Happy birthday to the Church! The good news of Pentecost is that everyone is invited to the party. When the Holy Spirit came, people were gathered from all over the known world, ‘both Jews and converts to Judaism’; in other words, people who were born Gentiles. Through enabling the disciples to speak the different languages of the people there, the Holy Spirit was including those on the margins and propelling them as the first converts to following Jesus.

Who is unlikely in your community? As a non-speaking disabled person, I know first-hand the beauty of being included in Jesus’ church, and that God uses everyone to further His kingdom. The Holy Spirit speaks our language, and then uses us to reach out and communicate God to others.

At that first Pentecost, none of it happened in a vacuum. For the days previously the disciples had been devoting themselves to prayer and waiting. Having been taught the Lord’s Prayer by Jesus, this would surely have been the bedrock on which Pentecost was founded. The Holy Spirit fills us up and sends us out of the comfort and security of our metaphorical upper room and expands our horizons.

Where is the Holy Spirit prompting you to go? Maybe it is to an unlikely place or to speak God to an unlikely person.

Pray for Five:

In praying for your five today, ask God for opportunities to share God’s love with them. Ask the Spirit of God to help you speak in ways that are just right for each person.