A WHIRLWIND THROUGH THE CITY

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A WHIRLWIND BLOWS THROUGH THE CITY : WHAT IS THE HYPE ABOUT?

JERUSALEM. The city was stirred by a strange event last weekend… There are reports of a strange wind that swept through a certain section of the city, and some people acted very strangely, and it looked as if they were drunk. They started speaking in all the foreign languages of the visitors present at the Jewish festival of the harvest. They also had flames of fire on their heads, and many people were drawn to this miraculous event. They say that around 5000 people decided to follow this movement and were baptised over this time.

At closer investigation it does seem that these people are mostly the fishermen that were connected to Jesus the Nazarene, who were crucified about 6 weeks back, and mysteriously disappeared.

It is often overlooked that the upside-down nature of God’s Kingdom is visible at almost every major event in the life of Jesus, and of the early church. Not only was Jesus born in a manger, and worshipped by foreigners and shepherds at his birth, but the advent of the Holy Spirit also took place under strange and humble circumstances. The followers of Jesus, who received the Holy Spirit, would surely not be the choices of the world when it comes to the anointing of God’s missionaries.

As was prophesied in Joël (2:28,29), these 120 people were God’s servants, men and women, who received the Holy Spirit in a special way. The fire on their heads was not without purpose… It was quickly evident that the whirlwind would create a ripple effect which seriously impacted the lives of around 5000 people.

We also see how this ripple effect circles out through the New Testament. First in the humble and generous meetings of the believers (Acts 2:41-47; Acts 4:31-37), but also in the special attention given to the widows in Acts 6:1-7.

What does the upside-nature mean to the beggar on the street in the time of Pentecost? God has not sent His Holy Spirit just for spectacular displays of power all over Christian Channels on TV. He has sent his Spirit specifically to come upon Jesus to preach the Good News to the poor. If ministry in the Holy Spirit does not equip one for a sowing ministry, and if it does not in one or other way touch the lives of the poor, the lowly and the despised, then it is surely lacking in Biblical direction and purpose.

Want to read more on this? Feel free to read my article on Generosity and the Spirit.