By Pastor Robert Smith -
The presence and power of the Holy Spirit visited the New Testament believers on Pentecost, with a mighty outpouring. Men and women gathered together and tarried until they were in “one accord”. It seems today, that the unity of the church (which was the prayer of Jesus in John 17:23), is one prayer that has not been fulfilled. When unity settles in the hearts of God’s people, the spiritual outpouring of faith and power increases. Renewals throughout the world have lost their focus through disunity. This disunity is often birthed through ‘false revelation expressions’. False prophetic revelations only bring division in the church and not the expansion of what God wants to do.
One of the results of the Azusa Street Revival was the erasing of racial divisions and the color line within the revival was washed away under the blood. There is something about racial division that God hates and something about unity that God loves.
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, the believers were all together in one accord and the Holy Spirit was poured out. There was a gathering of Jews and converts to Judaism in Jerusalem. These men were from different nations and spoke different languages—they were from Parthia, Media, Elam, Mesopotamia, Judaea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, Libya, Rome, Crete and Arabia. The Bible says that when they heard the sound from heaven (a signal), they heard the disciples speaking in tongues and they crowded together in bewilderment, “and how is it that we hear each in our own language” (Acts 2:8).
When the Holy Spirit was poured out, a gathering of people from all sorts of different cultures witnessed the sound, the tongues and the flame of fire on their heads. Though they were one in their Jewish background, they were born from different nations, speaking different languages and now gathered in Jerusalem. True Christians today are all one in Christ, even though they may be born in a different homeland and speak a different native language, but like the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit draws us all together.
The church that Jesus Christ is coming back for is a glorious church without spot or wrinkle. It is a church that is flowing in His supernatural power. At Pentecost this year, may we come together with unity in the body of Christ and tarry in His presence. As we pursue all God has for us, let us open our hearts to receive the fullness of His Holy Spirit and supernatural empowerment for all He has for us to do to fulfill His will.
Sincerely in His love,
Robert Smith
London Gospel Temple
This article is the introduction to Pastor Robert Smith’s book Ten Days to Pentecost available at www.bannermanpublishing.com.