God Loves Everyone

Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation                                  Acts 2:5 – 13

God Loves Everyone

by Robert T. Cooper

Some people find themselves deeply moved by patriotic songs such as “God Bless America” and “God Bless the U.S.A.” Some people realize that God loves the little children of the world, and so don’t want to single out the United States when asking for God’s blessings. There are even bumper stickers that say, “God Bless Everyone, No Exceptions.” Yet many in the first group are uncomfortable asking God to bless nations that publicly declare their desire to eradicate the United States and all Americans. What do we learn from the Bible?

1.      God doesn’t take sides.

When Joshua was getting ready to conquer the Promised Land, he experienced a theophany, a human manifestation of the pre-incarnate Christ. Joshua asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” The Lord answered, “Neither.”

God has His own agenda and is working out His own purposes. It is normal for Him to use believers to carry out His plans, but He is not limited to believers. He sometimes uses unbelievers.

2.      Jesus died for everyone.

God so loved the world. The Gospel was to be taken to the uttermost part of the earth. We might argue about predestination and free will, but we need to take the message of the Savior to every individual on the planet. All need the opportunity to hear and accept the Plan of Salvation. Jonah prophesied to Israelites and to Ninevites (the sworn enemies of the Israelites) alike. We need to tell everyone about Jesus.

3.      Heaven will include some from every people group.

Eternity will consist of those from every tribe and tongue (language) and people and nation. There will be saved people of every ethnicity and dialect. No exceptions. We will join in a chorus of praise before the throne of our God.

Acts 2 talks about Jews being at Pentecost from every nation. There were 15 foreign language groups of Jews who heard the 120 sharing Christ, each person in his own heart language. Yet we know from elsewhere in Scripture that this was simply a foreshadowing of how God was going to win at least some folks from everywhere you can imagine.

So we don’t just take the Gospel to friendly countries or to those who love us in return. God loves everybody. We take the Good News to friend and foe alike.

Some pray for a different continent each day, praying for the people in every country, people of every language group, and people of every ethnicity. They pray for people to place their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. They include closed countries and hostile regimes. What do you think of praying like that?

Closer to home, to whom do you think God would have you to witness next?

All 120+ Got Him

Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation                                          Acts 2:3

All 120+ Got Him

by Robert T. Cooper

In Keith Green’s song on the Matthew 25 passage of the sheep and the goats, he has the person representing the goats to ask whether the Lord was one of those creepy people who came to his door. Then he has the person to say, “Oh, Lord, that just wasn’t my spiritual gift!”

The interesting thing about Acts 2 is that all 120 men in the prayer meeting (plus women and children) received the Holy Spirit. Verse 3 is very specific. The tongues of fire came to rest on each of them. Then verse 4 says that all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit. So, what was the result?

The result was that all 120+ were part of the evangelistic harvest on that Day of Pentecost. The thing about spiritual gifts is that The Gift is the Holy Spirit. He asks us to do things outside of our comfort zones, things where we will have to depend on Him and not on our own strength. He then empowers us for that ministry and works through us to accomplish His purposes. It is in that working through us that we see in retrospect what spiritual gift the Holy Spirit utilized on that occasion. But it does not limit Him to utilizing the same gift on any future occasion.

So honestly, do we really think that a 20 question or 100 question survey given to all new converts (and in some cases to preschoolers and unbelievers) can limit what God is going to ever ask us to do? Sorry, the excuse of Keith Green’s goat simply doesn’t but it.

It is like saying that because some people have the spiritual gift of giving and I don’t, that I don’t have to worry about giving ever again. It is like saying that because some people have the spiritual gift of evangelism that I never have to worry about witnessing ever again.

What happened on Pentecost? All 120+ participated in the harvest. Should I expect to be a witness at some point or even at many points in my Christian journey? You bet! Because the Holy Spirit indwells me and empowers my witness.

I also need to trust what the Spirit is leading you to do and support you in your ministry efforts. I can expect your trust and support in return. I need to share what the Spirit is saying to me and teaching me. I also need to listen as you share what the Spirit is saying to you and teaching you. When the Holy Spirit indwells all believers, that’s just the way it works.

Tell about a time the Holy Spirit led you to do something outside of your comfort zone. When you look back on that time, what spiritual gift did the Spirit utilize at that time?

A Burning Dove

Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation                                          Acts 2:3

A Burning Dove

by Robert T. Cooper

So there was this wind sound that filled the whole house. Now, there were 120 adult men there, not counting the women and under 13’s. So don’t go thinking house. Not even the wealthiest residents of Jerusalem had a personal abode like that. Think meeting hall. But the point of the sound filling the entire structure is to indicate that no person present failed to hear the sound.

So when we get to verse 3, we find that all saw this phenomenon. It seemed to be flickers of flame like one would see burning on the wick of a candle. So we have this additional metaphor going: a sound and a flame.

So everyone hears the sound and everyone sees the flickers which divide in such a way that there is a separate flicker that comes to rest on each one present. The traditional way of visualizing this is to imagine flames like each person was a candle with a wick coming out of the top of each person’s head.

Interestingly, we are not told how long this phenomenon lasted. Surely the image was gone by the time anyone outside the room heard what happened next. (We’ll get to that another time.)

Now, compare this with the descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus at the Savior’s baptism. In that case, the Spirit descended in a form that gave one an impression of something similar to a dove. The text does not say that an actual bird flew down and sat on Jesus. It says that the Spirit descended like a dove.

If this is the exact same Holy Spirit, why was the image like a dove in one case and like tongues of fire in the other case? One possible answer is that the Holy Spirit was marking Jesus to be Isaiah’s prophecies Prince of Peace, while He was marking the 120+ as being on fire for God.

Remember that Jesus said the Apostles (and others present at that time) would have power when the Holy Spirit came on them. So when the Holy Spirit came to rest on each one, it was in order to fuel the witness of each believer as the Gospel began to be carried to the uttermost part of the world.

Today the Holy Spirit comes to indwell each person who places his or her faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He is the source of our peace that passes understanding. He is the source of our power to witness to our community and beyond. He is like a burning dove. Let’s make sure we don’t quench the Spirit.

What are some other metaphors for the Holy Spirit? Also, please share with us some times the Holy Spirit gave you peace or empowered your witness.