Texts: Psalm 27, Isaiah 26:7-15, Acts 2:37-42
"For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away; everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him." Acts 2:39
So often, when we read of the events that happened after the indwelling of the Spirit on Pentecost, we talk about the number of people that were converted, or the visible manifestation of the Holy Spirit, or one of the other external factors. I think Acts 2:39 points to the true treasure of Pentecost, the true work of the Spirit. I am convinced it has less to do with the number of people converting in one day (during the third-tenth Centuries (and likely before and beyond), entire armies would descend into whatever nearby river they could find to become Christian so that they could join with other powerful armies; it was as much a battle tactic as it was anything else, and huge numbers would convert at one time) and more to do with the realization of people that God's Word is for them. It is for us. So often, we want God to be "for us" when it comes to church budgets or the number of people who find their ways into the pews each week, but how can we measure the extent to which God is for us?
We wait for the God who is for us. No other God will suffice. Though the temptations exist to measure our faithfulness and our success as churches and as people of God by external signs, these are not the thing for which we wait. External signs are fleeting. When they are gone, stripped of their power, we can only cling to Christ. As numbers in most mainline churches drop, and the small churches become smaller and the large churches become larger, we proclaim with the Psalmist: "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Wait for the LORD; be strong, let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD?" Psalm 27:1,14
Our accomplishments and our church growth tactics are only as wind. They are here today, but may not be here tomorrow. Our God, God for us, on the other hand, has been and will be here until the universe has found its final resting place. Let us take joy in the blessings we have received, but let us take joy knowing we are blessed, whether in plenty or in want, whether hungry or well fed, because we have a God who is for us. This is the God for whom we wait. To wait for anything else is to chase after the wind.
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