By Stephen R. Lewis

You may not know who the Holy Spirit is or how the Spirit is working in your life. For many of us, the work of the Holy Spirit is shrouded in mystery. For others, we’ve become so caught up in the busyness of our lives and the press of our to-do lists that we’re no longer sensitive to the Holy Spirit the way we once were. Many of us wonder what role the Spirit plays in our lives. Are you willing to spend fifty days in 2019 pursuing the Spirit in your life and in the life of your church?

Pentecost was a singular day in the life of the disciples, fifty days after Jesus’ resurrection. On that day, the disciples were filled with the Spirit and they moved from the room where they were hiding out into the street, where they preached to the crowds. And in the months and years that followed, these men and women, filled and empowered by the Spirit, moved from the streets of Jerusalem to cities across the Roman Empire.

And yet Pentecost is so much more than a one-time event on a single day. The burst of Pentecost continues to ripple across time and across history, transforming lives and communities. Today, Pentecost continues in the life of the body of Christ, in your life and mine. The Spirit came on that first Pentecost, and the Spirit still continues to fill, to call, and to send. Will we open ourselves? Will we listen and answer? Will we go, or help someone go?

Pentecost Life is an initiative of Global Strategy to encourage congregations and individuals globally toward missional involvement. Will you welcome the work of the Holy Spirit in your life and in the life of your congregation, to move you from the room to the streets to the world beyond?

The Spirit still fills. Are you open? The Spirit still calls. Can you hear? The Spirit still sends. Will you respond?

Mark your calendars now for Pentecost Life 2019. It launches the day after Easter (April 22) and culminates fifty days later on Pentecost Sunday (June 9) with a celebration of missions in the life of the church, empowered by the Spirit.

For more information about Pentecost Life and a look back at the pilot program in 2018, as well as a hint of the new devotional and curriculum resources that will be available in 2019 for churches and individuals, visit www.chogglobal.org/pentecostlife.