From the Rector: Father Chuck Mann
Don’t Blow Out the Flame!
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.
And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind,
and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided
tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And
they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other
tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
(Acts 2:1-4, ESV)
Typically when we celebrate a birthday, we blow out the traditional
flames of the candles. But on Pentecost day some 2000+ years ago, the Holy
Spirit lit a flame that has been burning mightily ever since. It is the
flame that, through Jesus Christ, has birthed a church and continues to
burn in the hearts of men and women who want to be used and are being used
by God through the Holy Spirit. However, some do indeed try to blow out
this flame. They blow it out by suppressing the moving of the Holy Spirit
in their lives.
When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord andSavior, each one of us has
the capability to be used by God in ways we can’t even imagine. Things
happen when they need to happen. God begins to orchestrate activities in
our lives that not only enhance the kingdom but bless us as well. Things
don’t happen when we begin to tell ourselves that God is too busy or
question why God would want to do this or that for us. You see, God wants
to be involved in our lives. He created us to have fellowship with Him.
For us to say that God is not interested in our lives, would be similar
to saying my mother, dad, sister, brother, or friend would not be
interested in my life. In some instances that might be the case, but that
is certainly not the norm. We are relational people. That is how God made
us. It is when people see the movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives
that they begin to ask questions. They know something is missing in their
own lives that needs to be filled. This opens the door to conversation
about the reality of Jesus Christ and what He has done for us.
But our culture seems to fall short in being open about our faith. In
my conversations with Bishops Lasebikan and Adeleye of Nigeria, we
discussed this to some length. I asked them why the church is growing so
fast in Africa (currently 18,000,000 Anglicans in Nigeria alone), and it
doesn’t seem to grow as fast here in the West. One of the quotes that
seems to stick out for me relates to how we in the West have almost every
need met. "When your needs are met, the perception is that you don’t need
God," said Bishop Lasebikan. "Rich or poor we need salvation; we need to
fill the void and be used for service."
"We in Nigeria know what our needs are. We take what we have and use it
to His service. God honors that," reiterated Bishop Adeleye. To these
bishops evangelism is not just another program on the church calendar; it
is a mandate from Jesus himself. There is no question that the mandate
given to the church to go and make disciples and to be filled with the
Holy Spirit is as natural as breathingthe air we breathe. The Holy Spirit
is not someone to be afraid of. He is how God interacts in our lives.
Jesus left so that the Holy Spirit could come and be among us.
As we begin this season of Pentecost, let us remember the promise that
Jesus made to us: that He is with us, that He will guide us, and that He
will empower us to do His service. I pray that each oneof you will
experience Christ to the fullest and that you will allow Him to use you
for His service. Let us not blow out the flame of the Holy Spirit but
allow Him to burn from within and anoint us with His grace and presence.
Blessings in our Lord Jesus,
Fr. Chuck
