Acts 2:14-21
But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Peter’s address to the astonished crowd at Pentecost was masterful. He reminded the worshippers of the age old prophecy of Joel. Some 350 years prior, Joel prophesied concerning the Day of the Lord; a time in the future when the Lord Himself will directly interpose in the affairs of men. That day will be one of terror, and also of blessing. It will sift out the righteous, and bring judgment upon the wicked. But before its completion, the Spirit of God will accomplish a complete and utter change to the world. And while the timing of Peter’s announcement was significant, it wasn’t conclusive. There was more yet to come.
Let’s review the scripture. In the ‘last days’, God will pour out of His Spirit on all flesh. Our sons and daughters, servants and handmaidens will prophecy. Our young folk will see visions, and us older folk will dream dreams. We are certainly in the midst of all these prophecies, but that’s not all. The Word of the Lord declares, And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come. Now, some of that is happening, but much of that has yet to be revealed. The revelation of those things yet to come will necessitate an entirely new outlook to Christian living. We can’t expect a completely new revelation without new methodologies.
Here’s a practical example. I’m totally preoccupied with that portion of today’s scripture that mentions the young folk with vision and old men with dreams. From a secular standpoint it may sound like a challenge or division, but what’s in my spirit this morning is a clarion call for partnership. The dreams of us old folk will never be realized without youthful vision. And the vision of the youth will never have the spiritual impact it should without the dreams of the elders. I’m old, and yes I have a dream. My dream (for the past 50 years) has been to reach one million people per day with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But that will never happen without the innovation and creativity of youthful vision. I can preach all I want. I can invite hundreds of my closest friends to join me, but without the technological savvy of the genius minds of this day and time, my dream has no chance of coming to fruition. But because of the imagination (vision) of inspired people of God, I’m certain my dream will come to pass.
I’m so grateful for the Lord allowing me to see this day and time. Because of visionaries, this sermon will reach more people than I will ever personally meet. And with additional assistance can reach millions more. I’m not even suggesting my words merit that level of support or consideration. But the fact that it’s possible is a tribute to the power of God, who can take a nobody, with nothing, an make something wonderful happen. Glory to His name.
A young man posted this recently and it seriously touched me. He said, “In our church spaces we don’t get praised for rethinking, but rather we get praised for creatively regurgitating”. Wow. That has to change. The bridling and suppression of imagination and creativity in Christendom is a huge problem. The traditionalist and modernist must work together to bring the glory of Christ in every venue, business, church, home and space in the world. Our calling is worldwide. The opportunity is there. But we must have the courage, humility, selflessness and agape love to execute what has been gifted us in this time and season.
Dear Children of God, I’ve often said, I’d rather ask for forgiveness than for permission. Asking for permission presumes the authorities understand the outcome of my calling. And unless I understand exactly where God is taking you, I can’t possibly understand the complexities of your journey. There are ministries that have yet to be invented. There’s a level of worship we have yet to reach. Perhaps you’re a small cog in the strategic plan of God to bring a new and powerful wave of His Kingdom. Either way, I gotta do what God is leading me to do and so do you. Reimagine worship. Reinvent your praise.
God Bless
