A New Breed

¹⁶ So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:16-19

In this passage, we are encouraged to make a paradigm shift in the way we look at Jesus, others, and ourselves. Paul tells us that if we are in Christ, repenting of our sins and accepting Him as Lord and Savior, then we are new creatures; a new breed of people. When Cody is asked where he gets his height, he responds by saying he is a new breed. I don’t know where he gets his humor. I know, I’ll blame it on his mother. In a sense, that is exactly what we are when we confess our sins to Jesus Christ and make Him our source for all things. Old things are gone. New things come and we now live from new power and for new reasons. We are a new breed. This is our position in Christ! I find that most people live from their old experience rather than their new position. Our days are governed by what’s happening on the outside rather than what’s happened in the inside.

We not only have a new position, but we have new possessions. We have the Holy Spirit in us to do a brand new work in our lives and the lives of those we come in contact with. We also have a new potential – a ministry of reconciliation to the world. All of this is possible because of what we are celebrating this weekend. It’s not because it is Memorial Day weekend, it is because we are celebrating Pentecost. It is Pentecost that makes living in the power of the Holy Spirit possible.

The story of Pentecost is found in Acts 2. It is where the first followers of Jesus were all together in one place and the Spirit of God came down like tongues of fire resting on their heads. “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak” (Acts 2:4). The languages spoken by the early Christians were heard by thousands of Jewish people. The people were amazed while some thought they were drunk. Peter stood up and preached his first sermon. He interpreted the events in light of prophecy given by the prophet Joel. God promised to pour out His spirit and they were right in the middle of it.

Peter went on to explain that Jesus had been raised from the dead and poured out the Spirit in fulfillment of God’s promise. The crowd was stirred and they asked, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Over 3,000 were added to their numbers and the church was birthed. Because of that great event, held 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus, we now enjoy the fellowship provided through the church – sharing life, breaking bread together, hearing the teaching of the Word of God, and praying on all occasions.

It’s going to be a great Sunday as we celebrate Pentecost, remember those from our church who have gone home to be with Jesus, and remember those who have died in active military service. Invite someone to come and be changed from the inside out as we continue the series, “Lead Me to the Cross.”

Joy in Jesus!

Pastor Mike
www.findlayfirstnaz.org