'Power of the Holy Spirit'

come to a tragic end. They didn’t know what to do next. Then, on the first day of the week, the resurrected Jesus came into their midst.

Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (John 20:21-23)

Jesus spoke over them the blessing of peace, a sense of inner calm and wellness knowing that God is with them. They desperately needed that word. What is interesting is that Jesus immediately gave them directions for the future. He didn’t give the Disciples time to get their heads around the new reality. He didn’t tell them to take it easy for a while. Instead, he gave them a mission. “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” The work of the Kingdom had the same urgency as before. There was no time to waste.  

However, they had a problem. Jesus, the Son of God, would not be with them. Where would their authority and power come from? Jesus knowing their need, breathed on them and said, “receive the Holy Spirit”. Jesus’ authority and power was imparted to them. During His ministry, Jesus would give the Disciples power to preach, heal, and cast out demons for a period of time. Their missions would be for a few days. Now, they were being sent on a permanent mission and needed permanent authority and power that only Jesus could give. So, the Disciples were sent in the power of the Holy Spirit on a mission to preach and practice forgiveness. 

John Wesley understood this. He did not stay within the confines of the Church of England, but understood that “the world is my parish”. He went where the people who needed to hear the message were. He preached to coal miners as they left the mines, fields where people were traveling and socializing, and even at cemeteries as people were going to church. John knew that his mission was greater than himself, so he raised up leaders. He trained them in scripture, theology, preaching so that the Gospel could reach far more people than he would by himself. 

The same is happening in the Methodist Church of Cuba. A couple of weeks ago, our team of 12 traveled to Cuba to partner with them. God is moving in powerful ways in that country and it was a blessing to come alongside the leaders who, empowered by the Holy Spirit were doing amazing work. We went to El Olam church that Eleazar Santiago had started just 2 years before. The need of the area was far greater than his on ability, so he raised up men and women to spread the Gospel into the rural and urban communities that he could not. From El Olam, dozens of house churches had begun. We were able to go to several of them, and I had the privilege to preach in some. There was a clear sense that I was witnessing the apostolic work of the first Disciples. They followed in the footsteps of the Disciples who started churches, raised up leaders to start new churches and raised up new leaders. 

Friends, we a sent people. We are in a long tradition of Methodists in England and the United States who have gone out to people, places, and forgotten in mines, slums, fields, and frontier towns. Our brothers and sisters in the Methodist Church of Cuba are carrying on God’s call in similar fashion. Munholland is a sent church with the power of the Holy Spirit. How are we raising up leaders and going to where the need is? One way is the creation of Grow Groups that will be launched in September. We have called and equipped leaders who are going to take the church into their homes in the communities they live. Discipleship and evangelism happen in home groups. Most home group ministries reach far beyond the membership of a church. My prayer is that God will empower our Grow Group leaders to preach and practice forgiveness, to share the Gospel, and to draw others into the grace of God right in their homes.

We, are a sent people. We, are a Holy Spirit empowered people. And our job is to try to keep up with what God is already doing. Let’s take up the apostolic authority given by Jesus and be inspired by the work of our brothers and sisters in Cuba. 

Onward and upward in the name of Jesus,

Jonathan