This afternoon Sonja and I had the joy of having dinner with a new family that has recently started worshipping with us. They asked a very important question. They had notice that our values are “PEP.” Which means:
P – People matter
E – Equipping people for life and eternity
P – People experiencing Pentecost
They wanted to know what “Experiencing Pentecost” means. Having grown up in “Pentecost” all my life, I could have taken an hour or more to answer that question. But bottom line, I shared with them that “experiencing Pentecost” is experiencing the reality of the living God in their everyday life.
At church it means that the worship experience can be more than “going through the motions/rituals.” I told them that they can really and truly experience the living reality of God’s presence in their lives and respond freely – the way God made them.
But I also stressed that “experiencing Pentecost” was not just a “Sunday” experience; it could be (should be!) a Monday – Saturday experience also. Every day experiencing Pentecost is experiencing the living reality of God’s presence in our lives. We can expect any/all of the gifts of the Spirit to be available for us. The fruit of the Spirit will also be growing in our lives. In other words, with the daily struggles, challenges and responsibilities of life you can have supernatural insight, empowerment and help! That my friend is “experiencing Pentecost.”
Please don’t limit Pentecost to Sunday or to a certain style or experience; ask the Holy Spirit to come into your life in any way He desires. Make yourself available to all that He has for you. Trust me, you will be the better for it!
Well, that’s enough for tonight. I wish you a good evening and a joyful awakening in the morning; and as one writer put it…when you get up in the morning why not say, “Good morning Holy Spirit!”
Blessings,
david l. kemp
The ONE THING 