Journey to Pentecost

May 11, 2010     Luke 24.52-53

Going back.  Sometimes going back to an event, a place and even going back to a person can be the most painful and difficult task we can undertake.  I wrote about going back to Jerusalem yesterday also.  Let’s go deeper today.   “Going back” to what?  “Going back” why? 

There is a distance between Bethany and Jerusalem.  If you’re in Bethany and need to go to Jerusalem to “get back” – the distance of a mile might as well be a thousand miles.  Honestly!  Jesus has led his followers on a roller coaster of post resurrection events.   He has proven the supernatural to them beyond their wildest imaginations.  Now they are taken to the place of the ascension.  Here He will leave them again – for a long time.  Oh, He will come back.  The angels made sure that message was understood.  But when will He come back?   Will He tease them again with false hope about His being here in the first place?  Will He take them someplace again and leave them?   Will He force them to revisit Golgotha?  Will He take them to another “ascension point”?  No.  We know it now but they didn’t know it then!   The handful of followers who were following Jesus and obeying His word were doing so by raw faith.  He had proven Himself on several post resurrection occasions.  Now they were really being put to the test.  Go back to Jerusalem.  Yeah right!  That’s where they killed Jesus.  That’s where they were hiding behind closed doors.  That’s where they feared for their life!   He wanted them to go back to Jerusalem.   

Jerusalem was the place they would receive the promise of the Father.  The focus of Pentecost is shear, raw obedience.  Do you get it?  Obedience to the Word.  Shear obedience.  Go.  Tarry.  Receive.  Witness.  Work the plan.  Win the lost.  Grow the church.   Obey Him.  If you want to question the obedience factor then get into the Star Trek Time Tunnel and go back and interview Ananias and Sapphira.  They would be able to tell us a lot about grace, mercy and New Testament obedience. 

We have all been to those confusing places called Bethany.  We have all heard the Lord speak to us in one way or another to leave Bethany.  But…we didn’t or we aren’t.  Whichever.  In not leaving our “Bethany” we leave ourselves open to pain and often times tragedy of disobedience.  To stay in Bethany is to lose the blessing of Pentecost.  Do you know how many denominations, churches, groups of believers and individuals have set up camp in Bethany?  Untold millions since Jesus gave the command to go and tarry in Jerusalem.  This is what frustrates me as a Pentecostal.  We have had millions of people believe the Word of God…up to a point.  When they get to Acts chapter two they follow the instructions…all the way to Bethany.  But that’s where they stay.  Monuments to anti-Pentecostal messages have been built there.  Ideologies, doctrines, theories, lies and fraudulent messages have been established in Bethany.   They would rather believe a limited message as to buy into the supernatural personal Pentecost than to believe the message in its entirety.   Give me a theological break!  Come on people!  Go to Jerusalem!   Believe it like Jesus taught it.  Receive it like they received it.  Speak like they spoke it.  Work it like they worked. 

This one issue of speaking in tongues has caused more faith division than any other doctrine.  To many people its like a mine field.  They would rather stay away from it as to dance through it (no pun intended for our demonstrative charismatic brothers and sisters).   I challenge those of you who are doubters and want to dispensationally put the manifestation of tongues in the field of cessation to purchase Jack Deere’s book entitled, “Surprised by the Spirit.”   Awesome book that will challenge you because this Baptist theologian opposed and then received the fullness of the Spirit.  Jack’s testimony is powerful.  But beyond that – start your own Pentecostal journey.  Wipe the doctrinal slate clean and read, believe and receive.

Go back.  Go back to the Word.  Go back to Acts.  Read it like it was written.  Read it as the Acts of the Apostles.   Read it as God intended it read.  Read it as Luke’s journal written to us.  Read it as a personal handbook on the role of the Holy Spirit in the church.  Come on!  We’re close to starting our fasting season which will represent the last ten days of our journey.  We’re close to looking to the last ten days of the journey to Pentecost.  Visit the upper room.  Stay. Tarry.  Pray.  Surrender.  Receive.  Speak.  Move.  Minister.  Reach.  Celebrate.  Share. 

Go back.  Go back to the place you know you can’t go wrong.  Pray this prayer and leave the rest to God:  “Lord, I want what the early church had.  I want the “promised” Gift.  I want it like they had it.  I want to receive it like they received it.  I want to do what they did when the received the gift.  I want to speak like they spoke when they received the gift.  I want to reach people like they did when they received the gift.”   Try Him.  Taste and see that He is good.  Pursue the gift.