Go! Do!

Think about two things.

1. After the resurrection, the disciples stayed together in the Upper Room praying.  The disciples had to have been the most proficient pray-ers of all time.  After all, they were taught by the Lord Himself.  

2. Our God is all powerful.  He can snap His celestial fingers and accomplish anything He wills.  Nothing is outside His power.

Now, go back to the Upper Room.  Those expert pray-ers could certainly have prayed the entire world into God's Kingdom.  God could have responded: SNAP!  Done!  But that is not what happened.  Instead He created Pentecost. He filled them with the Holy Spirit and sent them out into the world.  Go!  Do!

Jesus' own life foreshadows this.  During His ministry he spent much time in prayer.  He taught His disciples how to pray.  He also worked hard.  He walked long miles on hot, dusty roads, up and down mountains to reach out to people.  At times He was exhausted, yet continued to do His Father's work. He was pressed by large crowds and continued to preach.  He was on His way to the next task when He stopped to heal.  Jesus was busy.  He exemplified Go!  Do!

All throughout the Gospels Jesus gives us commands to go and do.  Follow me! Feed my Lambs!  House the homeless! Give your cloak to the one who has none.   And yes...Pray!

I am surrounded by people who understand this better than anyone.  Children who were removed from their homes because of abuse, neglect, and extreme poverty visit severely disabled children at another Children's Home. Playing with them, feeding them, giving them a gift of one of their few personal possessions. These same children come together every Sunday filled with the Spirit to pray, sing, and worship.

Young men who live in hovels themselves build a new house for an impoverished woman.  At the end of the day ask, "When can we build the next one?"  These same young men rush to volunteer at a medical brigade.  At the end of a tiring day they are filled with crazy joy. 


Young men and women, living in Flor del Campo, famous for its poverty and violence, volunteer in our Alonzo Movement to move the youth away from gangs and drugs and towards hope and Jesus.

Jasmin, a recovering drug addict, said to the latest Medical Brigade,  "I wish I could speak better English so I could help more.  I think I helped some but next year I will be able to help more.  It feels so good to help people."

All of these are the "least of these" that Jesus talks about.  The least of these helping the least of these.  They understand and live out Pentecost!  

I believe in the power of prayer.  I have witnessed God's miraculous responses to prayer.  But, brothers and sisters, I deeply believe that His message on Pentecost is that prayer is not enough.   Jesus' own ministry and His words reinforce this.  So, say your prayers and then...

GO!  DO!