Something happened.

    This is a fact that can’t be sidestepped.

    Something happened.

    Somewhere, sometime, between the time when Jesus was taken prisoner and crucified, and the disciples cowered in their hiding places—between that time, and the time a couple of months later, when those same disciples who had cowered in fear that the authorities might discover that they had even known Jesus—when those same disciples left the upper room and stomped out into the streets of Jerusalem, proclaiming the Risen Christ and his sovereignty in their lives … somewhere along that line of events, something happened.

    These men and women, our forbears in the faith, these folk changed. Forever.

    Simon Peter, who had been so afraid that his relationship with Jesus might be found out that he swore the he did not know him—this same Simon Peter would, after the passage of just those few weeks, stand in front of hundreds, maybe even thousands of strangers, and announce that he was a follower of Jesus of Nazareth. This same Peter, the one who ran and hid while Jesus was headed to Golgotha, this is the guy who would stand up to the power elite, would go to prison more than once, would finally, according to tradition, ask to be crucified upside down, because he wasn’t worthy to die the same way Jesus had.

    Several of those first followers were willing to make the final sacrifice because of their relationship with Christ. Certainly most all of them stood up to persecution and ridicule.

    Paul started out on the other side, and yet, not that long after Pentecost, even his life was transformed.

    Something happened.

    Fear was transformed into strength. Anxiety was transformed into affirmation. Hatred was transformed into love.

    Something happened.

    How was Pentecost for you this year?

John Horner

Missionary Team