Then, on the Day of Pentecost, Jesus’ promise came to fruition as The Holy Spirit descended from Heaven in a never-before-seen way:

Can you guess what event occurred shortly after that that propelled the Gospel beyond the confines of Jerusalem and into Judea and Samaria? In other words, what did God use to carry out His purpose of reaching the ends of the earth? Remember, the Lord can draw a straight line with a crooked stick. The answer is found in Acts 8:1-2 after the stoning of Stephen, who, of note, was Christianity’s first martyr:

God used persecution to further His message! Or, as Tertullian put it, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” From this point forward, beginning in Acts 8, the Good News set about “Turning the whole world upside-down” for King Jesus!

All of this brings to mind a really sweet memory from childhood. Our house in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, had a vacant lot next door. Since it was springtime and windy, with an eye on a handful of dandelions near the street, it made perfect sense (at least in my mind, but to my mother’s chagrin) to snatch up the dandelions, blowing out the seeds, allowing the crosswinds to scatter them. Of course, my mother came out fussing, “little Georgie, stop that or get a whipping!” something having to do with “weeds,” she said, a point making no bearing on me. I dutifully obeyed, at least momentarily, just long enough to hear the wooden screen door slam shut behind her. After that, I immediately resumed blowing and scattering dandelion seeds for the better part of an hour. A few weeks later, her comment about “weeds” became evident: Never in my life have I seen a more magnificent display of dandelions.

To return to where this blog began, “The World is on Fire…Where is the Holy Spirit in all this?” especially as it relates to the world today? The answer remains the same as it was in 30 AD: The Holy Spirit is alive and well, continuing to carry out Christ’s message on earth. Like the scores of new converts popping up like dandelions 2000 years ago, today’s climate is ideally suited for a resurgence of genuine faith.

So, the question becomes, “Am I willing to play my part in it?” If yes, and I certainly hope you answer “yes,” I’ll leave you with a simple tool: it’s a message of 3 R’s Peter spoke in Acts 3:19: “Therefore Repent and Return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of Refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”

Much like blowing dandelions anticipating future blooms, join me in scattering those 3 R’s to ignite another movement that defies all odds in our day!