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When the Holy Spirit of God
touches our world everything explodes into new life. We do not cause the
coming of the Spirit. The coming of the Holy Spirit causes us to be
church, the living body of Christ. It was this promised Spirit who
caused the apostles to speak in a universal tongue. It was the same
Spirit who inspired the early martyrs of the church to lay down their
lives for Christ. It was the same Spirit who called men and women to
leave their homes and travel all over the world to share the good news
with those who never heard of Christ. It was this same Spirit who urged
our grandparents and great grandparents to migrate to this land, to
raise their families in freedom, and to build up the community of the
church in a new land.
The Spirit helped them build
churches and schools, hospitals and orphanages out of the pennies they
earned in factories and through hard labor.
In every generation the Spirit has visited his people and urged them to
accept his gifts for the good of the body of Christ. Today is no
exception! On this celebration of Pentecost the same Spirit hovers over
us. He comes with gifts, not for our own use, but gifts for the good of
the church.
Will you open your heart to the Spirit's gifts? How will you serve the
church in our generation?
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