This week’s devotions are based on Sunday’s Pentecost Message – Week 7 of Win the Day “Seed the Clouds!” (LISTEN HERE)
Peter stood up and addressed the crowd.
That’s all we need to know.
Because you remember what Peter did when the crowd around the campfire during Jesus’ trial questioned his location with Jesus that night. His address to the crowd 50 days earlier was one of denial.
Perhaps there were some of the same people there. We don’t hear anyone from the crowd at Pentecost yell, “You were there with Jesus in the garden! Your accent gives you away!” But that memory had to be fresh in Peter’s mind.
While he avoided the crowd gathered around the fire, he stood with courage and addressed the crowd gathered around the tongues of fire.
What changed?
Peter was running on Spirit courage, not personal preservation. Peter knew that this was the Spirit’s work and he was there to speak clearly and boldly to the crowd.
Seeding the cloud takes courage.
It takes courage to fly into a storm cloud to spread the catalyst to bring rain. In a similar way, flying into the cloud of culture surrounding us takes courage.
So we have to contemplate. Will I cower or act with courage? Better yet, will I rely on myself or on the Spirit?
So look at the headlines that describe the cloud of culture that is around you. BudLight…Target…Los Angeles Dodgers…Ford…Michaels…and more. Do I cower with disgust or ask the Spirit for courage to speak into these issues with truth and love?
When children are exposed to sexually explicit material in schools or confronted with friends with two moms or two dads…do I pray for courage or avoid the conversation?
When confronted with individuals who believe an unborn baby isn’t a person…do I pray for courage or cower?
When a religious discussion turns to “we all believe in the same God” or “Christianity is close minded” do I cower or fly in with Spirit-given courage?
It’s not easy to be sure, but Peter stood up and addressed the crowd. He dismissed the drunk claim and then went on to explain what was happening. Courage came from the Spirit, with conviction of the truth of Jesus, and the concern for the souls that were gathered.
I benefited from this “narrative” of Peter’s actions. Because it gives me a template to work with when engaging in tough conversations that occur in the “cloud” into which the Spirit is sending me.
- Pray for and expect courage from the Holy Spirit.
- Be filled with the conviction that God’s Word is truth.
- See that every soul matters and those you are with need Jesus.
And fly into the cloud.
The cloud could be a family member, a coworker, a classmate, or a neighbor. The cloud may rise suddenly or unexpectedly. But remember, to seed a cloud with the catalyst of the Gospel, the cloud has to form. Know that if the cloud forms, the Spirit is sending you to seed it with the Gospel!
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 “ ‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
Apply: Look at the people around you. Where is the Spirit sending you to seed the cloud?
Prayer: Lord, forgive me when I cower at the cloud to which you send me. Give me courage from the Holy Spirit to fly in with courage and seed the cloud with the catalyst of your Gospel. AMEN.