worship is good, bible study is good, learning about the faith in Sunday School or EMPOWER is good, but it is not the end desire of God for his faithful people, not even a little bit!

The truth is, until we get up and go, we have not felt the Spirit in all it’s power. The Spirit is all about movement, just like the wind. Think of the church and the church’s people like a windmill.

There is work to be done, God’s people to be cared for both inside and outside the church, but it is only when the wind comes and blows that essential ministry gets done. 

Or think of the church and its people as a sailboat. 

Sailboats look weird and awkward, until placed in the water and the wind comes along and moves it. Then you see the power, then you see the purpose, then you see the energy, then you see the boat fulfilling its calling.

It's the same with God’s people, filled with the Spirit, we feed the hungry. Filled with the Spirit, we visit the sick. Filled with the Spirit, we make sure those who are thirsty get a drink. Filled with the Spirit, we become the church.

 So, what are you getting up and doing now that the Holy Spirit is working in you? Pentecost is alive and well in you, in I and in this church! Hallelujah and amen!