My Own Pentecost

My Own Pentecost


It happened many years ago—in the late 70’s. That Sunday morning our friend, Sonny, preached at the Methodist church, but I don’t remember a thing of what he said. 


For quite some time I had become more serious about spiritual things and was wanting to know God better and live a life more pleasing to Him. I believe God knew the state of my heart and the desires in my spirit and decided to bless me in a big way that day. 


The service was ending, and I stood with my family for the benediction. That’s when it happened. It was incredible, amazing, nothing like anything I had experienced before. It was supernatural!


With eyes closed, I felt close to God. Then suddenly, from the upper right corner of the vaulted ceiling of the sanctuary it came. I couldn’t see it but I sensed it descending toward me. Then I could hear it, softly at first.


As the volume increased it swirled around me and gently encouraged my spirit. It’s really hard to describe. Louder and awesome, the swirling continued. It was thrilling, not one bit scary, and continued for what seemed like several minutes.  

I could best explain it like a “mighty rushing wind,” as described in Acts 2. The sound became thunderous. I thought that everyone in the sanctuary must be hearing it. It continued and I revered it and was overjoyed by it. 


My mind interrupted the awesome experience and told me that if it didn’t soon stop, I would end up on the floor and embarrass myself and my family. I didn’t want it to stop but I didn’t want to suffer that humiliation either. I told it to stop.


That thunderous mighty rushing wind slowly ascended back to where it came from. I loved it and didn’t want it to go but I was afraid for it to stay. Afraid of what? –of what others would think. That’s a big mistake. I had quenched the Spirit.


I regret not allowing God to stay and finish whatever He wanted to do in me but God will not overrule our free will. I knew it was the Holy Spirit moving over me and that He wanted to do something for me. That’s always a good thing. But because of my fear of man, I stopped Him. 


BUT—I was certainly changed by the experience. There was no doubting the supernatural power of God and His Spirit. Also, it was incredible to think that He would visit me in such a way. It was a personal visitation of the Holy Spirit to me—such a small particle of Creation.


That experience brought me to a greater awareness of the reality of God’s presence in me. I better know God’s love and have a greater capacity to love others; my hunger for God’s Word is greater; my desire for things of God has increased; I can see with spirit eyes and hear His voice more clearly; and my desire to point others to Jesus has intensified. 


I believe that I was baptized in the Holy Spirit as spoken of in the Book of Acts. In Acts 2, we learn about the Day of Pentecost when Jesus’ disciples received the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues. They were endowed with the dunamis power of God and went out from there and changed to world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 


For me, speaking in tongues came later, in the form of a prayer language, but I believe God gave me the gift that day. I regret stopping the Holy Spirit when He visited me in such a mighty way. Sometimes I wonder how I and my life would be different if I had let Him have His way.


I’ve not experienced His mighty rushing wind since then, but I experience the Holy Ghost in me all the time and from time to time, His manifestation in a supernatural way. And He sometimes tells me things and shows me things that could only come from all-knowing God.   


In my weakness, I don’t always follow His leading, but my prayer is that I will do so more and more. He’s always there to show the way and give strength but the choice is mine.


Have you experienced the second touch of the Holy Spirit since you believed? (Acts 19:2)


On His Resurrection Day, Jesus breathed on His disciples and they received the Holy Spirit. (John 20:22) Then when He ascended back to Heaven, He promised a second infilling of His Spirit--with power. So, they waited as He instructed. Then it happened. 

We read about it in Acts 2:

“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4).  

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From there, the empowered disciples went into the streets of Jerusalem and proclaimed the Gospel. They each preached in a language unknown to them but was heard by other people in their native tongue. Then Peter preached his famous sermon, quoted in Acts 2:14-39. About 3,000 people came into the Body of Christ that day by believing in and receiving Jesus into their hearts.

Our Creator wants each of us to experience Pentecost. Peter said, “For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:39). 


Please pray, knowing God is for you and has magnificent gifts for all who will believe and receive Jesus. May God richly bless you on this Day of Pentecost.    

All Bible quotes are taken from the New King James Version.

©Copyright 2020 Connie Wohlford

“This Same Jesus”

“This Same Jesus”                                   


Each day for the past eight days I have posted, on my blog, a few incredible things that happened during Holy Week. We looked at Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, some occurrences in the city, His arrest, death, burial, and resurrection. 


Many people believe He just went straight back to Heaven after God raised Him from the dead. But that’s just not the way it was. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts give highlights of some of the events that occurred during the forty days between His resurrection and ascension. 
  

Let’s look at a few:

-      Luke 24:13-35 – Jesus appeared to two of His followers on the road to Emmaus, having conversation as they walked along. Not recognizing Him, the men told Jesus about the remarkable events that occurred in Jerusalem in the past few days. These events centered around Jesus and the things He said and did and that He had been crucified. 

Jesus then talked about the Christ and explained some things about Himself. When they sat down to eat and Jesus blessed and broke the bread, they recognized Him and then He vanished.


They said to one another, “Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”

-      Luke 24:36–49 – Jesus appeared to His discipled while they were gathered. He said, “Peace to you.” But they were terrified and feared they had seen a ghost. He said, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?” He showed them the wounds in His hands and feet and asked, “Do you have any food here?” He demonstrated he was real and could even eat food. 

-      Luke 24:49 and Acts 1, He promised the outpouring of His Spirit which would empower His followers to do miraculous works like He had done.

-      John 20:27-29 – Jesus appeared to Thomas who had doubted He had risen and said, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen me and yet have believed.” I especially like this because He’s talking about us. 

-      John 21:1-14 – Beside the Sea of Tiberias, He called out to some of his disciples as they were fishing. When He asked, they told Him they had caught no fish. He told them to cast their net on the other side of the boat and when they did, they got a huge catch. Meanwhile He prepared breakfast for them on the shore. 

-      John 21 - Jesus restored Peter after his shame of denying that He knew Jesus.

At the end of the forty days, His disciples were gathered around and asked Him if He was going to restore the kingdom to Israel.   


He replied, “’It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth’” (Acts 1:7-8). 

Artist Lesley James from 

"The Lord Has Need of YOU" by Connie Wohlford

Then as they watched, He was taken up to Heaven. Two angels, dressed in white, stood nearby and said, “’Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven’” (Acts 1:11).


We who are in Christ anticipate His return. Whether we refer to it as That Day or the Day of the Lord, our ultimate hope is in Jesus, and His return when the fullness of time, according to God’s clock, has come. 


I’ll never forget the thrill of standing on the Mount of Olives, looking across the Kedron Valley at Jerusalem, thinking about the ancient prophecy. “And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south” Zechariah 14:4.

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I encouraged you to read, in your Bible, about the last days of Jesus’ life and the days leading up to His ascension. A lot happened in those few days. Begin your reading at these points: Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19:28, John 12:12, Acts 1. Be blessed with me as we learn Jesus. 


In these posts, I’ve used some pictures and quotes from my book titled, The Lord has Need of YOU.* The illustrations are watercolor paintings by artist, Lesley James. 


Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version. 


*The Lord Has Need of YOU, by Connie Wohlford. Copyright Connie Wohlford, 2019, Hoot Books Publishing.

*The Lord Has Need of YOU can be purchased directly from me via email author@conniewohlford.com or through Amazon,  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1687536104/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0


©Copyright 2020 Connie Wohlford

Be Humble – Be Valiant: 7 Keys to Casting Cares

Be Humble – Be Valiant: 7 Keys to Casting Cares

1 Peter 5:6-7

 

Given the facts of who God is versus who we are we have no grounds for argument against humbling ourselves before our Maker. (Please see my previous post, "Me vs. God.")

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7 NKJV). 

“Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker—an earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth! Will the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’ Or the thing you are making say, ‘He has no hands’?” (Isaiah 45:9 NASV).    

As we continue in humility before God, He will exalt us when the time is right. Now, wouldn’t you rather be elevated by God Himself when the time is divine according to His unquestionable wisdom than strive to raise yourself up in an artificial or self-serving manner? I certainly would.

Have I always restrained myself? No. And this has led me into some embarrassing moments. “God, please help me to wait on you and allow You to elevate me in due time, because You are all knowing and wise beyond my imagination. In Jesus name—Amen.”

 

In God’s divine time He will make you shine.

I’m not saying I have some burning desire to stand out as a shining star—that’s uncomfortable. But I do have some things to say which I believe will help others.

Meanwhile, Peter calls us to cast our cares onto God, “casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). “Cast your cares on Him,” is one of the most quoted truths of the Bible. I say it often and am comforted by adding the second part of the verse, “for He cares for you.” Is this a verse you often quote?

What comes to mind when you think of cares? We probably think of worries, trials, burdens, anxieties, etc. 

The word, care in Greek is merimna, from the root word, meiro, which means “to divide.” The literal meaning is “to be anxious beforehand about daily life,”*  

Woah! Does this not describe the way we go through some days? For some people this describes their every day. It’s no wonder so many people suffer from various psychosomatic disorders. 

It’s imperative that we know deep in our knower that God cares for each of us. To be reassured of that truth read Psalm 23 and meditate on each line. 

Before moving to the next passage lets spotlight the phrase, “under the mighty hand of God.” There is no limit to the mighty hand of God.  We, as mere humans, are clueless of the power contained therein. The hand of God is mentioned at least 1265 times in the Bible, according to BibleGateway.com.

One of my favorite passages is Isaiah 48:12-13. “’Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, My called: I am He, I am the First, I am also the Last. Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth. And My right hand has stretched out the heavens; When I call to them, they stand up together.’” 

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God” (1 Peter 5:6a).

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world” (1 Peter 5:8-9 NKJV). 

This passage is clear-cut with instruction and warning, but let’s expand it a little with the Amplifies version. “Be well-balanced—temperate, sober-minded; be vigilant and cautious at all times, for that enemy of yours the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset], rooted, established, strong, immovable and determined—knowing that the same (identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) through the world.”

In these verses (6-9) Peter gives Seven Keys to Casting Cares and trials we face as we navigate this fallen world:

1-   Live humbly before God.

2-   Cast your cares on God being confident that He cares for you. 

3-   Be sober-minded and self-controlled. 

4-   Be vigilant—constantly watchful—alert to the tricks, traps, and triggers of the devil. 

5-   Resist the devil, withstanding his every attack, scheme, and temptation.

6-   Be steadfast in faith, careful not to let down this shield, as it is your first line of defense. Our shield of faith guards you and deflects Satan’s flaming arrows. (Ephesians 6:16) 

7-   Be aware that other followers of Jesus face trials, persecutions, and temptations just as you do. All are in the same boat so need not develop a victim mentality and be waylaid by self-pity or false humility.

If we take to heart Peter’s counsel we will better understand things that are happening to and around us. We won’t be shocked by evil doers and illogical craziness that goes on in the world. 

We can go through our days, mindful of God’s minute by minute involvement in our lives. His Holy Spirit is reliable in us to help us valiantly do the work we’re called to do as warriors in God’s army. He’s well able to arm us as we assist Him in equipping the saints and building His Eternal Kingdom alongside our King Jesus. 

Thank you, Father God, for Your steadfast love, Your Mighty Hand, and Your abundant provision. In Jesus name—Amen. 

©Copyright 2018 Connie Wohlford

*Word Wealth for 1 Peter 5:7, Spirit Filled Life Bible, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1991, page 1915.

So Now—Love! 1 Peter 1:22-25

So Now—Love!  1 Peter 1:22-25            

(Continuing in 1 Peter)

Have you noticed that not everyone is easy to love? … And some of those people live under our own roofs or are in our own church fellowships. They really test our love capabilities. 

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In 1 Peter 1:21, Peter acknowledges that our faith and hope is in God and wants his readers to grasp what has taken place on the inside which helps us love others. He then says: “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because ‘all flesh is grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever’” (1 Peter 1:22-23).

 

Peter wants his readers to comprehend what has taken place and gives real-life application which reaches the core of God’s great salvation—Love. So now—LOVE! 

He points out that we have seen the truth of the Gospel. We get it—at least we should. We know the truth through God’s Spirit. Thus, our souls have been purified. So now this is the means by which we love the brethren sincerely. 

[“When Peter and other writers of Scripture speak of the brethren, to whom are they referring?” you might ask. The literal meaning is brother, but scripture writers are generally referring to followers of Jesus—members of God’s family—as brothers and sisters.]

Verse 22 begins with the word, since—meaning “by reason of” or “insomuch as.” Peter is showing how our souls have been purified. As always with God, it’s about love.

After all, love is the reason:

> God created Mankind.

> God sent Jesus to earth.

> God offers everlasting life. 

When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus said, love God and love others (Matthew 22:36-40). By reason of the fact that you have purified your souls by obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, now love one another fervently and with a pure heart. 

Doesn’t that sound lovely? But the reality is, it’s not always easy. People can be very annoying. Bet you have someone pop into your mind right now. 

How do we love others fervently and with a pure heart? 

Fervent means impassioned and intense. It’s heartfelt and zealous. A pure heart is translated, unhypocritical. It’s a heart void of dishonesty and self-seeking motives. That person who popped into your head—imagine loving them enthusiastically and without selfish motives. 

In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). Now, there’s some incentive!

So, how can love our brethren enthusiastically, without hypocrisy and with sincerity, integrity, and with unselfish motives?

Notice Peter inserts, “through the Spirit.”  <>  That’s it! That’s the key. Only with the help of “the Helper” (John 14:26)—the Spirit of God—can we love in such a God-like way! This is agape love.

So, for those who challenge our love aptitude—through God’s Spirit we can sincerely love them. 

Consider it an act of worship…Ponder that for a moment. 

Peter continued the thought in verse 23: “having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.”

Here we see the regenerating power of God’s Word. The word, regenerate, is very descriptive regarding what takes place when the Word of God is understood and applied to one’s life. 

In the physical sense—in a living organism, when regeneration occurs, new tissue is regrown to replace lost or injured tissue. Merriam-Webster (online) defines regenerate: 1- formed or created again; 2- spiritually reborn or converted; 3- restored to a better, higher, more worthy state.

Through regeneration a radical transformation takes a person from the physical realm into the spiritual realm. This occurs when a person is born again. It is a supernatural work of the Spirit of God just like salvation is a supernatural work of God.

Jesus said, “I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:24-25). 

We need to be regenerated. “Just as we owe our natural existence to the Creator’s spoken word and life-giving breath, so we owe our New Birth to the power of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit’s activation of its power. God’s intent for our created being is only completely fulfilled when our spirits are alive toward Him. As sin has produced spiritual death in people (Ephesian 2:1-3), so salvation in Jesus Christ has provided spiritual life. This text (v.23) tells us that the ‘seed’ that has produced new life in us is the Word of God, which has begotten us again by the Holy Spirit’s power (Titus 3:5) and made us members of God’s new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). The power of God’s Word—the Holy Scriptures—is in no way more manifest than in this: its power to bring spiritual life to all who are open to its truth. “* 

Thank You, God, for the regeneration power of Your Word which has brought us into spiritual rebirth, that we have been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible. It is through Your own Word which lives and abides forever—Jesus, the Word made flesh. Lord God, we’re so grateful. We are indeed gratefully redeemed! So now … we really can LOVE! 

Have you experienced a time when the Holy Spirit helped you have genuine love for a challenging person in your life? Your comments are welcome.

©Copyright 2018 Connie Wohlford

*Spirit Filled Life Bible, NKJV, “Kingdom Dynamics,” Thomas Nelson Publishers, page 1909.