“Thank You, Lord Jesus, that as Your church, we come as one people. It is only in our oneness that we experience the fullness of Your Holy Spirit. Please fill us to the overflowing with Your Holy Spirit. Take away from us anything that is not holy, anything that displeases You. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.”
Acts 2:1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. As we begin Acts 2 the tendency is to jump straight into the filling of the Holy Spirit, which is vital, but understanding the stage that was set for the filling of the Holy Spirit is crucial. This is the matter of being together of one mind, in one place, as His church. As the disciples came together to observe Pentecost, they were prepared to offer themselves completely to the Lord. This is what needs to be in us as we gather as His church. We offer ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy, unto God, which is our reasonable service. An offering to God cannot be unholy. It is the Holy Spirit, who burns from us, all that is unworthy before God. This is how we prepare ourselves to come together as His church to worship Him.
Today, as His church, we are eager for the filling of the Holy Spirit. This is precious but what is the prerequisite? It is necessary that there be oneness in the body of Christ, as we surrender and submit to God, offering ourselves, holy, unto Him. Jeremiah 32:38-39 “They shall be My people, and I will be their God; (39) then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them”. We are still, highly, individualistic as we worship God. We must remember that we are not individuals worshipping God but we are His body, giving ourselves to one another, as we, together, worship the Lord.
The day of Pentecost had fully come. This day and time were in accordance with the purposes and plans of God. Our life must be aligned to the timing of God. We are part of His eternal plans and so we must be intentional in ensuring that our whole life is moving along the timeline of God. God longs to reveal His purposes to us. He will only reveal His purposes to those who are seeking to know His ways. All our choices and decisions, related to all matters of life, are to be based on the eternal purposes of God and not based on how we view things from our perspective. If we are not seeking to know God’s eternal purposes then we will have to bear the consequences. Many of us, as leaders, have sought God’s purposes for our lives but when it concerns our children, we have sadly allowed them to make their own choices. Is it not our responsibility, as God’s leaders, to guide our children to make choices in accordance with God’s eternal purposes? Aren’t we shepherds of God’s church? Does not God’s church begin from our own homes?
Ephesians 1:9-14 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, (10) that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. (11) In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, (12) that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. (13) In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, (14) who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
God’s eternal purposes remain and they cannot be altered. God has wonderful plans for each of us and for His church, as we align with His eternal plans. Sadly, many have missed and many continue to miss out on all that God has intended for us. What is God’s eternal plan? In the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. Our entire life must be surrendered and submitted to this overarching plan of God. This is where we need to seek God’s leading and guidance of His Holy Spirit. We also need the counsel of spiritual fathers and mothers to help us discern what is God’s specific will for us, in our decisions and choices in life.
The Greek word for God’s time or eternal or perpetual time is aiōnios. ahee-o’-nee-os – perpetual or eternal time. We must be always conscious that our present is surrendered and submitted to God’s eternal time. We can look at time as chronological time or even as Kairos or opportune time. We are encouraged to convert our Chronos into Kairos or convert every passing time into opportunities. This is a good suggestion. Nevertheless, we, as His church, must go beyond Chronos and Kairos. “We must live our lives based on Aionios. As we gather in one, in accordance with God’s time, to worship Him, then we are ready to receive the filling of His Spirit to be His witness and bring people to faith in Jesus.”