The Bethany Bullet - Week of May 15. 2016

Unstoppable Spirit

Text: Acts 2

When we hear our Lord say, “The gates of hell shall not prevail” what is the first thing that comes to your mind?  Some quite naturally picture the Lord defending His church against the onslaught of the adversary.  It is true of course that “prince of this world” “prowls around like a hungry lion looking to devour”; and that the Lord has promised to protect His flock.  That being said, I’m not so sure this is what Jesus had in mind when He said those words.

Perhaps if we just focus on one word in His promise we might get at the heart of this sentence’s intentions.  What are gates for?  Give a little thought to the ones on your property.  Gates keep wanted items in and unwanted things out; at least they are supposed to. Thus, when you get right down to it, by their very nature, gates are “defensive not offensive.”  True the devil can’t beat us and the powers of evil won’t defeat us, Jesus is victorious and in Him so are we.  That is all true. 

But when Jesus says that, “The gates of hell shall not prevail” He is proclaiming that the church is on the offensive.  However, we Christians are to never be offensive.  Yes, the message might be offensive to some, “foolishness to those who seek wisdom or demand signs.” 

St. Peter, on the first Pentecost showed what this looked like when to folk who mocked God and maligned the disciples, rather than insult them He consulted Scripture, exulted in the Promises of God and allowed the Spirit to work the results of repentance and faith. 

We live in a similar world, one in which many people are more than glad to laugh at reports of God’s doings and lambast those who believe in the same, yet, like Peter, our call is the same: to consult the Scriptures, exult in the promises of God and let His Spirit bring about resulting restoration and redemption. That Spirit, He is unstoppable, not even the gates of hell can prevent Him for accomplishing that which He sets out to do. 

-Pastor Kevin Kritzer