It Really is Amazing Grace, Lord I Lift Your Name on High, The Wonderful Cross, For You Are Glorious, O Praise the Name (Anastasis)

How would you describe your current relationship with the Holy Spirit?

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. 5 Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language.

16 I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.

22 Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away. 23 After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. 24 But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. 26 When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” 28 Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and *said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. 33 And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!”

After Resurrection Sunday, the next major event in the Christian calendar is Pentecost (Acts 2:1–6). God poured out His power on the first believers, preparing them to share Christ with the world. At the same time, He brought a crowd into the streets, preparing them to receive the gospel. By the same Spirit, the church was prepared to speak, while the crowd outside was prepared to listen.

It’s the same today. Whenever we gather to worship Christ, He is preparing us to go out into the world and share Jesus. Even now, for someone in your world, the Spirit of God is already at work in their heart—preparing them to receive what you have been prepared to share. The Spirit still moves powerfully today, giving people dreams and even sending divine encounters that lead them to God’s people, who then lead them to Christ. Many Muslims, for example, have come to know Jesus even in Sweden—one of the most secularized countries in the world. This shows how deeply God loves every person, bringing them within hearing range of the gospel message.

Sooner or later, the spiritually prepared church must meet the spiritually prepared world. But how do we make that happen? How do we ensure that the anointing of the Spirit flows through the church into the world, so the gospel reaches the hearts that need it most? There are two ways we can all take part in making that connection:

Dare to believe that the Holy Spirit is with you

Jesus first introduced the Holy Spirit to His disciples during the Last Supper (John 14:16–17). The first thing He wanted them to know was that the Spirit would be with them forever. He is with you every single day of your life.

There will be days when you feel and sense His presence. But there will also be days when you feel nothing at all—yet He is still there. Why? Because this truth is not based on feelings, but on the promise of Jesus that the Spirit will always be with believers.

On those days, will you dare to believe He is with you even when you don’t feel it? Will you ask for His help, or live as if He weren’t there? When we dare to believe, the power of the Spirit becomes real in our lives. Remember, Jesus still has power over the storms we face—He even has authority over physical storms. Will you boldly declare who Jesus is to others, even when they seem unlikely to believe? Dare to believe that the promised Holy Spirit is with you forever.

Step out of the boat

Like the apostle Peter, Jesus calls us to step out of the boat and into the stormy waters where He walks (Matthew 14:22–33). We often criticize Peter for doubting and sinking, but at least he had the courage to step out.

Wouldn’t you rather be like Peter—someone who steps out in faith, does something great for God, sometimes stumbles, but is restored and continues walking with Jesus? Compare that to the eleven others who stayed in the boat.

Peter grew up as a fisherman. He knew that boats were necessary to cross the Sea of Galilee. Yet suddenly, Jesus came walking on the water and called him out of his place of security.

The boat represents the areas of life we can control. For Peter, it was literal; for us, it may be our comfort zone—our routines, skills, and limitations. There’s nothing wrong with education, training, or experience. But there will be moments when Jesus calls you beyond them. He will ask you to do something you’ve never done before, so you can see what you’ve never seen before. He will lead you to say something you’ve never said before, so you can experience what you’ve never experienced before.

Maybe you’re naturally shy and have never shared Jesus with others. Perhaps today, Jesus is saying to you, “Come—step out of your boat.”
We must take that first step out of our safety zone. When we open our mouths and share Jesus, we often discover that people are more ready to receive Him than we expected. That is when the power of God for salvation is released around us.

The Holy Spirit has come. The church has been prepared to share Christ with a world that the Spirit is already preparing to receive the Savior. It is time for us to go.

Pray that the world around you, that God’s Spirit will move in powerful ways to prepare them to receive the love of Jesus.

Step out of your boat this week and share the gospel to someone in your world that God has placed in your heart to reach out to.

• Worship God for who He is, what He has done, and what He will do in our lives.

• Upright and moral governance of public servants; repentance and salvation for government leaders and citizens for a Christ-centered Philippines.

• For legislators to promote and support bills and laws aligned with God’s Word.

• Pray for persecuted Christians in Sudan and Nigeria) — many have been beheaded and murdered; earnestly seek God’s intervention to stop the bloodshed. Pray for freedom from oppression, that God’s word and His people bring them comfort and hope.

• PRAISE God that all Israeli hostages have been restored to their families! Continue to pray for Israel’s war with terrorists to end according to God’s purpose and for His glory. For Jewish people worldwide who are experiencing a surge of antisemitism. May this lead them to the Messiah, Jesus as they turn to God for help and comfort.

• For nations in turmoil (e.g., Ukraine, Middle Eastern countries, etc.) to experience true freedom in Christ and become centers for massive spiritual revivals in their regions. For new Iranian leadership to rise up that will be for the people of Iran, will promote freedom of worship that the Iranian believers will be able to reach out to the rest of their countrymen and the people of the Middle East.

• That CCF Members would honor and love God and make disciples.

• For elders, pastors, dleaders, and families to become holy, humble, harmonious, happy, and heart-working.

• Ministries and churches expand worldwide.

• Worship and Training Center

• Prayer Mountain

• Deeper intimate relationship with God.

• Righteous living.

• Salvation of family and friends.

16 I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.