Monday, February 25, 2019

Grace is good, and all the time Grace is good.




When I was a child, the church didn't have a problem having us understand what happened at Pentecost (even if we didn't know what it was called back then).

How to explain Pentecost as if to a five-year-old? ...

When I was a child, a lot of people in church said receiving the Holy Spirit was "getting happy." To be filled with the Holy Spirit was happy and sad all at the same time. 

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted," Jesus said.

Pentecost was when Jesus sent the Holy Spirit after He went to Heaven.

When I was a child, sometimes, almost a whole church congregation would get happy, with many people crying, because of the Holy Spirit. And, sometimes, when the old church remembers Pentecost, some say the church used to be "on fire" for Christ.

Then, after worship services, the church would take those happy/sad feelings to dinner, and get full with thanks to Heaven.

That's like when the multitude had fish and bread after Jesus preached to them on the mountainside. Jesus' disciples hadn't planned to give any food to the people. But Jesus took pity on those people, because the people had so much faith that they had walked a long way just to hear what He had to say to them.

Jesus filled the people by preaching His word, and then, not wanting them to go away empty of nourishment for the walk home, He asked them to sit down and eat with Him and the disciples, for the glory of God.

Everyone sat down and ate together (sitting in groups divided into fifties, like different church congregations sit down in their own groups). Jesus even provided a meal of fish on the seashore before going on to Heaven, meaning He wants us to go on and live for Him even today.

So, even when we're preparing food, our hearts are supposed to be thinking of Heaven, not worried about pooping and other earthly and twisted thoughts.

Jesus ate with the church before He gave His life for us.

And then what happened?

When Jesus went to Heaven and sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the people of the church became able to feed themselves: both spiritually and physically!



"Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice, and be glad; for great is your reward in Heaven ... ."
Matthew 5:11-12

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