"The gospel is like a pandemic. People are ‘infected’ with the love of Christ. Often, without even realizing it, Christians ‘infect’ others as they live out their faith. People notice the hope that is in followers of Jesus and want that hope for themselves."
 
I wrote those words six years ago when there was no end in sight for the pandemic. New variants arose. Another wave of infections.

Then vaccines were developed. The Covid strains weakened. What once was life-changing and unstoppable is becoming just a memory. .

I wonder if the same is true of the Christian faith. It seems Satan has many vaccines that can stop the gospel spread. Perhaps the most effective gospel vaccine is apathy that weakens the original infectious nature of the Christian faith. 
 
Thus my prayer: 
 
Come Holy Spirit, and rekindle in each of us the fire of your love. Overcome the devil’s vaccine and make the gospel unstoppable in our lives, in our community, in our nation, in our world.

The Fourth Wave – An Outline for Acts  

We were reading Luke's book of Acts. When Luke joined the missionary team in Troas on Paul's second missionary journey, we switched to reading Luke's first book - his Gospel. Now we return to the story of Acts where we left off... Paul on his third missionary journey. See the reading plan attached.

In Acts 19:1-20, Paul enters the city of Ephesus on the west coast of what is now Turkey. Twelve men had heard the gospel John the Baptist proclaimed. They hadn’t heard that the Christ had come.

The New International Version translates:

Paul and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

“No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

The Evangelical Heritage Version of Acts 19:2 offers a better translation.

Paul asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?”

“No,” they answered, “we have not even heard that the Holy Spirit was given.”
 
In John 7:39 the same Greek phrase is translated “the Spirit had not been given,” that is, that Pentecost hadn’t happened. What these men were saying is that they had not heard the Spirit had been poured out in fulfillment of God's Old Testament promise... "I will pour out my Spirit..." (Joel 2:28). 

Then we read about the fourth "wave" of the gospel pandemic striking Ephesus. The Holy Spirit came on these twelve just like he did on the disciples on Pentecost. 

In Acts, the four waves of the Holy Spirit are: 

1. Acts 2 – Pentecost – The Holy Spirit overcomes the fear of the apostles.
2. Acts 8 – In Samaria, the Holy Spirit overcomes racial divides.
3. Acts 10 & 11 – In Caesarea in the home of a Gentile, the Holy Spirit overcomes efforts to make our salvation dependent on obedience.
4. Acts 19 – The Holy Spirit overcomes incomplete knowledge.

In each of these events, the Holy Spirit makes his presence known in a miraculous way. The Holy Spirit washes away the obstacles and the gospel continues to spread.
 
This is our confidence as well. The Holy Spirit overcame the COVID-19 obstacle, allowing the Church to share the gospel online in ways we could never have imagined. And the Holy Spirit will overcome the obstacle of apathy. Let us pray: Come Holy Spirit in power and advance God’s Kingdom.
 
Our Old Testament lessons (read Psalms 97-102 here) begin with this prayer that the kingdom advance. The gospel is for

• “distant shores” (Ps 97:1)
• “all the earth” (Ps 98:4)
• “all the nations” (Ps 99:2)
• “all the earth” (Ps 100:1)

Our daily reading ends with two prayers:

• One is a prayer that we might live our lives in a way that glorifies the LORD (Psalm 101).  
• The second (Psalm 102) is the prayer of an afflicted person who finds comfort in the fact that the Son of God is unchanging (compare Psalm 102:25-27 and Hebrews 1:10-12). 

It is often when we are in the midst of affliction that the LORD can use us to “infect” others with the hope that we have in Christ. Come Holy Spirit, rekindle in us this fire of your love. Amen.