Hunger 5.6.21

Real Life Devotional Series “Hunger” -Week 3 - Thursday, May 6
Pastor Mark White
Gathering Empowers The Sending

“They were all together in one place.” Acts 2:1b NIV

I can’t even imagine what the Apostles were thinking as they were gathered together, prayerfully anticipating, waiting for the promised Holy Spirit.  Maybe they were wondering what Jesus meant by His words, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses.”  And, with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the mystery of the Church and a pattern is revealed.

The patterning occurs in this way--the Church, empowered by the Holy Spirit, is to gather and then be sent out to be His witnesses.

We are to gather to Glorify God, equip the saints, and encourage each other in the faith. This I think we know. Even non-Christians know that the church gathers.  

But our God is also a sending God.  In fact, our gathering is what empowers the sending.  God, the sender, sent Jesus who, in turn,  sent the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit empowered and sent the Apostles (“sent ones”) and this started a chain reaction of sent ones going out.

And that initial empowerment from Christ has gone out through the ages. Multitudes upon multitudes that no one can count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne worshipping the Lamb that was slain for their salvation.  

Heavenly Father, As we gather each week in Jesus’s name, may your Holy Spirit empower us to be sent ones to our Oikos.  Amen.