The Gentile Pentecost (Acts 8-15)Sample

Look at what the Spirit IS DOING

The Acts of the Apostles narrates the story of how God poured out His Holy Spirit in order to bring the Gentiles into Christ.

For the past two thousand years the Holy Spirit has continued to empower disciples to witness to Jesus and to build the worldwide church of Jewish and Gentile disciples.

The Holy Spirit as our Advocate, Comforter and Helper does many different things across the spectrum of the worldwide church, but in terms of Pentecostal outpourings the following are some of the things the Holy Spirit has done in the past 250 years.

In the 1730-40s the Spirit worked through what is referred to as ‘The Great awakening’ in America under the leadership of Jonathan Edwards. John Wesley was also involved and through his work Methodism was established. These two movements have had a huge influence on worldwide Christianity.

Around the turn of the twentieth century the Holy Spirit birthed Pentecostalism. There are estimated to be around half a billion Pentecostal believers in the world today.

More recently, the Holy Spirit birthed the Charismatic movement in Britain in the late 1950’s which has had a profound effect on all denominations. This led into the Housechurch movement in the 1970’s. In the 1980’s the Holy Spirit’s ministry through John Wimber was viewed as the ‘third wave’ of the Spirit’s work.

At Pentecost in May 1994 the Holy Spirit came powerfully in Pentecostal power at Holy Trinity Brompton in London with the result that the Alpha Course as an articulation of the Gospel was catapulted worldwide. It has been translated into over 112 languages and taken to at least 170 countries. Not only have many throughout the world come to faith through Alpha, but its approach has reformed and reshaped evangelism, and evangelistic strategies worldwide.

The Holy Spirit continues in our day to strengthen, empower and enable the church to witness to Christ in many different ways. The Holy Spirit moved gently at Asbury Seminary in America and brought thousands to kneel before Christ, unified in sincere and deep repentance.

Let us continue to pray; ‘Come Holy Spirit’ (John 4:10, John 7:38-39, Revelation 21:6).

… so that each of us is ready and prepared for all that the Holy Spirit does next …

‘for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea’ (Habakkuk 2:14).