This is that

At 16 years old, I was baptized in the Holy Spirit. From 18, God was moving through me in ways I couldn't fully explain or contain. When I look back and ask what the common denominators were, it wasn't my gifting, my theology, or my spiritual résumé. It was much simpler: with childlike faith, I was waiting expectantly and praying fervently. And the Holy Spirit sovereignly chose to show up.

That's what Joel 2 is about: "I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh." In Old Testament times the Spirit didn't "pour" — He dropped selectively and temporarily on kings, priests and prophets. If you weren't one of those, you lived your whole life knowing about the power of God without ever expecting to walk in it.

And then God says, "on all flesh." Sons and daughters. Young men and old men. Even servants — the people at the bottom of the social ladder. No VIP list. No credential check. No minimum years of ministry experience required.

When Peter stands up on the day of Pentecost, he points the bewildered crowd to the prophet Joel and basically says, "This is that." And he doesn't let the promise stop at Pentecost: "the promise is to you and to your children and to all who are far off" (Acts 2:39). That's you. That's now, in 2026. The promise has not expired.

Notice the one small but seismic change Peter makes: Joel said the outpouring would happen "afterward"; Peter quotes it as "in the last days." Pentecost inaugurated the Kingdom through the outpouring of the Spirit — and it also inaugurated the last days. We have been living in them for almost 2,000 years. The outpouring is both a blessing and a war cry: God mobilising His people for the most urgent mission in history.

The Holy Spirit does not discriminate. He is not waiting for you to become impressive — He is waiting for you to become available. You may think you're not like others around you. Good — because He's looking for you, not them. You may not know what to do, but neither did the 120 in the upper room. They just waited and prayed, and then they went.

Pray. Wait. Expect. Then go. 🔥