Acts 2:
1When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one
accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came
a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the
whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them
divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they
were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other
tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
When the Holy Spirit
came back after Jesus death and resurrection, it was havoc. Often, I
am afraid of the Holy Spirit because He leads me out of my comfort zone.
But without the Holy Spirit we become Fatherless because He brings us
the spirit of sonship.
When we give Him space, the Holy Spirit
leads us to a greater revelation of the bible and Jesus Christ, His
finished works at the Cross. He is our comforter and our champion.
We should never take
away the person of the Holy Spirit. He is not an "it" like air we breath
in. Let us glorify and honour Him. It takes humility to receive the
baptism, an emptying of ourselves, our spiritual and intellectual pride.
The Holy Spirit was
selective and exclusive. He did not fall everywhere except on the
Christians at the upper room, not the Jewish Pharisees at the synogogue
nor the gathering religious crowd. Similarly, the Holy Spirit can fall
on one church, but not the next.
We can hide our fear
of the Holy Spirit by making Him an object for our use, to be consumed, like air which is
everywhere. We live in self delusion as if we can control God.
Hard questions are
often avoided by being intellectual and labelling the Holy Spirit as an
inpersonnel force. We need revival in the GLBT churches. Our people are
hurting yet the churches are floundering. It is dry. People leave for
they are thirsty.
The church in the upper room of 100 grew
to 5,000 and were filled with the tangible presence and demonstration of
power of the Holy Spirit. Yet, we skip the question, why doesn't our own churches of 100
grow. Even just 1% of the 5,000 would equate to 50 new members per year (over 500 in 10 years). But we
remained at 100.
It
is not that we don't breathe in spiritual air often enough. Perhaps, the
Holy Spirit is not everywhere or hiding and we fear to ask why? We make
the Holy Spirit so common like air so that God can be denied. I am guilty of this
as well, as the Holy Spirit can be annoying as some of my friends are.
The wind of the Holy Spirit can come and go, no one can control it. Are
our hearts open?
Singapore was heading down a
rather "Progressive" path in the 40s, 50s and 60s. Then in the late 60s
and 70s, there begun a revival by Rev Dennis Bennet, an Episcopalian
priest (God must have a humor). His Acts 2 like experience changed Him,
and his
testimony and experience fueled a charismatic evangelical revival in
Malaysia and Singapore. We need a latter rain.
Good morning Holy
Spirit was the cry of Kathryn Kuhiman, the Great Pentecostal evangelist. The Holy Spirit
is not a "thing" or an object force, but a person, a helper..
He is so precious and so dear.
The baptism is not
once only, but we need a refilling when our spirit becomes dull, when
the world has taken us away. We are preoccupied with being anti-gay when we
should be focused on Jesus, His works and ministry. It is His
righteousness not ours. We have taken on the spirit of the pharisees
instead of the Holy Spirit.
It is so easy to
reject the Holy Spirit. The more religious we are, the more law based legalism, humanism, and intellectual
pride we consumed. We need to
touch heaven for the latter rain. A dry church of highly intellectual
reflections is a good social club and NGO but not
much more.
When the Holy Spirit
first departed from Mankind before the flood, it was because He wouldn't tarry with men.
When we reject the move of the Holy Spirit in His emphasis of Jesus, His
work, death and resurrection, the Holy Spirit backs off.
And slowly, very slowly even lingering for a while He will leave because
there is simply no role for Him in many churches.
To proclaim that the
Holy Spirit is everywhere waiting to be used like air, is a rejection of His presence,
power, and ministry. We didn't give Him room
because we do not want to abide by the Holy Spirit. No longer are we the first century church
where
Jesus saves, and Jesus heals.
Do we have room for
the Holy Spirit in our lives? Love Singapore may think they are doing
God's will in their crusade against gays. But look closely, it is all
about self, about wearing white to reflect their own self
righteousness. The Holy Spirit is
not in it for Jesus and the Gospel salvation message is not glorified. It is
easy to ignore the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is a
gentleman. He will not intrude into our lives or the church unless given
space. He will not talk further unless we start to listen and obey. He
is not like a nagging mum. He speaks in the still voice and we need to
learn to discern amongst all the other voices.
The Holy Spirit wants
to be considered as a friend, a comforter, even though He is God. That
is the amazing humility and gentleness of the Holy Spirit. We screamed
when we are not heard, but the Holy Spirit stands back. When we worship
our mind and intellect as truth and god within, the Holy Spirit stands
back. When we are too loud as in many gay churches, we miss His small
voice.
It is time for the
churches in Singapore to give space for the Holy Spirit. We think that
we are fighting for God and being moral defenders of Singapore, when we
are asserting our own righteousness contrary to the righteousness of God
in Christ Jesus.
Singapore is not
conservative with the thousands of divorces and tens of thousands of
abortions, and the many different gods. But the Holy Spirit is so
gracious and still tarry with us because we have been redeemed by the
blood of Jesus. We are a holy vessel for the Holy Spirit to visit us.
But when we step out into our own righteousness and declare our goodness to
the world, our loud and angry voices against the gay community
grieves the Holy Spirit. We risk the label of the hypocrite.
On a Saturday and
Sunday, a few thousand Asian foreign workers in City
Hall area some camping the grounds
of St Andrews Cathedral. The time is ripe for a Pentecost that will
impact the nations.
Jerusalem was like a
gateway or portal to heaven opened by their fervent prayers. The wear
white champaign shows that Singapore needs a revival, and a fresh
baptism of the Holy Spirit. Our self righteousness makes us look black,
not white. Only the Holy Spirit can reveal and remind us of the fullness
of Jesus Christ as God and Saviour.
Let
us return to our first love, and be
centred on God's love, grace and mercy in Jesus Christ that will light
up the fire for the lost and to help the poor and the
sick. Let us be humble, discard our spiritual, religious and
intellectual pride, for the latter rain is coming.
Many
GLBT churches are in need of revival. Let us open our hearts to receive
the baptism of the Holy Spirit, our Pentecost. Let us seek God, and find
Him where He may be found, and stand out of our comfort zone for the
rain is coming down and these are the days of the latter rain.
Come Holy
Spirit.
Holy Spirit thou art
welcome in this place
Holy Spirit
thou art welcome in this
place
Omnipotent Father of mercy and Grace.
Thou art welcome in this place.
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